Exorcisms are having a mixed time at the moment. The largely negative response to David Gordon Green’s The Exorcist: Believer certainly hasn’t helped matters.
This does not take away the fact that when exorcism films, features or shorts, are done well they are quite entertaining.
We open Scott Riopelle’s short Soul Proprietor is familiar territory as a priest attempts to exorcise a demon from a woman chained to a bed, y’know standard exorcist stuff.
What we hadn’t banked on is a foul-mouthed priest who loves to trash-talk the demons like a WWE wrestler.
Soul Proprietor becomes a game of cat and mouse as they try to outdo each other, but our priest does have an ace up his life to ensure victory.
This short feels fresh, isn’t afraid to walk its own path and is quite captivating.
Soul Proprietor also feels like a jumping-off point for further holy-water-infused adventures which would be great to see.
Soul Proprietor screened as part of Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2023.
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