When a troubled teen (Jennifer Stone) shows signs of mental illness, her friends (Janel Parrish), mother (Ione Skye) and a minister (William McNamara) must decide how to effectively tackle the serous situation.
Released to TV in 2014, "High School Possession," aka "High School Exorcism," is a school drama/thriller featuring paranormal horror in the manner of "The Rage: Carrie 2," "Satan's School for Girls" (2000) and "From Within." While it's superior to "Satan's School for Girls," it's not quite as good as the other two.
The first hour and 18 minutes are nigh great, as the story establishes the situation described above. Janel plays the protagonist and she's uncertain about the route to take in helping her best friend. The characters are effectively fleshed out and you care about them. There's a reverent quality and you can feel the love and distress of the key characters. Regrettably, the last ten minutes go off the rails with gauche, contrived storytelling. I'm not going to give anything away, but the movie would've worked better if the writers played it straight without resorting to the ridiculous tacked-on twist.
Still, if you can roll with that flaw and the awkwardness thereof, there are a lot of gems to mine in the proceedings, even within the eye-rolling climax. For instance, someone can basically be a good person with a garnishment of nobility, like be a devout churchgoer or whatever, but that doesn't mean they don't have the same weaknesses as other people and face the same universal temptations.
Furthermore, the film brings up interesting issues similar to those noted in "The Exorcism of Emily Rose," just without the budget and therefore less artistry and grace (although, again, the first 78 minutes are effective enough). When someone suffers serious mental disorders, like schizophrenia, what is the root cause? Is it merely a physical phenomenon or is there a spiritual source? The secularist would understandably argue that the practice of exorcism is just a bunch of superstitious mumbo jumbo whereas the believer would contend that the illnesses are the RESULT OF demonic possession. In other words, the teen's possession brought on the symptoms. The latter makes sense in light of the scriptural evidence of Christ delivering people from demonic spirits that induced insanity, muteness and deafness.
"High School Possession" respects both positions and should be commended for it, even though I don't believe "meds" and institutionalization are the best route. Sure, they can sedate the problem, but they don't resolve it. Big difference.
I shouldn't close without pointing out how Shanley Caswell (Olivia) and Bailey Anne Borders (Kendall) shine on the feminine front, along with a couple others on the periphery.
The movie runs 1 hour, 28 minutes, and was shot in Los Angeles.
GRADE: B-/B.
