The Exorcism of Saint Patrick – Movie Review (3/5)

THE EXORCISM OF SAINT PATRICK is the first movie in a new horror trilogy titled FRESH HELL. This story is focused on LGBTQ conversion therapy and features important messages. Read our full The Exorcism of Saint Patrick movie review here!

THE EXORCISM OF SAINT PATRICK is a horror story about LGBTQ conversion therapy. Of course, all conversion therapy stories are brutal and have their own element of horror, which is exactly what writer-director Quinn Armstrong focuses on.

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This movie is the first in a new horror trilogy titled FRESH HELL. The three movies are released weekly, so you can look forward to more stories from this anthology soon. The runtime for each movie is under 90 minutes.

Continue reading our The Exorcism of Saint Patrick movie review below. Find it in Theaters and On Digital from August 27, 2024.

The horrors of conversion therapy

In The Exorcism of Saint Patrick, we meet a young pastor (Steve Pinder) as he takes a young gay teen (Michael J. Cline) to a cabin to perform conversion therapy. At first, it looks like the pastor is kind and loving, but this is only gaslighting.

Both the pastor and the gay teen are named Patrick, so they have that in common. However, the gay teen knows who and what he is, so it’s an uphill battle for the pastor.

Especially as he also mentions that gay pastors do exist just like some churches are open to LGBTQ people. Nothing young Patrick – or “Trick” as the pastor insists on calling him – can convince the pastor that he shouldn’t and couldn’t be cured.

And, as one would expect, it ends very badly. Not for the first time either, it turns out.

What Fresh Hell is this?!

As it turns out, this Fresh Hell horror trilogy (or anthology, if you will) is full of important stories and messages. With The Exorcism of Saint Patrick being the first movie, you get an idea of the indie and low-budget vibe. But also of the passion!

Each of the stories will show us three realities playing out in the same hell. Some actors will also take part in more than one movie.

After opening with this nefarious conversion camp story, the second movie is about a group of neo-Nazi metalheads who can’t harness the beasts inside. That one is called Wolves Against the World.

Finally, the third movie is Dead Teenagers and it features a classic “cabin in the woods” setting, where we get to see what happens beyond that classic horror movie trope.

Watch Fresh Hell: The Exorcism of Saint Patrick on Digital

All three movies in the Fresh Hell trilogy come from writer/director Quinn Armstrong (Survival Skills). Also, it’s from the studio that brought us Nightmare Cinema.

The impressive practical effects come from industry legend Dave Greathouse (The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Wrong Turn). While the style of shooting on a small budget is hardly unheard of in horror movies, making a trilogy in one go certainly is.

I have to mention that the poster style doesn’t quite match the content. At least for this first movie. The posters are super kitsch and made in tribute to the Hammer horror movies, but the actual movie (to me, anyway) didn’t match this.

This is not to say the movies aren’t good. Also, I suspect that especially Dead Teenagers (the last movie in this trilogy) will be more along this style. In other words, watch this first one for the important story and good acting. The campy horror is coming!

Fresh Hell: The Exorcism of Saint Patrick is In Theaters and On Digital August 27, 2024.

Details

Director: Quinn Armstrong
Writer: Quinn Armstrong
Cast: Steve Pinder, Michael J Cline, Maya Jeyam, Caitlin McWethy, Alan Tyson, Louie Kurtzman, Andrew James Myers, Erik Donley, Beau Roberts