So I did a digital rental of yet another exorcism movie called The Vatican Tapes… which, based on the title and the genre, is surprisingly not a found footage movie. Instead, this is a pretty by-the-numbers, no surprises horror movie with cheap jump scares… before it suddenly and surprisingly morphs into one of the more unsettling and genuinely creepy horror films I’ve seen in a long time.

I’m kind of alone in this opinion based on the Rotten Tomatoes AND viewer scores, but I really found this movie unnerving… and that’s far more effective than cheap jump scares. The director is Mark Neveldine who (along with this partner Taylor) never knew when too much was too much given that they created the Crank movies and Ghost Rider 2. Here he (working alone) shows more restraint… that is until maybe the last 10 minutes where things get a little silly. But up until that point, he creates a mood with smart editing, lighting, and music… and a really good bit of acting from the lead Olivia Dudley who knows how to give the camera a good evil glare.

So, yeah, if you are home alone and want a good Halloween skin tingler, you might give this one a try. But fair warning… I could be wrong.

Score: 86