Historically, some of the best demon possession films include William Friedkin’s 1973 The Exorcist and Daniel Stamm’s 2010 The Last Exorcism. A discussion open to debate, now in 2025, Antonio Negret’s Shaman deserves strong consideration for the all-time list.
Initially arriving in theaters and on digital August 8, 2025, through Well Go USA, Shaman then debuted on Blu-ray and DVD October 7th exclusively through Amazon. A high-quality Possession Thriller, the story, written by Antonio’s brother, Daniel Negret, follows a family of missionaries who travel to rural Ecuador to convert the indigenous people.
As things seem to be going well, their son Elliot (Jett Klyne: Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness 2022, The Boy in the Woods 2023) ventures into what the locals have deemed forbidden, a cave. Once returned, Elliot begins to show signs of what seems to others like an illness and, to his mother, Candice (Sara Canning: The Vampire Diaries series, A Series of Unfortunate Events series), more like demonic possession. While Candice thinks that a catholic exorcism will help her son, it is indeed others who believe this is much older than her God.
To begin, Shaman is very eerie and unsettling, from the sounds of the Shaman’s ritual to the spine-tingling atmosphere of the cave. The overall creepy, spooky, and uneasy feelings one is supposed to get from a demonic Horror film are all there. Joining this, the film’s locations, lighting, and sound are all fantastic and help convey just how vast yet isolated this little village is. It really gives the film substance and shows precisely what Director Antonio Negret (also known for 2017’s Overdrive) was going for.
Supporting character Joel (Daniel Gillies: Spider-Man 2, 2004, The Originals series) is a trivial aspect of Shaman, but it gives depth to the story. His traumatic past, brought to light in one of the most devastating moments, shows the evil spirit who dwells inside Elliot a motive to antagonize Joel, thereby making a believer out of him.
When all else fails, it is, in fact, the Shaman (portrayed by Humberto Morales) that Candice, Joel, and the pastor all try to avoid, which leads to many answers. But the idea that something so evil could inhabit this earth with which God’s son once walked seemed incredibly absurd to Candice, yet after the pastor’s death, and no one left to help as her faith is slowly fading, the shaman becomes her last hope. It is, in fact, Candice’s character that drives the film. Her drive to help her son and get him back, no matter the cost, is really what makes the film incredibly horrifying. Supay, the evil spirit that inhabits Elliot, may be one of the scariest spirits on the big screen.
In many cases, it is exaggerated how spine-tingling, heart-pounding, sweat-drenched, edge-of-your-seat horror films are, but Shaman lives up to this hype. A film stands out among other Horror releases in 2025, Cryptic Rock gives Shaman 5 out of 5 stars.
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