ComingSoon Editor-in-Chief Tyler Treese spoke with Daniel Stamm, the director of Prey for the Satan. Stamm mentioned why he returned for a brand new exorcism movie and his technique of making a powerful feminine character. Prey for the Satan is now taking part in in theaters.
“Sister Ann believes she is answering a calling to be the primary feminine exorcist … however who, or what, referred to as her? In response to a worldwide rise in demonic possessions, Ann seeks out a spot at an exorcism faculty reopened by the Catholic Church,” reads the movie’s synopsis. “Till now, these faculties have solely skilled monks within the Ceremony of Exorcism — however a professor acknowledges Sister Ann’s items and agrees to coach her. Thrust onto the religious frontline with fellow scholar Father Dante, Sister Ann finds herself in a battle for the soul of a younger woman, who Sister Ann believes is possessed by the identical demon that tormented her personal mom years in the past. Decided to root out the evil, Ann quickly realizes the Satan has her proper the place he desires her.”
Tyler Treese: You beforehand did The Final Exorcism. What concerning the script for Prey for the Satan made you wish to return to this particular subgenre of horror?
Daniel Stamm: I by no means needed to do one other exorcism film as a result of I felt I had accomplished every thing. All concepts that I ever had in my head about exorcism, I had put into that one film, and I by no means obtained despatched different exorcism scripts as a result of my brokers knew that. Then 12 years later, Prey for the Satan reveals up, and I’m calling them saying, “This can be a mistake; that is an exorcism film.” And so they stated, “Sure, however this you must learn,” and it’s so true as a result of The Final Exorcism was very particular in that it was a film concerning the query “is that this woman loopy or is she possessed,” and it takes 90 minutes till you get the reply. So we might by no means do something supernatural that may’ve given away that she was possessed. Whereas Prey for the Satan cuts all that out and cuts proper to the chase and says, “We don’t need to spend 45 minutes with the viewers questioning if they’re in a possession film or not. They’re in a possession film; let’s go from there.”
So abruptly, you’ve a complete completely different film that has time for story and characters and set items and to place all that collectively. Then, clearly, to have a feminine character in there adjustments every thing as a result of she doesn’t simply need to battle the demon — she has to battle the patriarchy for the suitable to even be allowed to battle the demon. Then she brings on this entire new strategy that she principally says, “Okay, it’s time for the patriarchy to alter their methods. It will probably’t be concerning the priest because the knight in shining armor anymore. We’ve to deal with the sufferer. We will’t simply deal with them as a battlefield. We will’t simply scream the identical Latin Bible verses on the demon, it doesn’t matter what the demon is. We’ve to see ourselves in a complete completely different place and be a coach for the stricken who’s combating for his or her soul.” It’s completely completely different.
Having the varsity be such a big a part of the movie was actually attention-grabbing. It shocked me that they really do programs and lessons on exorcisms. What sort of analysis did you do for this movie?
Our screenwriter, Robert Zappia, is a practising Catholic, and he has a buddy who’s a deacon. I suppose the entire film began with that, with a dinner between him and the deacon. The deacon set him up with an actual exorcist they usually had dinner, and the exorcist instructed him all this stuff, every thing that he was allowed to inform him and at all times drew the road and stated, “That’s as a lot as I’m allowed to inform you.” However every thing that’s within the script is completely true, we didn’t need to make up any of it. The primary draft that I learn was so full of data and so stuffed with details and we needed to skinny that out a bit bit for the top model of the film. However there may be not something made up in there. The Vatican actually did open up exorcism faculties in 2018 worldwide. We do dwell within the golden age of reported possessions in each faith — in Christianity simply as a lot as in Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism. Exorcisms are carried out everywhere in the world. It’s loopy.
You talked about having that point to spend with the characters and I assumed this movie has such nice themes of coming to phrases along with your trauma and accepting it. Are you able to discuss that theme of the film and what you’re in a position to do with Sister Ann?
It got here from that need that we needed to make a film with a powerful feminine character, which is such a buzzword, you already know? “Oh, the feminist icon,” and movies hardly ever ever ship it. So we had been like, “we would like that label. We expect it’s a useful label, however now we have to earn it. What can we do?” So it was essential that she got here in with a really completely different strategy to the entire thing.
So then we stated, “okay, her strategy is that she has a therapeutic strategy and she or he is concentrating on the sufferer.” So what’s it concerning the sufferer that she will be able to really work with therapeutically? And since we needed to set ourselves aside from films like The Exorcist by reinventing and redefining the small print in our mythology. So we principally stated, “okay, the best way the demon enters a sufferer is thru their disgrace and guilt. It’s by way of the darkish spots and their psyche that they don’t dare to shine a light-weight on.” So abruptly we had been in that world. Then after all the circle needs to be that that comes proper again to our protagonist. You don’t need it to be a procedural the place a cop is coming in doing the job and is strolling again out. You need the non-public connection, which instantly heightens the stakes in order that Sister Ann may assume for a very long time that she’s simply engaged on the sufferer, however after all, the demon is at all times one step forward of her. It in a short time turns that round to make use of towards her.
All of the possession scenes are so intense. What was your strategy to elevating the stress and delivering these thrills?
It’s such an in depth factor. I’m at all times requested, “was it scary to shoot this and that?” The reply is not any. It’s by no means scary as a result of each scare is manufactured from so many layers of so many departments coordinating and making an attempt to do their greatest work and all of it coming collectively in a single second, that it’s simply a number of work on the small print and a number of satisfaction. We labored with an important Bulgarian staff the place all people was simply glorious at their job. Then the groundwork for all of it is simply the performing. That’s one thing that folks usually misunderstand. Style film doesn’t imply “I’ll do scares as an alternative of the performing.” The performing is what makes you care concerning the characters and then you definitely do scary issues to them. It’s scary since you care about these characters.
For those who simply reduce somebody’s head off however you don’t care, then it’s not scary. However if you’re terrified for somebody, then it’s a complete completely different factor. For those who watch the film now, we begin with Sister Ann in a psychiatrist’s workplace speaking about her backstory. That’s a scene that initially occurred on web page 80 of the script. So technically 80 minutes into the script. And it was this second the place I used to be like, “She is so susceptible in that second. We’ve to present that to the viewers immediately. Minute one.” We needed to restructure no matter must be restructured concerning the film, which is months of labor, principally, to rejig an entire, whole film. However I used to be like, “that’s the second that the viewers hooks into that character and falls in love along with her, ideally.”For those who don’t, then there’s nothing extra I may give you concerning the character that can make you fall in love along with her. So that is our one shot and now we have to present it to the viewers instantly as a result of they’ll expertise each second on this film in another way. So actually, it’s the human connection that’s the base for every thing.
We see Father Dante’s household’s trauma and grief all through. Are you able to converse to the significance of getting a male character within the movie that’s fairly open together with his vulnerabilities and his insecurities?
That’s superb that you just level that out, as a result of that’s precisely what an important factor was. If now we have a powerful feminine character, then we are able to’t have a powerful male character that’s the superior in physicality or in braveness as a result of we don’t need her to cover behind any of that. She must be on the forefront of all of it. So what we had been in search of in Father Dante was empathy and friendship and depth. Christian Navarro simply brings that stuff utterly fearlessly, you already know? It’s such an excellent efficiency. You simply look after his character after which you take care of his sister a lot that he abruptly turns into a staff with Sister Ann that you can by no means have accomplished with a hunk of a male character that we might’ve put in there.
The ending units up a tease for extra possessions for Sister Ann. Would you prefer to proceed working with the character?
The sequel factor, to me, is at all times actually harmful as a result of if it makes you retain stuff from the viewers within the authentic film, then it’s a mistake. I’m at all times at you, “99% of the time, you gained’t get a sequel. Put every thing you you’ve into the unique film after which cope with it if that ever comes up,” and that’s what we did with this film. However after all on the similar time, we tried to create an exorcist that’s so iconic — as Sister Ann hopefully is — that ideally the viewers comes out of the film craving extra of that character and craving to be instructed extra tales about that character. In order that was at all times our aim, however not essentially to actually make a sequel out of it. I, initially, hope that the viewers will simply love her a lot that they’ll wish to hear extra. Then I’d be excited to inform extra tales along with her for certain.
