Possession or “Satanic Panic” films have been around in horror for decades. There have been literally dozens over the years, with most notably the mother of all possession films The Exorcist (1973). Upon it’s release, The Exorcist shocked American audiences. But it also created a new horror sub-genre that has not lost steam over the years, including a slew of possession flicks in recent years. Movies like Deliver Us from Evil (2014), The Last Exorcism (2010) or The Devil Inside (2012), just shows that these types of movies aren’t going away any time soon. So, let’s dive briefly into the latest effort into the sub-genre and where does it stack up to the rest?
The Song of Solomon (2017)
Synopsis – via Unearthed Films
Mary (Jessica Cameron, Truth or Dare, Red Eye) witnesses the brutal suicide of her father. His death unleashes the savage forces of demonic possession in his daughter. The End of Days is upon the world. Famine, drought, looting and chaos are ripping the world apart and the Catholic Church is trying to save an innocent soul from the ravages of satanic possession. Wave after wave of holy men are sent to confront the possessed. But what is the Holy Church actually doing?
…When the song is finally sung, Lucifer will be unleashed…
Song of Solomon is the fourth film produced by Unearthed Films and is written and directed by co-founder Stephen Biro (Bouquets of Guts and Gore). Unearthed Films is known for it’s shocking and gore heavy American Guinea Pig films, with Song of Solomon being no exception. This flick is GORY AS FUCK! The production was tag-teamed by low budget special effects wizards Marcus Koch (AGP: Bloodshock) of Oddtopsy FX and Jerami Cruise (August Underground’s Mordum) of Toetag EFX. Their work was truly hideous and exceptionally well done. It was amazing to see the special make-up effects evolve on Mary (Cameron) as the stages of the exorcism wore on.
This is the first Unearthed release to not adorn the American Guinea Pig moniker in the title. Even though this film took the AGP off, make no mistake, this is an AGP film through and through. The reasoning behind the removal was attributed to the stigma that fans have given the AGP films over the years. I believe by doing so, it makes Song of Solomon more palatable to horror fans of all types, not just the shock and gore hounds, which will allow it to spread to a wider audience.
The Song of Solomon is not your run of the mill possession film. It is truly sadistic and unflinchingly horrific. Cameron’s ravaged performance as the possessed innocent, is by far her best to date and I will keep an eye out for her future endeavors. This movie will sit with you for quite some time after you’ve seen it. As I am writing this now, I am still stunned and unnerved by the events of the final 15 minutes, but in a good way. Which I think was Biro’s intention. Some will like this film, others may not be willing to finish it. But, if you are willing to venture out of your horror comfort zone, give this flick a chance. …I did.
IMDb: 6.5/10
ZombiSurvivor: 6.8/10
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STAY SCARED!
-ZS
