While COVID rages on, continuing to mutate, spread, and infect thousands of people, the folks behind Prey for the Devil are bringing forth a new question. What if, like the viral pandemic we’ve been facing, there was a spread of demonic possession that couldn’t be stopped? Spoiler alert: it would be really bad! And that’s exactly what we’re seeing today in the film’s official trailer released by Lionsgate.
The trailer takes us into the lives of those fighting off the forces of evil — a team of priests studying at St. Michael the Archangel School of Exorcism. Although women aren’t allowed to perform exorcisms, as that’s that job for a priest, the school allows in a young nun named Sister Ann (Jacqueline Byers) who has been face-to-face with demonic possession her entire life. The trailer drops some background on Sister Ann’s youth, a time when her own mother was possessed by a demon whose main goal was to jump into Ann’s body. Now, living out her faith, Ann is still being hunted by the demonic entity that hops from person to person while it tries to possess the young woman. Filled with plenty of jump-scares, the trailer promises that the movie will keep audiences guessing as to who will be possessed next as the devil pushes Ann to let him in.
Originally titled The Devil’s Light, the film will also star Christian Navarro (13 Reasons Why), Nicholas Ralph (All Creatures Great and Small), Colin Salmon (Resident Evil), Virginia Madsen (Candyman, The Number 23), Lisa Palfrey (Sex Education) and the late Ben Cross (Chariots of Fire). Daniel Stamm, who horror fans will recognize from his work behind films including The Last Exorcism and 13 Sins, directed the feature with a screenplay by Halloween H20: 20 Years Later scribe, Robert Zappia. Producing will be Paul Brooks, Todd Jones, Jessica Malanaphy, and Earl Richey Jones with David Brooks, Brad Kessell, Michael P. Flannigan, and Scott Niemeyer serving as executive producers.
Exorcism-themed flicks can go one of two ways: scary or cheesy. For films of the like, production needs to reveal the demonic possession at the center of their story without pushing it over the limits and turning it into something campy — unless campy is what they’re going for, which we also love! If the trailer for Prey for the Devil tells us anything, it’s that those creatives backing the film know when to turn up the scares while also pushing an intriguing and mysterious storyline behind why the devil wants to possess Sister Ann so badly.
You can check out the trailer below and see if Sister Ann will be able to escape the devil’s clutches when Lionsgate’s Prey for the Devil possesses screens on October 28.