This Review Reveals Minor Details About the Plot.
living History
Plot Overview
ABQ News investigative journalist
Charlie Cannon (Jack Reynor) unearths some ancient Egyptian writing
that he shows to archaeology professor Bigster teaching at
Albuquerque Community College. The professor deciphers the
name of an ancient demon the Nazarenian, the destroyer of families,
who would pass from one body to the next wreaking havoc until,
suddenly all record of it ceased. A reclusive Egyptian family has
it bound and entombed on their farm in the desert, but due to a
planned flood they perforce move it although it was
“meant to stay buried and bound.” The transport
plane crashes disgorging a dusty sarcophagus that was turned over
to the antiquities department who opening it discovered a catatonic
girl child's body inside half dead. She was the 82'nd transfer of
the demon who got passed “from a spent vessel to a freshly
prepared one”—the younger the better—, in this
case little Katie “Don't call me Butterfly”
Cannon (Emily Mitchell) who'd gone missing from her parents
stationed in Cairo eight years back. A Magician (Hayat Camille) had
enticed her with treats & tricks to become the next vessel, as
in a Willi Heinrich novel:
The opening of the presents always took place according to an established ceremony which was started by Fred's mother. That would never change in the future either, in this house everything had its routine, even the most intimate events. (34)
The hospital turns her over to her
parents who'd been quarreling over whose fault it had been that she
disappeared. The docs felt that a loving environment would be
her best hope. The dad suggests Katie might be better off in a home
with professional care, but her mom Larissa Cannon (Laia Costa) a
nurse won't hear of it. However, after some time with the
shenanigans of the destroyer of families, she decides,
“I don't want her here anymore.”
Her father is able to decipher the Morse
Code tappings of mute Katie (Natalie Grace) to spell out Layla. Female detective
Dalia Zaki (May Calamawy) of the Zamalek Police Dept. finds this less than helpful as
Layla is a common Egyptian name. Charlie sorts through a
trunk of old sympathy notes to find one from a Layla Khalil. There
is or was a Layla Khalil on a defunct tangerine farm in the
boonies. Police photos of the abduction scene show a tangerine in
it. The film now becomes a police thriller (with horror overtones.)
Ideology
In New Testament times a
particularly nasty spirit was encountered by Jesus's disciples:
(Matt. 17:14-17) “And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.”The Master took care of it right quick:
(Matt. 17:18-21) “And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.”
The Cannon domicile
showcases religious artifacts such a painting of the last
supper on the wall. Larissa's mother Carmen (Veronica Falcon) prays
heartily over comatose Katie, apparently without having
fasted, and she ends up the worse for it, while the hungry coyotes
outside get a feast as a reward for their patience.
At her wake a priest, well fed but not prayed up, gets the worst of his encounter with Katie, “because of [his] unbelief.”
The saying, (Matt. 17:21) “Howbeit this kind goeth
not out but by prayer and fasting,” is reliably
translated in the KJV, in the NKJV, and in a Gideons special edition of the
ESV, all
relying on the Textus
Receptus manuscripts. Some few Alexandrian manuscripts
having survived longer in the dry Egyptian climate leave out
“and fasting,” and are used in modernized versions
under the guise of “older” or “best”
manuscripts. There Mark 9:29, Acts 10:30 and 1Cor.
7:5 Aleph B and their allies omit fasting.
These omissions are probably due to the influence of Clement of
Alexandria and other Gnostics, who interpreted fasting in a
spiritual sense and were opposed to literal fasting (Strom. 6:12, 7:12).
Production Values
“” (2026) was written and directed by Lee Cronin. Having the writer also direct made for a smooth product. It stars Jack Reynor, Laia Costa, and May Calamawy. I find no fault in the acting, and Natalie Grace stood up to handling a demanding role.
MPA rated it R for strong disturbing violent content, gore, language and brief drug use. The passage of time between the intro and the main body was indicated by Charlie getting promoted to producer and growing a beard, while Katie's room was maintained as-is waiting for her return. The writing was very good and original. The cinematography was sharp, the camera work elegant, and the set atmospheric. It was filmed on location in Ireland. Runtime is 2¼ hours.
Review Conclusion w/a Christian's Recommendation
Christianity was not portrayed negatively, just ineffectual for these practitioners. For horror this is as good as it gets without driving the audience out of the theater. Even the coyotes did their part to wind it tight. See it if you can take it.
Movie Ratings
Action factor: Edge of your seat action. Suitability For Children: Not Suitable for Children of Any Age. Special effects: Amazing special effects. Video Occasion: Fit For a Friday Evening. Suspense: Don't watch this movie alone. Overall movie rating: Four stars out of five.
Works Cited
Unless otherwise indicated scripture quotations are from the Authorized King James Version (KJV.) Pub. 1611. Rev. 1769. Software.
Heinrich, Willi. The Lonely Conqueror. Copyright © 1962 by The Dial Press. New York: The Dial Press, 1962. Print.
bibles.n7nz.org