The Vatican Tapes

2015 American film

The Vatican Tapes

Theatrical release poster

Directed by| Mark Neveldine
Screenplay by|

* Christopher Borrelli
* Michael C. Martin

Story by|

* Christopher Borrelli
* Chris Morgan

Produced by|

* Chris Cowles
* Gary Lucchesi
* Chris Morgan
* Tom Rosenberg

Starring|

* Olivia Taylor Dudley
* Michael Peña
* Dougray Scott
* Djimon Hounsou

Cinematography| Gerardo Mateo Madrazo
Edited by| Eric Potter
Music by| Joseph Bishara[1]

Production
companies

* H2F Entertainment
* Lakeshore Entertainment

Distributed by|

* Lionsgate
* Pantelion Films

Release date

* July 24, 2015 (2015-07-24)

Running time

| 91 minutes[2]
Country| United States
Languages|

* English
* Aramaic

Budget| $13 million[3]
Box office| $13.5 million[4]

The Vatican Tapes is a 2015 American supernatural horror film directed by Mark Neveldine, based on a screenplay by Christopher Borrelli and Michael C. Martin, from a story by Borrelli and Chris Morgan. The film stars Olivia Taylor Dudley, Michael Peña, Dougray Scott, Djimon Hounsou, Peter Andersson, Kathleen Robertson, and John Patrick Amedori.

The Vatican Tapes was released in the United States on July 24, 2015, by Lionsgate. The film received generally negative reviews from critics and grossed $13.5 million worldwide against a $13 million budget.

## Plot

[edit]

In the Vatican, Vicar Imani shows Cardinal Mattias Bruun the case of Angela Holmes, a young American woman who is suspected of harboring an evil spirit.

Two months earlier in the United States, Angela is given a surprise birthday party by her father, Roger, and her boyfriend, Pete Smith. She accidentally cuts herself and is rushed to the hospital, where she briefly meets Father Lozano. She is injected with a serum that causes an infection; at home, she experiences a seizure and is placed under care at a hospital. A few days later, she is released, but in the taxi on the way home, she violently grabs the wheel, causing an accident that puts her in a coma for 40 days. Just as her life support is about to be switched off, she comes round, seemingly in perfect health.

However, Angela begins to show symptoms of demonic possession when she almost drowns a baby, followed by forcing a detective to commit suicide. Lozano sends her to a psychiatric hospital. A distraught Roger confesses that Angela's mother was a prostitute; she is pregnant just a few months after Roger met her but abandoned the baby at birth leaving Angela to be raised by Roger. Angela's possession becomes worse; she taunts her psychiatrist, Dr. Richards, eventually culminating in her speaking in Aramaic that induces hysteria and mass suicide in her fellow patients. Deciding that nothing can save her, the hospital releases her.

Cardinal Bruun concludes that Angela is possessed by the Antichrist due to the presence of the ravens around her, which are agents of Satan, and instructs Imani to stay back while he heads to the United States to cure her. An exorcism he plans involves a Eucharist, where Angela reacts by vomiting blood and spitting three eggs, meant to symbolize a perverted Trinity. Bruun also comments that her birth from a prostitute perverts the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. Bruun then realizes that the Antichrist is already a part of Angela; killing him would mean Angela's death as well. Just after Bruun kills Angela, she rises up as the resurrected Antichrist, mirroring the resurrection of Jesus, and kills Bruun, Roger, and Pete. She spares Lozano and tells him to inform the Vatican that the Antichrist is roaming the Earth.

Three months later, Lozano, having been released from the hospital, visits the Vatican and is allowed access to the archives by Imani. He is shown footage of what has happened since: Angela returns as the only "survivor" of the exorcism besides Lozano and is now performing miracles to gather followers. She enters a large arena to greet her followers by stretching out her arms.

## Cast

[edit]

* Olivia Taylor Dudley as Angela
* Michael Peña[5] as Father Oscar Lozano
* Dougray Scott as Roger, Angela's father
* Djimon Hounsou as Vicar Imani
* Peter Andersson as Cardinal Mattias Bruun
* Kathleen Robertson as Dr. Richards, Angela's psychiatrist
* John Patrick Amedori as Peter "Pete" Smith, Angela's boyfriend
* Michael Paré as Detective Harris
* Alex Sparrow as Resident Kulik
* Cas Anvar as Dr. Fahti
* Alison Lohman as Psych Patient

## Production

[edit]

Principal photography began in July 2013 in Los Angeles.[6][7]

## Release and reception

[edit]

### Box office

[edit]

The Vatican Tapes was released theatrically in the United States on July 24, 2015, across 427 venues, earning $832,271 during its opening weekend. It ranked fifteenth at the domestic box office and placed last among the week's new releases.[8] The film concluded its U.S. theatrical run on August 20, 2015, with a domestic total of $1,784,763. Internationally, it grossed $11,680,747, bringing its worldwide total to $13,465,510 against an estimated production budget of $13 million.[4][3]

### Critical reception

[edit]

The Vatican Tapes received generally negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds an approval rating of 20% based on 45 reviews, with an average rating of 3.99/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "A loud, rote exorcism thriller that presents nothing new to an already overpopulated subgenre."[9] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 38 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews."[10] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C" on an A+ to F scale.[11]

Simon Abrams of RogerEbert.com described the film as "just another unimaginative rip-off," noting that while Olivia Taylor Dudley's performance had moments of intensity, the film overall lacked originality and tension.[12] Anthony Digioia of Silver Screen Analysis gave the film a D−, criticizing its reliance on familiar genre tropes and lack of innovation.[13] Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times described it as "a rote exorcism tale" that failed to bring originality or tension, concluding it did little to reinvigorate demonic possession conventions.[14]

Jonathan Romney of The Guardian referred to it as "a murky stew of satanic shenanigans," acknowledging Dudley’s performance as "poised and sometimes genuinely creepy" but concluding that the film recycled well-worn material.[15] The Austin Chronicle characterized the film as "a slapdash of exorcist-movie clichés dressed up as a cautionary tale," citing a lack of depth and creativity.[16] IGN awarded it a score of 2.5/10, stating that it "exists without any real scares or chills, and only the smallest attempt to differentiate itself."[17]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Joseph Bishara Scoring The Vatican Tapes". Film Music Reporter. June 20, 2014. Retrieved June 20, 2014.
2. ^ "THE VATICAN TAPES (15)". British Board of Film Classification. August 28, 2015. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
3. ^ a b "The Vatican Tapes". The-Numbers.com. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
4. ^ a b "The Vatican Tapes (2015) - International Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. November 16, 2015. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
5. ^ "Michael Pena Joins Thriller The Vatican Tapes". Deadline Hollywood. June 28, 2013. Retrieved July 24, 2013.
6. ^ "The thriller The Vatican Tapes, filming in Eagle Rock". HispanicBusiness.com. July 16, 2013. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved July 24, 2013.
7. ^ "The thriller The Vatican Tapes will be filmed in Los Angeles". OnLocationVacations.com. July 23, 2013. Archived from the original on February 23, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2013.
8. ^ "Weekend Box Office Results for July 24-26, 2015". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. July 27, 2015. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
9. ^ "The Vatican Tapes (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
10. ^ "The Vatican Tapes Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
11. ^ Tom, Brueggemann (July 26, 2015). "Arthouse Audit: Is 'Phoenix' This Year's 'Ida'? 'Mr. Holmes' Stays Strong". IndieWire. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
12. ^ "The Vatican Tapes movie review (2015) | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
13. ^ Digioia, Anthony (October 10, 2015). ""The Vatican Tapes" | Movie Review". silverscreenanalysis.com. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
14. ^ Rapold, Nicolas (July 23, 2015). "Review: In 'The Vatican Tapes,' the Sinister Stare of Possession". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
15. ^ Romney, Jonathan (November 1, 2015). "The Vatican Tapes review – murky satanic shenanigans". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
16. ^ "Movie Review: The Vatican Tapes". www.austinchronicle.com. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
17. ^ Lasser, Josh (July 24, 2015). "The Vatican Tapes Review". IGN. Retrieved May 23, 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* The Vatican Tapes at IMDb
* The Vatican Tapes at Box Office Mojo
* The Vatican Tapes at Rotten Tomatoes
* The Vatican Tapes at Metacritic

* v
* t
* e

Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor

* Mark Neveldine
* Brian Taylor

Films directed|

* Crank (2006)
* Crank: High Voltage (2009)
* Gamer (2009)
* Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2011)

Written only|

* Pathology (2008)
* Jonah Hex (2010)

Mark Neveldine|

* The Vatican Tapes (2015)
* Panama (2022)

Brian Taylor|

* Mom and Dad (2017)
* Hellboy: The Crooked Man (2024)

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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