Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘American Exorcism’

Written by Scott Edwards

This article was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.
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​As life continues to get more and more out of control, it is easy to forget what is most important, family. With everything that is going on, you can find yourself missing your kid’s soccer matches, or blanking out on an anniversary and these are the things that make life worth living. While your absence can be understood by the impacted parties, these are the moments that you will never get back and you might find yourself regretting it as you get older. Knowing the importance of making a living so you and your family can afford to live is important, but there is something to be said for being there for them as well, since we only get one shot at this life.
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Watching his daughter celebrate her eighth birthday in perfect fashion, Damon is reminded by his Padre that he has a job to do later on in the night. Putting Caroline to bed with some loving antics, Damon is forced to break the news to his wife that he will be working again. Begging him to put that life behind him, Damon explodes into a tirade about what he is trying to protect the world from and heads off into the night. Meeting up with Padre and Cy to try and bring their friend Dale back from the dark side, nobody knows what is awaiting them at Damon’s house when the job is done. As a demonic force has taken over his wife, Damon tries to exorcise her, but when that fails, her life is taken away from him and his daughter. 

Years have passed, and Damon is living the good life on the beach when he gets a visit from Padre who has something on his mind that he is extremely worried about. As Caroline’s eighteenth birthday is on the horizon, Padre fears that she will suffer the same fate that Damon did back during the war many years ago. Knowing that his daughter is strong, even though she is not living with him, Damon is not willing to accept that this will be her fate. But the signs are showing for Padre, and he is able to get his old exorcist friend to come along on one final exorcism with him for his daughter’s sake.

Growing up in a border town, Caroline has been able to fit in with any crowd that she wants, but now things are getting easier for her. Being able to manipulate anyone to her will, she finds an unsuspecting boy to come to her birthday party with her, even though he barely knows her. As she has turned older and the demon inside of her is ready to collect souls, she racks up a few at the party, but has no idea what is waiting at home for her. Seeing that the demon that has taken his daughter is the same one that took his wife, Damon wants to handle the situation as calmly as possible, but with his daughter’s life on the line, there is nothing he will not do to bring her back to the light.

A twist that I have not seen in an exorcism movie before, demons battling demons with the church standing behind it, that is something new for sure. While I would have liked to get a little deeper into the background of the war vet Damon and understand what caused him to become a demon hybrid, he was nothing short of amazing when it came to exorcising demons. Caroline really stole the show and appears to have the demon taking over her more often than not, especially when a soul needs to be collected, but that is not all she wants as taking blood from the victims seems to be important as well. With a demon exorcist, a dysfunctional team, some shady friendships, some blood, some lust, and a demon that refuses to go back to hell, this movie is a pretty good spin on the genre. While I don’t know one way or another if possessions are real, I will now steer clear of anyone that has their eyes changing colors on a regular basis. Stay Scared.

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