'The Vatican Tapes' Trailer: Michael Pena Does Exorcisms

If you thought movies like The Devil Inside and Deliver Us From Evil had effectively ended the renewed trend of exorcism horror flicks, think again. It’s Michael Peña’s turn to get in on the demonic horror genre in the trailer for The Vatican Tapes, in which the actor plays what Djimon Hounsou (looking pretty sharp in that priest garb) describes as a “warrior for God.” It basically looks like The Devil Inside meets Deliver Us From Evil, but I get the feeling it’s not combining the best of both films.

The Vatican Tapes doesn’t look like it’s going to bring anything wildly inventive to the genre, but it does boast a pretty solid cast: Peña, Hounsou (who’s sadly often underused) and Dougray Scott star in the exorcism horror film directed by Mark Neveldine. Yes, of Neveldine and Taylor fame, who also brought us Crank and… Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. It’s a real toss-up.

The film follows—brace yourselves because this is unheard of—a young girl whose spiritual possession threatens to unleash unspoken evil on the world. Basically, she’s a demonic doorway, like pretty much every other exorcism film. Fun! The Vatican Tapes also appears to utilize some of that found footage/first-person POV camera stuff that’s pervaded horror over the last 15 years. That doesn’t inspire a lot of optimism, but who knows? It could be kind of fun, maybe?

The Vatican Tapes hits theaters on May 22.