Based on James Herbert’s 1983 novel, “The Shrine”, The Unholy (2021) starts like any generic 19th century-based horror movie: a resident possession, scared locals, a priest performing an exorcism in Latin, and a containment. Of course, just like your average horror movies, evil, unlike lightning, always strikes twice. So it comes as no surprise when disgraced journalist Gerry Fenn (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), while investigating an incident of “cattle mutilation” in a small Massachusetts town called Banfield, unwittingly releases a 200-year-old evil. This is where the story deepens.

Later that night, deaf, 18-year-old Alice Pagett (Cricket Brown) sees Mary/The Lady in a tree trunk so bizarre it makes Mother Willow look normal. After that visitation, Alice’s deafness becomes a thing of the past. Alice’s cure is the first of many. Using Alice as a medium and faith as fuel, The Lady cures other faithful of their illnesses, including Alice’s uncle, Father Hagan (William Sadler). It’s just like Lourdes all over again. There is a potent dreariness and listlessness that sits snugly over Banfield. It is only fitting that people there thirst for hope and long for miracles. In no distant time, the tree trunk in Banfield becomes a shrine.

Always a bloodhound for a catchy story, Fenn gets exclusive rights to write about Alice and The Lady’s visitations. Apparently, miracles do not discriminate nor care about shady journalistic histories. The Bishop (Cary Elwes) is naturally ecstatic about the miracles and the comparisons made between Banfield and Lourdes. The Vatican sends down hot, broody, and way-too-young Monsignor Delgarde (Diogo Morgado) to investigate the miracles. Asides from the indifferent Fenn, Monsignor Delgarde and Father Hagan doubt the miracles for different reasons.

Whether it is a natural, fatherly protectiveness, or spiritual conscientiousness, Fr. Hagan feels the need to be prudent with the miracles. Quoting Martin Luther, Father Hagan says, “When God builds a church, the devil builds a chapel next door.” Unfortunately, “The Lady” does not spare the faithless.

Analysis and Themes

Horror movies have one goal: shock factor. However, The Unholy (2021) while having excellent jump-scare scenes and offputting closeups of a disturbing statue of the Madonna, offers a lot of pithy scenes. As a Christian and a Roman Catholic, I know a lot of devout Catholics will be offended, armed with rosary beads and reproachful words about this “blasphemous” movie. They have every right to be so, especially seeing as producers cheekily released it on Good Friday. Nevertheless, perspective matters. Admittedly, the movie committed some gaffes:

• While movies are not reality, they should strive to be as accurate as possible; casting someone so young as a monsignor has no place in that accuracy. You see that kind of youth among seminarians, deacons, and newly ordained priests, all of which don’t have the spiritual fortitude to perform exorcisms (yet). Then again, Monsignor Delgarde may among those ordained before the rule was put in place.
• Also, in irreligious times like ours and a secular country like America, it is not feasible that the entire country would want specials on the visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In Italy, yes. In the USA, no.
• Again, I honestly feel no town, no matter how leached of hope and happiness the people are, looks and feels as vapid as Banfield.
• The ending of The Unholy (2021) reminds me of an ill-prepared plate of instant noodles, rushed and indigestible. It started like your run-of-the-mill horror flick, had a pithy middle, and disappointed with its generic ending. With the profound build-up, the story had going, I expected a soul-stirring end. I didn’t get that. It feels like they wanted to add more stuff to the story but realized they had run out of minutes and crammed some cult-esque scenes towards the end and some shrieking action for good measure.

However, without really intending to do so, we find inspired ideas and moral lessons nestled at each turn of the movie. Father Hagan’s words kept echoing in my mind long after the credits rolled. We have all heard this advice in different forms:

Wolves in sheep’s clothing Things are not always what they seem. All that glitters is not gold. The road to hell is paved with good intentions

Hell, I even heard something similar in Spanish two months ago: De noche todos los gatos son pardos (which translates to at night all cats are black).

Be on your guard against false prophets; they come to you looking like sheep on the outside, but on the inside, they are really like wild wolves.

Matthew 7:15

In a world eroded of hope, it is easy to look for hope in unlikely places. There is a reason the bible says judgment will begin in the house of God. While miracles can be beacons of hope in troubled times and balm to our aching humanity, it pays to be cautious. Even the bible warns about it in Matthew 7:15 and Matthew 24:24. As opposed to seeing the movie as the blasphemous cinematography of a faithless and irreligious world, I feel the movie in employing tacky scenes tries to teach people, particularly the faithful, the need to be as wise as serpents in the face of miracles. Atrocities can be wrapped in miracles and peddled in God’s name.

For false Messiahs and false prophets will appear; they will perform great miracles and wonders in order to deceive even God’s chosen people, if possible. Matthew 24:24

Another theme The Unholy (2021) unconsciously handles is influencer culture and how fickle human beings can be. Before the visitation, Alice, like most disabled people, is unseen. She isn’t worthy of note and is neither seen nor heard. With the visitations and healings, Alice is suddenly visible and loved as the representative of “The Lady”. People made souvenirs of her, came from far and wide to see her, and even touched her clothes, hoping to be blessed. In celebrating her gifts, many others watching her silently pray to be touched by The Lady and finally be seen.

However, I feel in the wave of her newfound popularity, she loses much of herself. People don’t see her as Alice Pagett but as Alice, The Lady’s mouthpiece. When it was discovered that it was not the Blessed Virgin doing those miracles but a sinister entity with the name Mary, people turn against Alice. People often hold celebrities and influencers to high standards. While this is not a bad thing, it is necessary to remember that popular people are human beings with human flaws and shortcomings. They make mistakes just like any Chad, Emeka, Yang, or Sunita out there.

Verdict

Strength of the Plot: 6.0

Plot Progression: 5.0

Character Development: 8.0

Visuals and CGI: 6.0

Total: 6.25

On a scale of 1 to 10, The Unholy (2021), while having a “meh” ending, is a 6 and good watch that triggers discussions about Christianity, the politics of religion, and man’s search for hope.

Originally published on Medium.

For more movie reviews, check out The Root of All Evil: Review of Gold Statue (2019) and The Pain of Wasted Talent: Review of A Bronx Tale (1993)

You can also check out Fishdom, UNN and the Fear of Failure and Help! My Twenties are Killing Me.