Prey for the Devil is a 2022 supernatural horror film directed by Daniel Stamm (The Last Exorcism, 13 Sins) and written by Robert Zappia (Halloween H20), based on a story by Todd R. Jones and Earl Richey Jones. It is the final film to feature actor Ben Cross before his death in 2020, and is dedicated to his memory.

In response to a global rise in demonic possessions, the Catholic Church reopens exorcism schools to train priests in the Rite of Exorcism. On this spiritual battlefield, an unlikely warrior rises: a young nun, Sister Ann. Although nuns are forbidden to perform exorcisms, a professor recognizes Sister Ann’s gifts and agrees to train her. Thrust onto the spiritual frontline with fellow student Father Dante, Sister Ann finds herself in a battle for the soul of a young girl, who Sister Ann believes is possessed by the same demon that tormented her own mother years ago, and soon realizes the Devil has her right where he wants her… and it wants in.

The film stars Jacqueline Byers, Colin Salmon, Christian Navarro, Lisa Palfrey, Nicholas Ralph, Virginia Madsen, and Ben Cross.

Prey for the Devil made its debut in theaters on October 28th, courtesy of Lionsgate.

THE GOOD

I will skip the spiel about how I am a horror movie fanatic and live for the genre etc etc because if you have read any of my reviews, you have likely heard the same story a few times already. I will say that I live for this time of year, especially when we are treated to a few quality horror movies in theaters, and this year has been pretty good. When the Prey for the Devil trailer made its debut I was extremely intrigued, it just looked really good. From the production value to just how well made the trailer was in general, I knew this was going to be the Halloween movie I needed to see in theaters as soon as it released. So, did the trend solid horror movies continue or was this a dud? Keep reading to find out!

Alright so bottom line, I really enjoyed this movie. Prey for the Devil is as advertised and brings to the table tremendous production value, well above average acting, a top-notch score, and just an overall horror package that feels well-rounded and balanced. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect as far as the cast in general, but that was a massive bright spot for me along with what I felt like was a great story with lots of depth especially considering the short hour and a half runtime. One of the things Prey for the Devil does best is it appeals to a broad range of audiences, offering something for the jump scare crowd and also appeals to my preference which is more of tense and chilling moments that give you chills. Bottom line, it all works and equates to a movie perfect for the Halloween season.

I thought the screenplay was a big reason why Prey for the Devil really stuck with me. I expected a quality story to go along with the great production value, but what I got was much more depth than I originally anticipated. This film has a clear identity, and for that reason it goes well beyond your standard run-of-the-mill exorcism style film. The story revolves around an earlier trauma involving the main character, and for that reason you are constantly wondering how much her personal story has impacted the events she finds herself involved in. Any horror thrill with a twist that catches audiences by surprise has an opportunity to do big things, and I think that is more often than not the case here.

I touched on it briefly but the cast definitely overachieved here. Lead Jaqueline Byers, who by all accounts is a fairly unknown actress but did play a supporting role in the 2018 crime thriller Bad Samaritan, is fantastic. In many ways she reminded me of former Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke, and believe me when I saw that is a compliment. Not only is Byers very attractive even though she is not a natural blonde (I know, spoiler alert), she can act. Her character has a great deal of depth and is the most important part of the overall story, and she handled everything like a veteran actress. I personally thing Byers has a talented future ahead of her, and how good she looks in that nun uniform certainly doesn’t hurt.

Another actor who I really liked that also played a pivotal role is 13 Reasons Why star Christian Navarro. Navarro plays another character that is very important to the story, and he has great on-screen chemistry with Byers. I feel like Navarro also impressed as an actor trying to make a name for himself, and I think he has a bright future. Veteran actor Colin Salmon, who has been in literally everything since his career began in the early 90’s, plays an important supporting role. Salmon has a powerful on-screen presence so he tends to do well in horror movies. I personally take him very seriously no matter what role he plays and I loved the decision to bring him in for this movie.

Any great horror film needs a powerful and effective score, and Prey for the Devil has that and then some. The film is decked out with intense sequences, and audiences are treated to music that absolutely compliments exactly what is unfolding on-screen. For me the sound just got me that much more immersed in the film, and instead of having visual queues in terms of when I should be prepared for something crazy to happen, the great music and sound added another unique and impactful element. The story and the acting was a big positive for me, but the score was right up there in terms of why Prey for the Devil worked so well.

THE BAD

Prey for the Devil isn’t perfect, and some of the issues are admittedly personal preference. First and foremost, I just wish it was scarier. Plain and simple. Now that isn’t necessarily a knock on the film in terms of the overall effectiveness, I just needed a little more emphasis on certain elements. I definitely got chills more than a few times during the film and even jumped a few times which is rare for me, but if they had built more on the elements of the film that really got me I do think it would have been even scarier. I also felt like the final act could have been finessed a bit more even though I really liked the overall twist to then story and the fact that everything came full circle.

THE VERDICT

A well-crafted and chilling supernatural horror thriller from The Last Exorcism director Daniel Stamm, Prey for the Devil takes full advantage of its strengths serving as a very solid genre entry. I was genuinely impressed with the screenplay and the performances in particular, but more than anything else the fact that the final product was able to match the excitement generated by what I considered to be a couple damn good trailers. This is a quality experience for horror fans any way you look at it, and proves that this genre can thrive with with a lesser known cast as long as the other elements of the film come together. Prey for the Devil impressed me, and if you give it a chance I believe it will impress you too.