‘The Devil is real.’
Holy Terror is a 2017 American exorcism horror film written and directed by Rich Mallery (Sinful; Sociopathia). The Napalm Love-CineRidge Entertainment production stars Kelly Lynn Reiter (Xenophobia; Bikini Car Wash Massacre; Halloween Pussy Trap Kill! Kill!), Jesse Hlubik (Puppet Master X: Axis Rising; All Cheerleaders Die; May) and Kristine DeBell. Mel Novak has a cameo role as a priest.
Plot:
Believing their deceased son isn’t at peace, Molly and Tom ask a medium to make contact. But after they invite a vengeful demon to cross over, the couple must enlist the help of a disgraced priest to attempt a dangerous exorcism…
Background:
During production, writer/director Rich Mallery commented:
“There has been a resurgence of exorcism/possession-type movies, so it’s a little challenging to give audiences something they haven’t seen before. But we have a few tricks up our sleeve that are going to make Holy Terror stand apart from the crowd. Plus, we’re going for a real late-’70s/early-’80s feel. Films like The Changeling, The Amityville Horror and of course the original Exorcist are huge influences on this project…”
Reviews:
“It feels more like a rough first draft than a polished final draft ready for the viewing audience. The bones of the film are decent, but just not enough to carry it through with an enjoyable completion. The characters are frustrating and have zero obvious redeeming qualities.” Cryptic Rock
“Nothing groundbreaking but hardly as bad as the negative reviews would have you believe.” Larry Yoshida
“It’s a dullish story in which very little happens of note and it does feel padded out to endless lengths. A little makeup is the limit of the FX you’ll see here. There’s a semi-decent twist ending that’s delivered too late, but no real power or atmosphere at any point.” Leofwine Draca
“The film is a derivative mix of plot threads and themes found in William Friedkin’s film and as such, at least for this reviewer, is just as dull. Don’t get me wrong, I can appreciate Holy Terror on a purely filmmaking level, the production values, acting, etc. but as a slice of terrifying horror? Not so much.” Nerdly
Release:
Holy Terror is free to watch online via Amazon Prime
Cast and characters:
Kelly Lynn Reiter … Molly (as Kelly Reiter)
Jesse Hlubik … Tom
Kristine DeBell … Catherine
Nicole Olson … Billie
Lisa London … Janice
Scott Butler … Jacob
Vida Ghaffari … Hayley
Mel Novak … Father Murphy
Technical details:
77 minutes
