You think you’ve seen enough exorcism movies? Well Justin P. Lange’s The Seventh Day may give you something a little different. While it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it avoids the usual pitfalls.

Father Peter (Guy Pearce) has had a literal baptism of fire as the Church’s go-to exorcist. Years earlier, he was being mentored (by the legendary Keith David) through a particularly tough possession: a young boy whose demon inside is particularly virulent. The exorcism didn’t go well and the boy burned to death in front of the young priest and the boy’s parents. In the present day, he’s given a young protégé, Father Daniel (Vadhir Derbez), by the Archbishop (Stephen Lang, playing completely opposite type), and he’s a tough teacher. The dynamic between the two is more akin to a dysfunctional pairing of cops from a Hollywood movie than an ecumenical union. Their first real case together is that of a boy who killed his family, but Father Peter believes to be a vessel for a demon.

Guy Pearce dominates the screen, as you’d expect, leaving Vadhir Derbez looking a tad lost throughout their scenes but come the climax, he comes into his own. All the exorcism tropes are here: flickering lights, bloody visions, and screaming kids taunting priests, but that’s part of the fun and director Lange and DP Nick Remy Matthews manage to give many of the scenes a fresh eye, making them

The production values are above the slew of possession films we’ve had forced upon us over the past few years, and there are more than enough shocks to keep the average audience entertained. All this – and the great cast – mean we can wholeheartedly recommend The Seventh Day as a diverting ninety minutes, but don’t go in expecting an epiphany.