6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 1.5 | |
Overall | 1.5 |
When a priest is jailed for the murder of a nun on whom he was performing an exorcism, an investigative journalist strives to determine whether he in fact murdered a mentally ill person, or if he actually lost the battle with a demonic presence.
Starring: Sophie Cookson, Corneliu Ulici, Brittany Ashworth, Matthew Zajac, Diana VladuHorror | 100% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
UV digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 1.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 1.5 |
There’s a really interesting idea at the core of The Crucifixion, but unfortunately the film itself is something of a mess, an overlong and meandering journey through traditional Exorcist tropes, albeit absent many real scares. What’s so disappointing about The Crucifixion is that it definitely had potential had its creative staff simply eschewed the whole “let’s make a scary film about possession” angle and concentrated on what is in fact the single most interesting aspect of the story: was a nun who died during an exorcism truly under the influence of a demon, or simply mentally unbalanced? That’s fair game for a new take on “exorcist” material, and it’s one that The Crucifixion dances around for a while before giving in to whatever influences filmmakers in the horror genre these days, resulting in a flat, unaffecting experience that casts any ambiguity as to what’s been going on by the wayside. The film has a few stylistic flourishes courtesy of director Xavier Jens, but the screenplay by Chad Hayes and Carey W. Hayes (of The Conjuring fame) might have been more forceful had it simply refused to answer the question which is central to the story, at least to begin with.
The Crucifixion is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. The IMDb lists both the Arri Alexa and Red Epic Dragon as having been utilized, and, as stated above in the main body of the review, this is often a rather unexpectedly scenic film, at least for a supposed horror outing concerned with a possible possession. A lot of the aerial material is quite impressive in terms of general and fine detail levels, and depth of field is also often commendable. Even outdoor shots tend to have a kind of suitably dreary and rainy ambience, and so some fine detail levels tend to falter in these and even darker moments. There are some occasional issues with banding that can be noticed on elements like the fog that regularly rolls over the Romanian hillsides.
The Crucifixion features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix which repeatedly exploits time honored use of sudden jolts of LFE to provoke startle effects. Several outdoor scenes also contain quite a bit of ambient environmental sound placement, and even the cacophonous exorcism scene (which is revisited at least a couple of times throughout the film) provides some immersion, but for the most part surround activity is somewhat curtailed due to long stretches of near silence while Nicole tools around, either in her car or on foot, or, conversely, in longer dialogue sections which tend to be anchored front and center. Fidelity is fine throughout, and there are no problems to report.
Doesn't a film that never lets you know whether or not someone was actually possessed sound at least potentially more interesting than a film that revisits hoary exorcist tropes for the umpteenth time? That's the really almost annoying thing about The Crucifixion — it had the potential to be something really different, and perhaps even remarkably effective. Instead, it's the same old, same old, without even any really effective scares. Technical merits are generally strong for those considering a purchase.
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