When he was barely ten years old, the Venezuelan Alexandre Hidalgo discovered the movie The Exorcist, by William Friedkin. From there, he will follow a path of nightmares and growing fascination until he becomes a true enthusiast of the genre. But not just as a spectator. Gentleman (The house of the end of time) is currently an award-winning filmmaker who, for his second feature, has chosen to venture into the world of demonic possession. God’s Exorcism is the title of the movie in question, which — despite being part of an original story, set in a fictional town in Mexico — isn’t afraid to point out its inspiration in this iconic 1973 film.

Among several nods to The Exorcist, spotlights a recreation of what is, arguably, her most iconic image: the street priest, standing in front of the possessed woman’s house and struck by a ghostly beam of light from the window. Of course, in nearly fifty years, this culminating moment of seventies film has been reproduced over and over again; in many cases, for parody purposes. But that was never the intention of Alejandro Hidalgo, who rather intended to pay homage to this cornerstone of exorcism cinema. And for his fortune, the public of God’s Exorcism he understood.

“When we presented it at Sitges Festival and Fantastic Fest, fans of the genre, when they saw this shot, clapped loudly. [Decían] to like!’. And I think they recognize that [mi película] it’s done out of honesty and not under the pretext of: ‘Ah, I’m like William Friedkin’”, comments the director in an interview with Cine PREMIERE. “My dream would be that William Friedkin at least saw it and at least enjoyed something. And I hope you like it.

You might also be interested in: The Exorcist – Why is it always so scary?

God’s Exorcism follows the story of Peter Williams, an American priest who lives in a small town in Mexico where people consider him a saint. Years ago, he successfully cast out the demon of a possessed young woman and never ceased to care for the welfare of his parishioners. Now the priest is haunted by terrifying visions and, to top it off, his skills as an exorcist are called upon again when another possessed woman, incarcerated in a prison, becomes a threat to the community. But to accomplish this task, Father Williams must atone for the great sin he has committed, even if it damages his reputation.

“Besides being a visual spectacle of great horror, great entertainment and great production value, [el objetivo es] we also introduce to an inner journey of dilemmas in which it is sometimes difficult for us to discern what is good and what is bad, and also discuss how sometimes religion is divorced from spirituality,” Hidalgo tells us about of the movie.

Alejandro Hidalgo will never forget how shocked he was when, in The Exorcist, a bloody sculpture of the Virgin Mary appears in the frame, which also featured bare breasts and a phallic member (the work of the demon Pazuzu). But then, on the level of reality, he only had to enter a church to find characters who, not because they were sacred, were less terrifying for a child; for example, this man dying on the cross. Hidalgo ultimately decided to “overcome these traumas” and “turn them into art” through film. And that’s why in God’s Exorcism evil entities appear that mimic – in a monstrous way – both Christ and the Virgin.

“It is very important to define that it is not really Jesus or Our Lady. These are the diabolical images that the devil would use to terrify a priest whose faith is sustained in Jesus and the Virgin,” explains the filmmaker. “Even when I was writing it [el guion de la película] This caused me such a dilemma that I spoke to several priests and they said to me: ‘It’s not Jesus, it’s not the Virgin, it’s the devil and the devil will you’ attack, manipulate you with your worst fears’”.

God’s Exorcism arrives in Mexican theaters this Thursday, February 17. The cast is led by Will Beinbrink (It: Chapter 2), Joseph Marcel (ratchet), Maria Gabriela de Faria (Moody’s) and Iran Castillo (Single).