Prey for the Devil
It wants in.
In response to a global rise in demonic possessions, the Catholic Church reopens exorcism schools to train priests in the Rite of Exorcism. On this spiritual battlefield, an unlikely warrior rises: a young nun, Sister Ann. Thrust onto the spiritual frontline with fellow student Father Dante, Sister Ann finds herself in a battle for the soul of a young girl and soon realizes the Devil has her right where he wants her.
Why watch Prey for the Devil
Jacqueline Byers delivers a career-defining performance as Sister Ann, a nun who becomes the Church's most unlikely exorcist—and the Devil's most personal obsession. This isn't the dusty Vatican thriller you've seen before; it's a visceral, feminist reclamation of the possession genre that flips the script on who gets to fight back against pure evil.
The film moves with the propulsive dread of The Conjuring franchise but trades jump-scares for psychological warfare. Director Daniel Stamm builds an atmosphere of creeping spiritual corruption, where every prayer feels like it could shatter. The possessed girl at the story's center becomes a battleground not just for demons, but for Sister Ann's own faith—and her right to be heard within an institution built to silence women like her.
This is for anyone who loved Midnight Mass or The Exorcist reboot—horror that treats its theology seriously while never losing sight of the human cost. Byers' quiet intensity carries scenes that could easily tip into melodrama, grounding the supernatural chaos in real spiritual doubt. The final act pivots in ways that will haunt you long after the credits roll.
You'll be thinking about the final confrontation for weeks—it's the kind of ending that makes you immediately want to discuss what it all meant.
— The What2Watch desk · US
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The story
In response to a global rise in demonic possessions, the Catholic Church reopens exorcism schools to train priests in the Rite of Exorcism. On this spiritual battlefield, an unlikely warrior rises: a young nun, Sister Ann. Thrust onto the spiritual frontline with fellow student Father Dante, Sister Ann finds herself in a battle for the soul of a young girl and soon realizes the Devil has her right where he wants her.
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Reviews & ratings
Jacqueline Byers is "Sister Ann" - a troubled young nun whose relationship with her late, clinically diagnosed schizophrenic, mother has left her determined to take holy orders and to help other people with mental health disorders. She has a nursing position at a church hospital where the Catholic church - under the leadership "Fr. Quinn" (Colin Salmon) and psychiatrist "Dr. Peters" (Virginia Madsen) use scientific a…Show more
Jacqueline Byers is "Sister Ann" - a troubled young nun whose relationship with her late, clinically diagnosed schizophrenic, mother has left her determined to take holy orders and to help other people with mental health disorders. She has a nursing position at a church hospital where the Catholic church - under the leadership "Fr. Quinn" (Colin Salmon) and psychiatrist "Dr. Peters" (Virginia Madsen) use scientific a…Show more
To begin with this, I just want to ask this question, "how can anyone take this movie too serisouly?" After learning from a friend of mine that the exorcsim/demon possesion in real life isn't like that in real life at all, it is just a very dramtic effect that the westerns put to it. So after learning about that, I can't take this movie all too seriously. And if this movie said it was based on a true story, I would h…Show more
Pretty standard and forgettable possession-horror film, a genre I generally don't care for to begin with. There's not much here to distinguish from others from the dark lighting, okay make-up effects and average performances, though Jacqueline Byers was fine. This isn't something I'd ever revisit. **2.75/5**
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