Horror films about demonic possession are rarely light affairs. The Exorcist tops many “scariest films of all time” lists for a reason. However Legions, a new Argentinian horror film screening at Alamo Drafthouse, offers something almost cozy by comparison, and it is strangely moving.
Directed by Fabián Forte, it follows Antonio (Germán De Silva), a demon fighter from Puerto Iguazú living out the end of his life in a mental institution. As a young man, he exorcised a demon named Kuaraya from a Mbyá Guaraní villager, and it vowed to destroy him. Later, it murders his wife and steals a talisman from his daughter Elena that protects her faith from the demon. As Elena grows up, she resents Antonio even as he moves them to the city so she can have a normal life. After a fight, she accidentally releases a possessed man who Antonio has to kill in self-defense. This is what leads to his incarceration.
Part Evil Dead and part Bubba Ho-tep, Legions moves effortlessly back and forth from dark comedy to horror moments. Antonio is a broken man estranged from his now-grown daughter (played by Lorena Vega), who has nothing to do with him and works for an advertising company. She has nearly abandoned magic and faith, living a normal life.
Meanwhile, Antonio bitterly clings to his past and his bloodline of sacred shamans. He allows the institute theater company to stage a play about his life, a screwball affair of bad costumes and unhinged portrayals that is good for a laugh but seems to leave Antonio only more miserable. Nonetheless, the patients love his stories of demon fighting, which conveniently serve as flashbacks for the audience.
Legions is horrifying without every really getting scary. The appearances of Kuaraya are well done and sinister. Most of the time his presence is signaled by a clawed hand reaching out to grasp a victim. It’s a subtle touch akin to a lone dorsal fin in a Jaws flick that makes the demon’s full form seem almost tame in comparison when it shows up.
The opening is a legit fright fest where we see bizarre bodily contortions and a couple of good jump scares. That said, it’s more interesting than frightening, especially since it’s so rare to see non-Catholic exorcism tropes in films.
At its heart, Legions is about a father trying to reconnect with his daughter. Antonio is fierce and devout while Elena is spiritually aimless and clearly recovering from the traumas of her youth. She doesn’t want to fight evil because fighting evil is what took her mother, and she is willing to turn her back on the struggle to hide from that. Instead, she spends her time trying to come up with a slogan for a combination toilet paper holder and iPad mount. There are few more frivolous things on Earth than that.
Legions postulates that there is real evil in the world of a faith-based nature, and fighting is necessary even when it’s hard. This lends a pleasant, middle-age over-it attitude to the proceedings. This robs some tension from the demonic attacks and a few good gore shots of impact, but it makes the film more sincere and believable.
The demons of Legions are both infernal monsters and everyday spiritual wounds that rip families apart. Both sides of the equation are approached with sincerity and humor. The result is something of a heartwarming family saga of reconciliation that keeps its eyes on why we fight rather than the destruction evil causes. Within reason, that is. It’s still a horror flick, so look out for a grisly jaw rip scene.
Legions premieres Friday, June 10 at Alamo Drafthouse La Centerra, 2707 Commercial Center Blvd Suite K-100. For more tickets, visit Drafthouse.com. Spanish, with English Subtitles. $12.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
