The Cleansing Hour (2019)

Director: Damien LeVeck
Writer(s): LeVeck and Aaron Horwitz, from a story by Horwitz
Starring: Ryan Guzman, Kyle Gallner, Alix Angelis, and Chris Lew Kum Hoi

Maybe it’s a little unfair, but nothing is more disappointing than a movie sucking that you had high hopes for. Of course, critique is supposedly all about being as unbiased as possible, but it’s impossible to go into every single viewing with the same mindset: some movies we know a lot about heading into it, while others we know nothing but the title. Modern trailers are becoming an increasingly big factor—what once seemed to exist to give the viewers a taste of what they could expect, modern trailers seem to either give away too much, or to mislead people into believing they’re getting something they’re not.

It was with excitement we sat down to a viewing of The Cleansing Hour, a Shudder original film. Shudder originals, like anything else, can be hit or miss, but based on the few I’ve seen, I’d say they have a higher success rate than other companies: at the very least, they seem to have their finger on the pulse of their fanbase. Unfortunately, The Cleansing Hour is one of those “misses”—one where I spent almost the entire final hour wishing for it to be over (sure, I could have just stopped it, but where’s the honor in that?) It’s not nearly as clever as it thinks it is, nor is it even remotely funny; it’s just a blending of several horror standards into one equally clichéd monstrosity. It’s kind of like the film equivalent of watching your best friend awkwardly try to hit on some girl you know you could get: you just watch helplessly from afar, cringing at each stupid decision, unable (or unwilling) to help him out because he’s in so deep, nothing could dig him back out. You know full well nothing good will come of it, yet you’re unable to look away.

Ryan Guzman is Max, a preacher who performs exorcisms on a popular online video platform to thousands of adoring fans. His sidekick is Drew, a lifelong friend who, along with his fiancé Lane, run the behind-the-scenes while Max glows in the spotlight. It doesn’t take long to see why he’s so popular, as he looks closer to a supermodel than a man of the cloth; it’s not surprising to learn that he’s a hit with the ladies. It also doesn’t take much to see why Lanie is quitting the show, and urging her soon-to-be-husband to do the same; he seems to be too caught up in himself, and his own affairs, to consider anyone else. Oh, and he’s also a fraud, something that is reiterated to us time and time again, whether he’s setting up another elaborately staged exorcism, or sleeping with one of the women following him around (so much for a vow of celibacy, eh?)

Anyway, as you can also tell from the brief synopsis, things go from bad to gradually worse: the actor in tonight’s exorcism is a no-call no-show (actually attacked in an alley by a monster, I guess?), leaving the duo scrambling to find a replacement. And that replacement is a reluctant Lanie, who has no interest in performing in front of the camera on her last day. Alas, true love prevails, as her fiancé coaxes her into doing it.

But things quickly go off the rails as Lane is actually possessed by a demon, who holds the duo captive, and forces them to admit their deepest secrets if they want to make it out alive. It all leads up to a ridiculous CGI confrontation with an evil entity hellbent on destroying the duo, all in the name of Satan!

If that sounds ridiculous, that’s because it is. If that sounds good, well then I’m sorry for misrepresenting it.

I guess we have to give director Damien LeVeck credit for ambition: the story spans several countries and tries to make social statements about everything from televangelists to social media stars; the issue is, the targets are already so well-known and overdone, that it all feels tired right out of the gates. Pair that up with the standard exorcism staples (telekinesis, vomiting, foul mouth, infinite knowledge…at least there’s no head spinning), and you have a movie that tries to deliver way more than it comfortably can. Even the “admit all your sins” approach the demon takes feels like a stale retread of countless other films; it botches itself even further by offering no real revelations worth a damn, instead making it all feel like the pointless waste of time that it is. Wow, so he’s a fraud? We already know that from reading the basic plot outline included in the marketing materials, or by watching the trailer. There’s also some muck dredged up about a past relationship that is supposed to be a bombshell revelation—but that merely comes across as a slight fizzle.

The one area where Cleansing Hour excels are in the performances. Not all of them are good, but the main cast deliver some solid chops that feel out of place here, given the oftentimes amateurish material.  Alix Angelis as Lane steals the show—she’s required to strike a balance between aggressor and victim, and manages to do so without looking stupid. That’s a pretty big feat. Ditto that for Kyle Gallner as Drew, Lane’s boyfriend, who is forced to watch helplessly from the sidelines as the unfortunate situation plays out right in front of his very eyes.

It’s a feeling the viewer knows all too well.

OVERALL RATING: 4/10

TRAILER