A chilling supernatural thriller that takes a different approach to the increasingly stale demonic possession horror sub-genre, The Old Ways also makes its mark as a commentary on the erasure of culture and tradition in an increasingly secularised world.
The demonic-possession movie by far is the most consistently repetitive of all the horror sub-genres, with the iconography and rules set by The Exorcist over 40 years ago recycled with the same ferocity as Linda Blair’s spinning head. So, it is refreshing to find a movie that breathes new life into what has become stale moviemaking.
The Old Ways is a film that does just that. Directed by Christopher Alender and scripted by Marcos Gabriel (they both founded the movie studio SoapBox Films), The Old Ways begins with the sight of a young woman bound and chained in the back room of a backwoods in Veracruz, Mexico. The woman is Cristina (Brigitte Kali Canales), a journalist born in Mexico yet raised in the United States, who returns to her hometown to research tribal culture only to be kidnapped by locals led by town bruja, or witch, Luz (Julia Vera) who believes Cristina is possessed by a demon.
The opening act of The Old Ways presents an “is she, isn’t she” scenario in regard to Cristina’s supposed demonic possession, a question that is answered with chilling, and often bloody moments of supernatural spookiness. Scenes of ritual and symbology are thankfully different to the usual Roman Catholic inspired exorcism sequences that have become lore to the point of parody, Alender delivering a different kind of spiritual warfare between forces of good and evil, the latter manifesting itself in very scary ways.
As Cristina, burgeoning star Brigitte Kali Canales puts on a bravura performance, especially regarding the physicality of portraying a possessed young woman whim to the physical manipulation of her demons and her captors. Effective too is Canales’ portrayal of a young Mexican American woman reclaiming her Latina heritage, and the traditions that come with it, through an extreme yet life changing experience where ghosts of her past clash with the demons of today.
It is a facet of Marcos Gabriel’s writing that brings a humanity, a grounding to the supernatural horror on show, which in itself is refreshingly different and engaging, with The Old Ways giving new life to a worn-out sub-genre of film.
