V/H/S may have Raatma, but 13 Exorcisms has something even more terrifying: devout Spanish parents who Google “Is my daughter possessed?” and skip straight to “Call the Vatican.”
Based on a True Story, Because Why Sleep Ever Again
13 Exorcisms (13 exorcismos) sells itself as “inspired by real cases of exorcism in Spain,” which is horror-speak for: somewhere out there, a real teenager also had a terrible time in front of a priest. Wikipedia+1
Laura Villegas (María Romanillos) is your standard well-meaning teen protagonist: she sneaks out, tries a séance with friends on Halloween in a place with a deeply bad vibe, and accidentally ends up being Exhibit A in a theological turf war. After the séance, she starts acting strangely… and by “strangely,” I mean in a way that would get you recommended for therapy in most countries and an exorcism in this one. Her strictly Catholic parents, Carmen and Tomás, go straight past “maybe it’s trauma” and land firmly on “definitely Satan.”
Enter Father Olmedo (José Sacristán), one of the precious few Vatican-approved exorcists in Spain and the only man in the movie who looks like he has already personally argued with the Devil and still has to be up for Mass at 7. FilmAffinity
Laura: Possessed, Oppressed, and Depressingly Relatable
María Romanillos is the secret weapon here. She doesn’t play Laura as a pure, glowing martyr or a snarling demon puppet 100% of the time. Instead we get a very human teen stuck between an overbearing religious environment, genuine psychological distress, and possibly an actual demon auditioning for a permanent residency in her soul.
Her performance sells the ambiguity: is she sick, is she traumatized, or is she genuinely a walking Airbnb for Hell? The answer is… kind of yes to all three. It’s uncomfortable in the best way: you’re rooting for her even when she’s doing the kind of things that usually require a priest, a doctor, and an industrial cleaning crew.
Father Olmedo: 84 Years Old and Still Fighting Satan
Casting José Sacristán as Father Olmedo is a stroke of genius. This is not some young, buff, cool-priest-with-a-leather-jacket situation; this is an old-school, weary man of God who looks like every demon he’s ever banished has taken a year off his life. The script doesn’t treat him as a one-dimensional holy warrior, either. He’s compassionate, doubtful, stubborn, and clearly haunted in his own right.
There’s something darkly funny and touching about watching an elderly priest formally approved by the Vatican facing down a teenage girl whose biggest crime six weeks ago was probably staying out too late. You can almost hear him thinking, “I served decades in the Church for this?”
Family Values, But Make It Terrifying
Horror about possession lives or dies on its family dynamics, and 13 Exorcisms absolutely leans in. Carmen (Ruth Díaz), Laura’s ultra-Catholic mother, is the sort of parent who hears “your daughter might be depressed” and translates it as “your daughter has made the Devil sad, fix it.” Tomás (Urko Olazabal) is more passive, well-meaning, and perpetually overwhelmed—the kind of dad who looks like he’d rather face a home renovation than a demon, but here we are. Wikipedia+1
Watching Laura’s suffering refracted through their belief system is brutal. Every symptom becomes a moral failure, every cry for help a sign of evil influence. If you’ve ever been in a family that tries to pray away complicated problems, this movie will hit like a holy brick.
When Science Meets Satan
What keeps the film interesting is that it doesn’t just pit “girl vs demon.” It sets up a three-way cage match: Faith vs Medicine vs Trauma. The Church sees possession. Psychiatrists see mental illness. Laura’s friends see a Halloween game gone way too far. Meanwhile, the demon (if it’s a demon) sees an excellent opportunity to make everyone look wrong and terrible at the same time.
We get doctors, therapists, MRI machines, and priests all trying to claim ownership of Laura’s suffering. It’s like watching a custody battle over one girl’s soul, except nobody is really listening to her. That’s where the movie’s sting lies: the horror is not just the supernatural, but the very human systems that decide what a “possessed” young woman is allowed to be.
Yes, You’ve Seen Exorcism Movies Before. This One Knows That.
Let’s be honest: we’ve all seen spinning heads, crab-walking down stairs, and “the power of Christ compels you” yelled at maximum volume. Exorcism movies arrive pre-loaded with clichés. 13 Exorcisms absolutely uses some of those classic tricks—contortions, guttural voices, and the usual demonic talent show—but it tries to anchor them in a very specific Spanish, Catholic reality. It opens with the legal and procedural fine print of exorcisms in Spain, which is both fascinating and deeply unsettling. The Kim Newman Web Site+1
The fun part (if we can call it that) is seeing those familiar beats filtered through Spanish family culture, school life, and real-world cases of exorcism that actually occurred in the country. Somewhere between the rosaries and the bureaucracy, the movie finds its own twisted flavor.
Aesthetics: Gloom, Guilt, and Good Old-Fashioned Dread
Visually, the film goes for grounded, chilly realism rather than baroque spectacle. No neon crosses or CGI demon dragons—just dim rooms, oppressive interiors, and a sense that every crucifix on the wall is silently judging you. The atmosphere feels damp with guilt. You can practically smell the incense and generational repression.
When the supernatural moments do hit, they land harder because they interrupt something that otherwise looks like a drab drama about a teen and her suffocating family. One minute you’re in a kitchen argument; the next minute, the kitchen is a crime scene and Latin is happening.
Inspired by Real Cases, Which Is Comforting to Absolutely No One
The film is loosely inspired by real exorcism cases in Spain, including a highly publicized case involving a teenage girl from Burgos in the 2010s. Whenever a horror movie brings up “based on real events,” it’s usually being cheeky—but here, the real-world anchor gives the story a nasty aftertaste. You leave not just spooked, but wondering how many real Lauras were marched through similar rituals while everyone argued over what was “really” wrong with them.
It’s like the movie is gently reminding you: “Remember, somebody thought all of this was a good idea in real life.” Sleep tight.
Performances Doing the Heavy Lifting (So the Demon Doesn’t Have To)
Even critics who weren’t thrilled with the script still praised the cast, especially Romanillos. And they’re right: without strong performances, exorcism films collapse into camp by accident instead of on purpose. Here, the acting keeps things just grounded enough that even at peak possession, you still feel the human being buried under the growls and Latin.
Sacristán brings weary gravitas, Díaz channels the terrifying conviction of someone who loves you so much they’ll destroy you for your own good, and the supporting cast fleshes out Laura’s world of school, friends, and fragile normalcy that gets swallowed piece by piece.
Final Verdict: Possessed, But Make It Personal
13 Exorcisms isn’t reinventing the exorcism wheel, but it sharpens the spikes on it. It takes a familiar genre and funnels it through a deeply Catholic Spanish family, a painfully believable teenage girl, and a system where a priest, a doctor, and a demon all have competing opinions on what’s happening to her.
If you’re looking for slick, jump-scare-heavy Hollywood horror, this might feel too grounded and bleak. But if you want something a bit more intimate, a bit more culturally specific, and willing to let the scariest things be the adults in the room, it’s absolutely worth the watch.
Just… maybe don’t follow it up with a casual séance with your friends. And if someone in your family volunteers the phrase “Vatican-sanctioned exorcist” too quickly, remember: sometimes the devil you should be most afraid of is the one wearing a worried smile and holding a rosary.
