A Review of Triumph
Over Evil: Battle of the Exorcists by Nick Olszyk
Distribution Service: Fathom Entertainment
MPAA Rating, Not rated at the time of this review
OSV Rating, Not rated at the time of this review
Reel Rating, Three and a Half Reels
Deliverance
ministry is having a renaissance in the early 21st century, both in
the Church and wider culture. When I was growing up in the late 90s, exorcism
was almost never mentioned, but now multiple practitioners have popular
podcasts. In the last two years, more
than seven films – of varying quality – featuring exorcism have been
released. This could be due to greater awareness of spiritual warfare but also
the proliferation of sin. Now comes the first documentary approved by the
International Association of Exorcists (IAE), the most prominent group
officially endorsed by the Vatican. It’s the best overview of the subject
produced in documentary form, albeit better as an instructional tool than a fun
night at the movies.
The film
develops in three movements: the origin (Satan), the ritual (Major Exorcism),
and the purpose (Deliverance). Each of these lessons is told through interviews
with exorcists based on their decades of study and practice. First, a man must
know the reality of the Devil. One priest chuckles with sad amusement that
despite all the evil in the world some still don’t believe in the Devil. They
explain that “God makes nothing evil,” rather the Devil choose to leave God’s
goodness as attested in Scripture. They make it abundantly clear that the
Church teaches the existence of the Devil, his demons, and their temptation. Two
false extremes that can occur here. The first is to dismiss Satan as imaginary or,
even worse, a literary invention. The second is approaching life in a
superstitious manner, seeing Satan behind every mundane action, which
paradoxically gives him too much power.
The second
movement describes the ritual of exorcism. The priests explain there are many
kinds of demonic influence, the vast majority of which are not demonic
possession and do not require a Major Exorcism. “The sacrament of Confession is
more powerful than an Exorcism,” explains one priest. It is also important to
rule out any natural causes like mental or physical illness. Jesus himself does
this, distinguishing between miraculous cures (the thankful Leper) and demonic
possession (the Gerasene demoniac). This involves the consultation of medical
professionals who need not be Catholic. The priest also doesn’t act alone but
with the permission of the bishop according to the rites prescribed by the
Church. “Prudence is extremely important,” one priest says. An exorcist should have
the highest level of discretion and never engage with the demons, who lie
constantly.
The third
and most compelling movement involves the purpose of exorcism. The necessity of
this rite comes from sin, especially when people place their trust in occult
practices and powers rather than God. “Most people who do séances or magic are
charlatans,” explains one priest, yet sometimes they invoke evil spirits
masquerading as departed loved ones. Usually, demonic activity is invited into
an individual through his own consent, but several priests acknowledge the
existence of curses, spiritual evil done by one person against another in same
way physical violence used against another. Yet, they stress that a life of
prayer and the sacraments protect ordinary people against these attempts.
In his
letter to the Romans, Paul instructs that “in all things, God works for the
good.” How could a demonic possession possibly be “good”? Like the greatest
evil ever committed on that fateful Friday, so too even the actions of Devil,
against his desires, can bring about God’s purpose. One priest recalls a
possessed woman who suffered from her affliction for years despite receiving
multiple exorcisms. When she first met him, her whole family was not
practicing, yet, as they saw her pain, they returned to Mass and prayer. By
time the demon left her, the whole family had returned to faith. This is a
“ministry of mercy,” not concerned with spooky supernatural showmanship but
redemption for those enslaved by evil. Ultimately, it is about the love of
Christ, who lays down his life for the flock to bring them home.
Another
aspect of deliverance ministry I hadn’t considered was the role of Mary.
Audiences are used to seeing a priest powerfully proclaiming “the power of
Christ” but not the humble prayers of His mother. Yet, several exorcists
mention the importance of invoking her prayers. The demons hate Mary so much,
they won’t even pronounce the name, simply referring to “her.” One Franciscan
exorcist was having trouble getting a demon to leave after many sessions.
Frustrated, he told the demon, “Since you won’t go, we’re going to take a break
and say the rosary.” The moment he unclipped his beads the demon screamed “NOT
THAT” and left. It’s understandable being defeated by God incarnate, but the
humiliation of being defeated by a poor, 1st century Jewish woman is
much worse.
The
production consists entirely of three elements: interviews, stock footage, and
dramatizations. There are themes and movements but no overarching story. This
is an older method that has largely faded from mainstream documentaries.
Starting with Michael Moore’s Roger & Me in 1989, documentaries have
been borrowing more of a narrative structure that includes a much wider array
of techniques, and audiences have come to expect this. The film’s execution in
this regard is satisfactory but not compelling. It works well as academic
instruction but not a cinematic experience.
This is an
Italian production, and every exorcist featured works in Italy. This makes
sense as the IAE is based in Rome. Yet it also means the entire featured is
dubbed into English, which could be distracting to some viewers. Usually,
subtitles are the best way to distribute foreign films, with two exceptions. Animation
works well with dubbing because the original is dubbed anyway, and adjustments
in the characters mouths can easily be made. Also, German language films work
well because German is grammatically like English and most German actors dub
their own voices. This could not have been so distracting, except the talking
heads fill most of the runtime.
When I
first learned of the project, I was excited to see some celebrity priests, but,
as an Italian production, Amorth was the only person I recognized. However,
there is some bonus American content that will be included with the film when
it premieres through Fathom Entertainment. This content features Msgr. Stephen
Rossetti and Fr. Chris Alar among other. Alar’s explanation of the origin of
evil is particularly illuminating. Sadly, Fr. Dan Reehil, my favorite exorcist,
was not present.
The resurgence of exorcism in popular culture has produced both good and rotten fruit. It has made brought many souls to Christ but also allowed the proliferation of superstitious ideas (see The Conjuring franchise for an example). The Devil wants our attention, which is why he performs “parlor tricks.” Instead, this film invites the faithful to focus on the Triumph, which is Jesus Christ and his mercy. It might feel like a cheap shot to premiere on Halloween, but if we see through the candy and synthetic costumes to the triduum of Allhallowtide and the victory of the Church Triumphant, it’s a perfect “holiday film.”
This article first appeared in Catholic World Report on October 24th, 2025.
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