All too often in horror movies specifically themed around exorcism, the female characters in the film either fall to the sidelines or they’re the person being possessed. Outside of Vera Farmiga‘s Lorraine Warren in The Conjuring films, women are rarely the ones performing an exorcism in a horror movie. And while that’s not to say that women don’t hold an impressive amount of power in the horror genre, it simply goes to set Prey for the Devil apart from its predecessors.
Collider can exclusively reveal a new behind-the-scenes featurette that explores Jacqueline Byers‘ Sister Ann as she becomes the first female exorcist in seven centuries. Co-star Christian Navarro has high praise for Byers work in the featurette, saying that she brings “a strong, well crafted, multi-dimensional performance,” and calls the film “integral” for any horror fan. Producer Jessica Malanaphy and director Daniel Stamm, both also discuss how they wanted to craft a film that addressed the patriarchy in an intelligent way that is both nuanced and clear. “If you have someone who’s willing to do the job, and has the talent to do the job because she’s a woman does that negate her from being able to do it?” says Stamm.
Prey for the Devil follows Sister Ann as she is drawn to a higher calling after a lifetime of running from the supernatural. In previous trailers, it’s clear that Ann is haunted by a specific Devil-sent demon determined to lay claim to her soul. The same demon that possessed her mother throughout her childhood is back, and it would seem it has no intention of leaving without a fight as it jumps from soul to soul tempting Ann deeper into the battle between the heavenly and the demonic.
In addition to Byers and Navarro, Prey for the Devil features appearances from Virginia Madsen (Candyman), Colin Salmon (Resident Evil), Nicholas Ralph (All Creatures Great and Small), Ben Cross (Star Trek), Tom Forbes (Morbius), and Velizar Binev (Hitman). Deborah Zecheva will also appear as a younger version of Ann as the story explores the demon’s influence on her childhood and her mother’s possession. Stamm directs from a script written by Robert Zappia and a story by Zappia, Todd R. Jones, and Earl Richey Jones. Malanaphy, Jones, Jones, Jeff Levine, and Paul Brooks serve as producers, while David Brooks, Michael P. Flannigan, Brad Kessell, and Scott Neimeyer executive produce.
Prey for the Devil is set to haunt theaters on October 28, right in time for Halloween. In the meantime check out the new behind-the-scenes featurette down below.