The Cleansing Hour

This is a modern, quite interesting and to some extent original take on the otherwise worn-out subgenre of horror movies about exorcism - which is important information all horror fans should pay attention to. Damien LeVeck has taken the modern trend of watching absolutely anything on the internet and turned it into a hilarious social satire that aims surprisingly high towards the end. Personally, I would have welcomed it more if the movie had rocked more towards either comedy or horror, because this movie is straddling the middle of both, a bit split between both directions, but otherwise I give it a solid thumbs up for being entertaining. A second viewing may come in handy after some time. [Sitges 2019] (10/22/2019)

I enjoyed the American production The Cleansing Hour which was surprising as it is a horror movie that is quite corny at its core. However, it had an interesting approach, was relatively innovative, aware of its weak spots, and did not try to be too serious. Although you feel like you should perhaps be purely entertained, it also has some depth to it. (02/14/2020)

The Cleansing Hour is a striving modern-day exorcist flick, where a group of con artists crash and burn during one of their fake séances, and for the first time a real ghost appears to possess one of the party and terror ensues. Occasionally the film has some momentum and a fun pace, but otherwise it just sort of flows along, revealing secrets of everyone involved, and eventually there's a finale whose course is clear from the start. It’s not bad, but I would skip the film, as it doesn't bring anything groundbreaking. (01/15/2023)

Quite an original and entertaining addition to the exorcism horror genre. I just wish it had been more consistent in its tone, choosing to be either a heavy, atmospheric horror or a quip-filled horror comedy. As it stands, it doesn’t fully commit to either, which makes it feel a bit uneven and incomplete. It could have been scarier and more intense, or it could have leaned harder into the comedy. The film also gets overly ambitious in the final act, which felt over-the-top given the preceding story. It would have been better if it had stayed more grounded and gone for a more intimate horror vibe rather than aiming for something grandiose. Still, it’s a fresh take that should appeal to genre fans. Definitely worth a watch. (12/31/2019)

A horror film with comedic elements about a filmmaking team producing a popular exorcism show on the Internet, and the latest live broadcast (with hired actors and pre-arranged tricks, of course) is suddenly disrupted by a real demon that nicely disrupts the viewership. The story, built on an attractive theme, disturbs the horror atmosphere with comic elements, the effectiveness of which, however, is slightly variable, as well as some acting performances, alienating elements and the fluctuating tempo of the narrative. The film, mainly focusing on the perniciousness of lies, the healing power of forgiveness and the fascination with horror and violence, nevertheless still contains a sufficient number of ideas and juicy scenes, is able to consistently entertain from beginning to end and has several surprising points and a purely adorable conclusion that is able to aptly take jabs in all of the right places. (10/11/2019)