Spoiler-Free Reviews: GODLESS: THE EASTFIELD EXORCISM and THE ARTIFICE GIRL (Overlook 2023)

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April 6, 2023

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Film Festivals | Foreign | Movies | Reviews

Written by Joseph Perry

Joseph Perry is the Film Festival Editor for Horror Fuel; all film festival related queries and announcements should be sent to him at josephperry@gmail.com. He is a contributing writer for the "Phantom of the Movies VideoScope" and “Drive-In Asylum” print magazines and the websites Gruesome Magazine, Diabolique Magazine, The Scariest Things, B&S About Movies, and When It Was Cool. He is a co-host of the "Uphill Both Ways" pop culture nostalgia podcast and also writes for its website. Joseph occasionally proudly co-writes articles with his son Cohen Perry, who is a film critic in his own right. A former northern Californian and Oregonian, Joseph has been teaching, writing, and living in South Korea since 2008.

Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism

Australian feature Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism (2023) eschews the cliches of films dealing with vomit-spewing, head-spinning people possessed by demons in favor of dealing with the religious beliefs vs. mental health question behind alleged possessions. The result is a riveting film that is ultimately as heartbreaking as it is chilling. Lara (Georgia Eyers) and Ron (Dan Ewing) are a young married couple. She has been exhibiting unusual behavior including dancing naked outside their home, and while Ron simply wants psychologist Dr. Walsh (Eliza Matengu) to give them permission to seek a church-sanctioned exorcism, Lara does not share her husband’s religious beliefs and leans more toward therapeutic help. As her behavior grows more violent, possibly because of either dissociative identity disorder or demonic possession, a desperate Ron seeks the help of unsanctioned exorcist Daniel (Tim Pocock), and this is when director Nick Kozakis’s film heads into truly terrifying territory. Based on a true crime case in Australia, Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism is a unique take on the possession subgenre that boasts solid direction and fine performances.

The Artifice Girl

Thought-provoking science fiction offering The Artifice Girl (2022) should give aficionados of speculative and philosophical cinema much to mull over. Writer/director/editor Franklin Ritch stars as tech worker Gareth, who finds himself being questioned by two FBI agents (Sinda Nichols and David Girard) who handle child sexual abuse cases. I strongly recommend going into this film as cold as possible because it rewards viewers with top-notch dialogue and acting. Here’s a spoiler-free set-up, as this takes place early on in the film: Gareth has created a highly realistic adaptive artificial intelligence named Cherry (Tatum Matthews) that he has used to tip off officials to online child predators. The trio works together to further develop Cherry’s potential, and all the while she is learning and upgrading her capabilities. Ritch has crafted an absolutely engrossing, dialogue-driven work that offers terrific performances highlighted by Matthews’ outstanding turn as Cherry (genre veteran Lance Henriksen also appears for an important supporting role). The Artifice Girl tackles several issues including personal trauma and the future possibility of AI having rights, and thanks to Ritch’s crackerjack screenplay, raises provocative questions that will linger with viewers long after this highly impressive feature directorial debut ends.