A Missionary converting an Indigenous Community in a remote Ecuadorian volcano must come to terms with her own faith when dark forces possess her son.
A devout Catholic missionary family sets out for the remote regions of Ecuador, determined to share their faith with the local indigenous population. Candice and her husband, Joel (Sara Canning and Daniel Gillies), along with their teenage son, Elliot (Jett Klyne), reside in a secluded village. Elliot quickly befriends the neighborhood kids and adapts to the village’s daily routines. Trouble arises when Joel’s model glider accidentally ends up in a cave that the villagers insist is strictly forbidden. Ignorant of its danger, Joel enters the cave to retrieve the model, an act that triggers a bizarre illness.
The very next day, during Elliot’s confirmation ceremony at the local Church, Candice starts to notice unsettling shifts in her son’s demeanor. Elliot begins vomiting unexpectedly, growls with an animal-like intensity, and starts to appear in various distant locations with no memory of how he got there. As his condition worsens, Candice seeks guidance from a village shaman, who reveals that Elliot inadvertently unleashed a primordial, evil entity named Supay when the cave was disturbed—a presence that now clings to him. Initially doubtful, Candice’s anxiety deepens as her son’s strange affliction progresses, eventually leading her to appeal to Father Meyer (Alejandro Fajardo), the priest serving the village. She confides her fear that Elliot may be possessed and in dire need of an exorcism. Father Meyer hesitates, explaining that such rituals require authorization from higher Church authorities, but Candice insists time is of the essence. Yielding to her desperation, Father Meyer performs the rite. Though he later claims the spirit has been banished, Elliot vanishes that night, and Father Meyer is soon found dead—forcing Candice to face the grim reality that the evil remains.
With no other options, she asks the shaman for help. Together, they return to the cave to confront the source of the disturbance. As Supay’s true origins come to light, the shaman warns Candice that this ancient spirit predates Christianity itself, and only a direct confrontation will suffice. Their attempts to combat the demon grow increasingly frantic, and it becomes clear that time is running out.
Screenwriter Daniel Negret and director Antonio Negret clearly draw upon the legacy of William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist,” focusing their narrative on the supernatural targeting of a family’s youngest member. The Ecuadorian backdrop amplifies the sense of isolation—there are no roads, vehicles, or convenient ways to escape, leaving the family truly stranded. Cinematographer Daniel Andrade makes the most of the scenery, framing sweeping vistas of dormant volcanoes and endless plains, which, while breathtaking, also add to the film’s claustrophobic unease. The acting is uniformly strong, with Sara Canning delivering a particularly memorable performance. As Candice, she convincingly portrays a mother whose faith and confidence are steadily broken down by inexplicable events, moving from denial to terror as the full extent of her son’s ordeal becomes apparent. Canning’s portrayal of Candice’s transformation—from rational skepticism to desperate acceptance—rings true, making the family’s ordeal all the more harrowing.
“Shaman” unfolds at a deliberate pace, building suspense through moments of uncertainty and quiet dread. While the film features classic hallmarks of the possession genre—such as altered voices and black eyes—it stands apart through its psychological focus. After the exorcism, Elliot’s apparent recovery leaves both his family and the audience wary, unsure whether the underlying threat has really vanished. The film’s most unnerving sequences come from this uncertainty, as characters slowly grasp the horror of their situation, with Elliot himself remaining oblivious to the supernatural forces at work. This lack of awareness, shared by both son and parents, is what gives the film its lingering sense of unease.
In Theaters and on Digital Friday, August 8th
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