What do you get when you take the movie Speed and The Exorcism? Well, you get a movie called Speed Demon! I know it sounds hokey, but a movie about a speeding train or someone having to perform an exorcism- I don’t care what anybody says, that’s a great idea for a movie and sounds like a lot of fun. And that’s what we have: a movie starring Katie Cassidy and William H. Macy. There is a certain B-quality aspect to this film that makes it a lot of fun to watch. Katie Cassidy does a great job as a trained exorcist assistant with a haunted past who has to do what the Catholic Church will not allow her to do…perform an exorcism. When I watch this movie, I feel like I was watching an episode of Supernatural mixed with The X-Files, two shows I absolutely love, and mix that with high-octane action on a moving vehicle, you may just have a winner.
I’m a big fan of Exorcism movies. The original Exorcist is one of my all-time favorite movies. Stigmata is another great movie. This film blends the mysticism built into those kinds of films but with a lot of great action. Katie Cassidy is no stranger to action, having played the Black Canary on Arrow. This is one of her best performances. You get a lot of great action, you get great horror elements, and it’s asking a lot of existential questions like some other exorcism movies. I’m okay with that kind of storytelling, but sometimes we need just a good old-fashioned supernatural action movie, and that’s what this is…That’s what makes it better than it should be.
Exorcism movies deal with a lot of what I like to call traumatic drama. They ask big philosophical questions. Rite is another interesting Exorcism movie starring Anthony Hopkins that doesn’t lend itself to a lot of action, but more mysticism and philosophical questions. Speed Demon is not that kind of movie, but Katie Cassidy plays a great heroine that you can easily root for, and by the time you get to the end of the movie, you’re going to want more. I don’t have any complaints about this movie because it’s not trying to be anything it’s not. Sure, we could have spent a little bit more time getting to know all of the characters on the train and some more of the backstory about the main demon who serves as the villain in the story, but from an action standpoint, the film delivers. It’s also aesthetically scary. I hope that we get a sequel or two because there’s a lot of stories I can be told with the main character. This film could also be a pilot for a streaming series. But this film absolutely delivers the way it should: great horror elements, good action, and a good hero that’s easy to read for. Plus, the story is definitely better on a speeding train. For me, it is nerd-approved, and I would certainly watch it again.
