One of my favorite independent directors, F.C. Rabbath, is back with another unassuming horror flick titled The Final Pact. Honestly, from the jump, his new film made me feel uncomfortable due to its use of priests to push the storyline. I’m not a religious person, at all, and I know a lot of the shitty things organized religion do behind the scenes. So, really, my experience with The Final Pact was troubling from the start – but in a good way! Movies are supposed to make you feel something, and yeah, watching a bunch of priests get terrorized by a demonic force seems like karma to me. A little science fiction, a little fantasy and a little horror, this drama follows three young clergymen who face a “final exam” before graduating. Who knew the “final exam” would be the full-blown exorcism of a young woman! The literal Hell that follows, well, you’ll just have to watch and find out!
The Final Pact is written, directed, shot, edited and executive produced by F.C. Rabbath under his F.C. Rabbath Creations label. It was also produced by Mark Maple and Adam Bertocci. Lead cast members include Austin Freeman, Charlie Prince, Sam Sneary, Julia Vasi, Mark Marple, Cameron Diskin and Emalie Noel. From a behind-the-scenes standpoint, The Final Pact is a capable independent horror film. The visual special FX and overall acting barometer are the two best aspects that propel it from “low budget” to “independent.” – and they are two completely different things! Yes, some of the camera quality is a little too bright for my liking – and especially for an aspiring horror film – and some of the edits and angles don’t fit together picture perfectly, but overall, I didn’t find myself grimacing at any large mistakes. It’s obvious that F.C. Rabbath is getting better and better as time goes on.
Being that this is a horror film, I do have to mention that it’s light on horror but high in science fiction and dramatics. I think The Final Pact could have survived well on its own had the freakier elements been removed, which is also a good thing. It means that the story and the acting were strong enough to carry the narrative and the extra elements made to hold your attention do just that. The moments where the horror comes to the forefront are startling and poignant, but again – they don’t come with the number of punches that I was hoping for. I would have gone “there” and taken a risk trying to make the whole experience an experiment in chills and thrills. Especially with a title like The Final Pact, I think the severity of the situation really needed to go “there.” I think this is what makes The Final Pact fun for a first watch but may not convince an audience to come back a second time.
It was good! I really can’t hate on it, and I’m glad to see F.C. Rabbath is still making movies after I took an extended break from the horror journalism world. I think fans of The Pope’s Exorcist and maybe The Nun will get a kick out of it. I think independent film buffs will enjoy a screening. Outside of those demographics, I feel this story is a little self-limiting. Why don’t you give it a watch and then come back to tell me what you think. Final Score: 7.5 out of 10
