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Catholic Killer

Without a doubt The Calling is a Canadian film that showcases religion gone wrong, in this case creating a serial killer. As a formerly faithful Catholic I'll say upfront that it's not a movie for the easily offended. I found it mildly interesting, especially with the deeply flawed protagonist.

Inspector Hazel Micallef (Susan Sarandon) is not having a great life. She appears to be addicted to painkillers and alcohol as she works as a police officer in a small Ontario town. While checking on an elderly resident who has been out of touch she finds her murdered, and her remains manipulated to make it appear as if she is still screaming. That leads to another murder with the same distinct manipulation. As Hazel and her small police force track down more victims, and discover why the victims have been posed, that reveals an archaic Catholic prayer ritual which supposedly has the power to raise the dead ala Jesus and the resurrection.

I've always apprecited understated scary productions, and The Calling is definitely that. The plot, which some critics found preposterous, falls in line with a lot of Catholic beliefs. It's not done maliciously, but whoever made this movie definitely has a problem with the church. Susan Sarandon is amazing as she handles the difficult challenge of playing a cop who dogged pursues the killer despite her own life falling apart. Christopher Heyerdahl plays an appropriately creepy killer, and even manages to bring a little humanity to his role.

Problems: I didn't buy the plot, but I am an ex-Catholic for a reason. Some of the victims' remains are displayed pretty bluntly, so if you don't care for that you might pass on this one. The ending I guessed almost as soon as the prayer connection was revealed, but I was fine with it. It's the kind of wrap-up that is probably supposed to make you question your own beliefs; I made peace with the lack of mine long ago. Available to watch for free with ads on Tubi.

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