Haunted by terrible acts the Nazis forced him to participate in, the disenchanted Father Lankester Merrin focuses his energies on helping with an archaeological dig in the northern part of Kenya. There, the crew uncovers a church that predates Christian missions into the area, but the discovery also causes strange events to start occurring -- including physical changes to a young, disabled boy, whom Merrin grows to suspect has been possessed by a demon.
The Schrader variation is awfully dull, with scant evidence of the sort of things that make horror movies attractive -- like mounting suspense and spine-tingling creepiness and, oh yeah, the element of horror.
– Michael Rechtshaffen,
Hollywood Reporter,
20 May 2005
fresh:
Exorcism aside, Dominion is well-acted, handsomely photographed and hauntingly scored.
– Bruce Westbrook,
Houston Chronicle,
20 May 2005
fresh:
It's a good, thoughtful horror picture -- and thiiis close to being a very good one.
– David Edelstein,
Slate,
20 May 2005
rotten:
The frights, the scares, they just weren't there.
– Richard Roeper,
Ebert & Roeper,
24 May 2005
fresh:
Schrader's intelligent, quietly subversive pic emphasizes spiritual agony over horror ecstasy, while paying occasional lip-service to the need for scares.