Posted By Reverend Leviathan on Nov 15, 2024 | 3 comments

Director: F.C. Rabbath
Production Company: F.C. Rabbath Creations
Genre: Supernatural/Horror/Comedy
One Sentence Synopsis: Three young priests in seminary must pass the “final test” before ordination.
Series: Standalone
Release Date: TBA
Running Time: 1 hr 20 min
Website: Click Here
Trailer: Click Here
Reviewed by: Reverend Leviathan
Final Score: 4.5 Moons (Out of 5)

F.C. Rabbath, known for his previous works A Brilliant Monster, Watch Over Us, and The Waiting among others, has blessed us with another supernatural horror film with some nice comic relief. In his latest film, The Final Pact, three young priests in the seminary must pass a “final test” before ordination, but the details of this test are not revealed. They find themselves in a hell house, with each room leading to a different circle of hell testing their virtues. Will they finally get ordained, or drop the Roman collar and run?

Story

Paul (Austin Freeman), John (Charlie Prince) and Mark (Sam Sneary) are about to graduate seminary and finalize their ordination. However, the priest announces that there will be a “pop quiz” that they all must pass. On their way to the bar they’re stopped by a woman seeking help for her daughter whom she believes is possessed. They go with this woman to the house and meet Lucy (Julia Vasi). Skeptical, they soon discover that Lucy might be more than just someone in need of medical attention, and that they’re in a portal to hell and that each room is a different circle based on Dante’s Inferno that will test their virtues and weaknesses, even running into those that they know from seminary who are taking the test and failed?!

I was expecting this to be your basic exorcism story, but thankfully this one went in a different direction. Instead of three priests portraying exorcists battling demons it was three seminarians who found themselves in the circles of hell being tested so they could become exorcists. They were being shown why they weren’t as ready as they thought. The story also made good use of unusual Catholic traditions, making them appear a bit creepy.

Presentation

Once again I am impressed with what F.C. Rabbath is able to do with limited resources. His ability to utilize lighting and camerawork when there’s not a huge budget for special effects is very commendable, especially when it adds to the air of mystery and dark mood of the scene. But with the lighting and the cinematography you’ve also got to throw in the musical score by Matthew Cravener. Those three elements together created some rather creepy scenes, especially when involving the hallways of the house or the rooms! I was glued to the screen many times due to the cinematography and music. And I really appreciated the comic relief.

The chemistry between Austin Freeman, Charlie Prince and Sam Sneary was great. I loved the contrasting roles between them, playing the level-headed skeptic, laid back comic, and anxious peace keeper respectively. It brought a balance throughout the story. I kept rooting for all three of them because I didn’t want any to fail! And Julia Vasi as Lucy was both sexy and creepy, so my emotions were pretty conflicted! Awesome performance that sometimes reminded me of Elizabeth Hurley in Bedazzled.

Audience Fit

Fans of the supernatural, especially when involving the clergy and spirituality, would be a great audience for this film. Those who like a good flick involving demonic activity, but may not have the stomach for what many producers come out with these days, would also appreciate the enjoyability the story and film has without it going “too far” so to speak.

Closing Thoughts

I was intrigued by the poster and was not disappointed! The Final Pact delivers a complex simplicity that both entertains and leaves the audience with a very important lesson learned!

        Story: 4.0 Moons (Out of 5)
        Presentation: 4.5 Moons (Out of 5)
        Audience Fit: 5.0 Moons (Out of 5)
        Final Score (not an average): 4.5 Moons