Directed by Mickey Reece, Agnes recently screened at Fantastic Fest 2021 in Austin, TX. The film stars Molly C. Quinn (Doctor Sleep, Castle), who also acted as executive producer, along with Hayley McFarland (The Conjuring, Sons of Anarchy), Jake Horowitz (Castle Freak 2020), Sean Gunn (The Suicide Squad, Guardians of the Galaxy), Chris Browning (TV’s The 100, TV’s Bosch), and Ben Hall (Minari, Climate of the Hunter).
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Nuns at a convent experience unexplained events when one of the young nuns, Agnes (Hayley McFarland), is possessed by a demonic entity. Help arrives in the form of a priest (Ben Hall), who is aided by his student and future priest (Jake Horowitz) and a priest exorcist (Chris Browning). The events that follow cause Agnes’ fellow nun and friend Mary (Molly C. Quinn) to rethink her faith and role in the Church.
While the film begins as a horror film, it fades away as Mary’s post-nun life becomes the focus. The split in tone and direction not only leaves some things open-ended, but feels like two different films. The first act is focused on Agnes’ possession, which is accompanied by violence, outbursts, and supernatural activity such as dishes moving and doors slamming on their own. Once Mary leaves to start a new life, it is all about her personal drama, abruptly dropping the possession and horror entirely. While Agnes’ exorcism is the root cause for this change in Mary’s life, you almost forget about how the film started once the credits roll.
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Along with the disjointed genre shift, the attempt at camp and black humor results in religious-horror cliches and all-around odd character choices. While the film was well produced, these perplexing writing decisions become too much of a distraction.
Agnes is set to be released on December 10, 2021.
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