It's a big, intriguing ending that's remarkably chilling. But the film ends just as everything builds up a real head of steam. Screenwriters Christopher Borrelli and Michael Martin ambitiously steer the film into a properly outrageous direction that's packed with implications and possibility. So it's a bit frustrating that the story's final act is such a change of pace. In Scott and Amedori, the film also has two characters the audience can sympathise with: the frightened tough guy and the quietly emotional nice guy.
The Vatican Tapes ends with the prospect of a round-two showdown between the. As the three priests, Pena, Andersson and Hounsou don't have much to do, but they add subtle details to their scenes. In terms of characterisation and plotting, the film is utterly absurd. This is the first tape Case 83-G stolen from. Dudley gives Angela a strong personality that lingers even after the presence inside her starts to take over. In a highly secured vault deep within the walls of Vatican City, the Catholic Church holds thousands of old films and video footage documenting exorcisms/supposed exorcisms and other unexplained religious phenomena they feel the world is not ready to see.
As a result, the actors are able to flesh out their characters. This means that the film quietly unnerves the audience from the start, using CCTV footage and some enjoyably scary touches that add to the atmosphere. As it continues, the biblical and fantastical flourishes intriguingly fit into this context, while director Mark Neveldine delays tipping over into effects-based action until the final act. The screenplay cleverly weaves in news reports and current events to make everything that happens feel grounded in real life. And when Bruun arrives in America to meet Angela in person, he's unnerved to discover that this might not be a demon: she could be the Antichrist. But things spiral far beyond Lozano's expertise, so he calls the Vatican for help. As her behaviour gets more erratic, she is assisted by Father Lozano ( Michael Pena), who takes a personal interest in her case. She has a happy life with her cute boyfriend Pete ( John Patrick Amedori) and tough-but-kind dad Roger ( Dougray Scott), but starts acting a bit strange whenever a raven is nearby. It contains files and lots of tapes of demonic possession, including scenes of 30-year-old Angela (Olivia Taylor Dudley).
The title refers to a secret archive under the Vatican run by Cardinal Bruun ( Peter Andersson) and his assistant Imani ( Djimon Hounsou). Even so, the plot builds slowly, finally reaching its most intriguing twist right at the very end, so the credits start rolling just as things get properly riveting. Not only is it packed with demonic mayhem, but the complex characters make the drama much punchier, setting up the audience for several big jolts. Only select scholars, academics, and journalists are allowed to enter the Archives, a rule which is highly unlikely to change any time soon.With its above-average cast and a gritty, realistic tone, this exorcism thriller is a lot more involving than most.
Of course, no one is allowed to browse the Archives - they’re called Secret for a reason! - and must specifically ask to view a particular text. Naturally, many people have speculated that there must be secret documents amongst the 50+ miles of shelving in the Vatican’s Archives. They hear about a sex party and change course, but soon wish they hadnt as the party goers turn out to be devil worshippers. Fame-hungry Gemma asks her boyfriend Danny and his media student mate Nathan to film her Big Brother audition. With Jason Maza, Arnold Oceng, Natasha Jean Sparkes, Nick Nevern. Little do they know, however, that behind the walls lie thousands of magical texts pertaining to the existence of magic and demons… The Tapes: Directed by Lee Alliston, Scott Bates. With a name like that, who wouldn’t speculate? Yet, as far as the general public knows, the Archives contain historical documents spanning at least 12 centuries, including original letters written by Michelangelo, documents relating to expenditure, correspondence, and even a entreaty written on birch bark by the Canadian Ojibwe tribe in 1887. The Vatican’s Secret Archives, aka Archivum Secretum Apostolicum Vaticanum, are subject to wild conspiracy theories, and for good reason.