Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘The Vatican Tapes’

Written by Scott Edwards

Throughout history there have always been accounts of the battles between good and evil. Even today we cannot seem to get away from this as people continue to kill in the name of something greater. The faith that these people house is tremendous and even though most of the time they are peaceful when showing it, there are others that take it to the next level. Finding a happy medium in one’s faith is more important now than it has ever been before, as times change and beliefs continue to be a focus for so many people to act upon.

During her surprise birthday party, Angela Holmes is given one the best presents she has ever received, her father is finally in attendance. While everything seems to be going fine at the party, it is apparent that her father Roger and boyfriend Pete will never be friends, but that means little to Angela as she has all that she wants in life. While cutting a piece of cake, Angela slices open her finger and is forced to leave the party and get stitches at the hospital. Not wanting to go into the building, she is left no choice as both Roger and Pete insist on her finger being looked at by a doctor. As everything seems to be fine, Angela feels a little different when leaving the hospital, but those feelings are going to escalate as the days go on. 

As Angela’s attitude starts to change towards people, she is bit by a crow that broke through a window during her bus ride. Even though Pete insists that she go to see the doctor again, she wants to wait since her father is still in town and wants to spend more time with him. But after passing out on the couch, Roger and Pete are forced to make her return to the hospital once again. Seeing the family roaming the halls again, Father Lozano stops and talks to Roger about what is going on, but even he does not have any idea what is happening with Angela. Getting a cab to go back home, Angela is able to defuse a fight between her father and boyfriend, but then out of nowhere, she grabs the wheel to the car and forces it to crash.

Being in a coma for forty days, Roger is forced to come to the decision to take his daughter off of life support. When the plug is pulled and it appears that Angela will pass away, she comes back around. Being kept in the hospital for observation, Angela is able to escape her room in the middle of the night and finds herself preparing to drown an infant until the hospital alarms go off. Trying to return to her room, she is caught by the security officers and now is being shipped off to a mental facility to evaluate her actions. With her only frequent visitor being Father Lozano, Angela has a distrust for the priest and when talking to Pete, she makes it known that she knows there is something inside of her that is taking over her mind and body. While Pete does not understand completely what is happening to her, Father Lozano does and when he gets a call from the Vatican, he finds out that he will be a part of his first exorcism. With the beast taking over Angela, nobody knows how powerful it is, but when conducting the rites on the girl, the seasoned priest sees that it is more than a possession, it could be the end of the world as we know it.

I have always had a soft spot for possession movies, they just make me curious of what is really out there. One of the things that I liked most about the movie was the transformation of Angela and watching as she sees her world change around her. With both her father and boyfriend fighting for her affection, along with trying to fight off whatever is inside of her, she has her hands full at all times. I wish there could have been a little more explanation about why she was chosen as she does not seem to be a religious person and the writing of an article should not open the door to a possession. Besides that, I liked watching the distrust between Pete and Roger and Father Lozano trying to keep them together since they are the loved ones of the girl and she will need them now more than ever. With the beast free to roam the planet and take over whomever it sees fit, it may be more difficult to find him. Stay Scared.

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