Quartile rating: 5.5/10 · 1 rating
In a highly secured vault deep within the walls of Vatican City, the Catholic Church holds thousands of old films and video footage documenting exorcisms/supposed exorcisms and other unexplained religious phenomena they feel the world is not ready to see. This is the first tape - Case 83-G - stolen from these archives and exposed to the public by an anonymous source.
The Vatican Tapes is a largely formulaic possession/exorcism horror film that covers well-trodden ground established by The Exorcist and its many imitators. The found-footage/mockumentary framing device lends a thin veneer of novelty but is itself a well-worn genre convention by 2015. The plot follows predictable beats — strange behavior, escalating possession, desperate exorcism — with little genuine surprise. Acting is serviceable but unremarkable, with no standout performances elevating the material. Cinematography is competent but generic, typical of mid-budget horror productions of the era. The ending, which leans into Antichrist mythology and a bleaker, more cosmic resolution than the standard exorcism climax, is slightly more interesting than the build-up and provides a modest distinguishing moment that keeps it from being entirely forgettable.