“The Cleansing Hour” 2019 Review – Get That Woman a Real Priest!

It feels like we’ve had so many exorcism/possession movies that follow a rote storyline, or redone guideline. And, nowadays it takes something unique and spectacular to make a difference on whether the movie is perceived as good, boring, or just another disappointment.

I am not saying that The Cleansing Hour is ground-breaking, anywhere near as great as the classics of this genre, nor is it needing to be considered a Cult Classic. But, that the approach they took was unique and effective. Perhaps a Hidden Gem, at the least.

The Cleansing Hour was directed and co-written by Damien LeVeck and released to Shudder in 2020. It is not to be confused with the 2016 comedy horror The Cleanse, where the characters drink something foul to dispel inner “demons”, or the Brittish 2019 Horror The Cleansing. Though, I would understand the confusion!

In The Cleansing Hour, Max (Ryan Guzman ) and Drew (Kyle Gallner) are lifelong friends who run a successful livestream show called “The Cleansing Hour”. Max is the charming face of the show with his attractive charisma, while Drew works behind the scenes producing the show as it streams live on social media platforms.

And Max’s role in said show?

He is a hardcore priest, fighting the spirits of evil, driving out demonic creatures from innocent people. During the exorcisms, there are drawn out battles between good and evil, crosses turning upside-down on their own, gales of wind blowing every loose item around the room, levitation, and on and on.

Except…

The show is completely staged. As we see in the previews for this movie, all the hundreds of “souls that Max, the Priest, has saved”, and exorcisms performed, is all fake. On top of that, Max is benefiting from the success in physical pleasurable means, regardless of 'being a priest'. Everything is going so well for the creators of the show.

That is…until they are faced with a real possession.

Completely taken by surprise by the horrific change of events, Max and Drew are tested by the demon. Their pride, friendship, their lives, and those around them, are in severe danger as they desperately try to figure out how to perform a true Exorcism. Turns out, the fabricated means to drive out a demon don't appear to be genuine or useful.

Mind you, this is all streaming live Worldwide on their popular Webcast. And, as all demons do in possession movies, the evil spirit toys with them, taunts them, tortures them all while they stumble about failing to rid themselves of the evil entity. The demon forces them confess to the World their deepest secrets. Some of which challenge their friendship and trust in each other.

Pesky demon!

As The Cleansing Hour reaches the climactic finale through tense scenes, gory deaths, and fantastic creepiness, a deeper truth emerges as to why the demon chose Max and Drew its opponents. That truth also has to do with their streaming show as its playground of torment. The twist displayed through demonic trickery, at the end, was neatly crafted and really raised my liking of The Cleansing Hour.

I truly enjoyed the spin that the story puts on the saturated genre. Also, for a low-budget Horror movie, I felt like it was effectively produced. The Cleansing Hour has several squirmy parts with vomit, pulling things from the possessed girl’s mouth, maiming, etc. When this is done through practical effects it is really polished. The Computer Graphics is faulty at times, but not invasively so, especially knowing the lower budget facet. The movie was intense and eerie from the moment they realize something is wrong. Alix Angelis does a great job as Lane, the possessed woman strapped in the chair for the majority of the film. She really was the highlight of the movie.

I will state that The Cleansing Hour does have its flaws as it uses typical possession tropes to make it through several transition scenes. The ending may make or break the movie for some viewers. As I already stated above, the computer graphics that weren't bad, but noticeably imperfect.

Another point: There are a lot of Horror movies utilizing current technology to get the scare across in the story. The Cleansing Hour uses familiar technology to be relatable too, but it is not the focus here. It is more of a medium to assist the movie’s plot. I will say that it was a little hokey at times as if we were spun back several years with lower quality tech. This can be looked past though given the other qualities of the movie.

Overall, there’s a lot to like about The Cleansing Hour with the new approach they took, the twist near the end, the blood and gore, and the general eeriness and creep factor were sufficient. Flawed, but really good!

I recommend this one for someone looking for a possible Hidden Gem within this genre, or just for a night where expectations are not too high for a horror movie!

The Cleansing Hour

Released: 9/16/2019

Rating: Not Rated

Genre: Horror

Running Time: 1 hour 34 minutes

Director: Damien LeVeck (Asylum: Twisted Horror & Fantasy Tales, Dark, Deadly & Dreadful)

Writer: Damien LeVeck, Aaron Horwitz Co-writer (Mostly Short films)

Stars:

Ryan Guzman as Max (The Boy Next Door, Everybody Wants Some!)

Kyle Gallner as Drew (Scream 2022, The Finest Hours, The Cleanse)

Alix Angelis as Lane (Love’s Last Resort, The Magnificent Seven)

IMDB Rating: 6.0 out of 10