‘Be careful what you pray for’
The Crucifixion is a 2017 British-Romanian horror film directed by Xavier Gens (Cold Skin; The ABCs of Death, segment “X Is for XXL”; Frontier(s)) from a screenplay by Chad and Carey Hayes (The Conjuring and sequel; The Reaping; House of Wax). The movie stars Sophie Cookson, Corneliu Ulici and Brittany Ashworth.
Plot:
Sceptic journalist Nicole Rawlins (Sophie Cookson) is investigating the murder of a nun. A priest has been convicted but he claims that she died while he was performing an exorcism ritual.
When Nicole comes in contact with Father Anton (Corneliu Ulici) more and more inexplicable events occur.
The pair starts to also believe that the priest lost the battle with a demon…
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Reviews:
“Sure The Crucifixion doesn’t break any new ground with its screenplay by The Conjuring scribes Chad and Carey Hayes and mostly carries out the required beats of an exorcism flick blow for blow, but as is the case with any number of motion pictures, it’s all in the execution. And it is here that the movie really soars with director Xavier Gens (Frontiers and Hitman) giving the shallow story his all.” Arrow in the Head
“ …The Crucifixion forgoes the affecting shocks and awes, and instead beats its audience into the ground with a laundry-list of ho-hum dialogue and lesser-than-stellar instances… forget the priest, I need a friggin’ Red Bull.” Dread Central
“As for Gens, his direction is flat and uninspired. His sense of pacing is also off, with the movie’s supposedly lean 90-minute length feels like it’s slogging forever. There is a few jump scares popped up every now and then, but Gens seems to forget how to make them scary.” Casey’s Movie Mania
“The Crucifixion plays a lot like a really boring Nancy Drew mystery […] With unimpressive scope and a casual approach to inducing unease, The Crucifixion is a mediocre at best entry in the demonic possession sub-genre, and one that won’t be applauded for any significant reason.” Culture Crypt
“It’s just dull to watch. The acting is fine, the story is okay, and it looks good. There are no terrible special effects or atrocious lines of dialogue. It’s average.” Modern Horrors
Main cast:
- Sophie Cookson
- Corneliu Ulici – The Scorpion King 4; Werewolf: The Beast Among Us; The Devil Inside
- Brittany Ashworth
- Matthew Zajac
- Diana Vladu
- Florian Voicu
- Radu Bânzaru
- Javier Botet
- Olivia Nita
- Iván González
- Alexis Rodney
- Radu Andrei Micu
- Emil Mandanac
Filming locations:
Bucharest and Sighisoara, Mures, Romania
Release:
The film was released theatrically and On Demand by Lionsgate on October 6, 2017.
