With the theater debut of the horror film “The Unholy,” critics hold nothing back when it comes to their negative thoughts about the film in a time where the film industry is trying to find its footing once again.

“The Unholy,” now in theaters, is a classic horror movie in which a young hearing-impaired girl named “Alice”, comes into contact with the supposed Virgin Mary, in which she suddenly gains the ability to hear and speak. A discredited reporter named Jeffery Morgan follows Alice when miraculous events begin to happen. The film then has twists and turns and has an iconic old-fashioned horror flick tone that is refreshing in a time when movies have once again become an activity that everyone can enjoy. But not all critics have the same mindset when it comes to this movie, and have chosen to rip this film a new one so to speak.

Benjamin Lee of The Guardian said, “It has the cursed aura of something shot three years ago, shelved and then dumped, a doomed hobble to the screen that’s become more commonplace in the last year as studios have understandably used the opportunity to offload their damaged wares.”

Moreover, “The Unholy” was one of the films that were in production when the pandemic hit and had to deal with the difficulties that the pandemic brought to everyone. Most theaters closed to help stop the spread of COVID-19, and now that some theaters have reopened, social distancing is still a reality which limits the number of seats that are available, and in turn, makes it hard for production companies to gain a profit. Films like “The Unholy,” chose to persevere through the pandemic to have quality movies to see once everyone could return to theaters. But it seems that these facts obtain very little grace with some critics when it comes to movies like “The Unholy,” and the hardships that the producers, directors and cast members had to intel.

Roger Ebert of RogerEbert.com said, “The Unholy is not supposed to be a realistic portrayal of today’s gig-economy for freelance journalists, but the fact that I was distracted by the la-la-land portrayal of journalism is indicative of the film’s inability to hold my interest.”

However, the journalist aspect of the film held my interest fully, and I could see the underlined concept portrayed in the movie that journalists are vital components of society. But journalists are also human and can make mistakes along the way that can lead them to be discredited, but as the movie clearly states, everyone deserves a second chance, and everyone deserves redemption. “The Unholy” has the makings of a cult classic, with ideals of integrity, hope, and faith that viewers can hold dearly to their hearts. When it comes to the horror aspect of the film, some people agree that it holds true to all the horror movie classics of the past.

Owen Gleiberman of Variety said, ‘The Unholy’ doesn’t rewrite the book of religious horror; it goes fairly strictly by the book. But it’s the rare contempo horror film that actually has faith in the story it’s telling.”

“The Unholy” is one of the first horror films to hit theaters after the shutdown of movie venues occurred, and it did not leave this reporter disappointed. With everything that is still going on in the world, it is time to give movie production companies a break, and it is also time to start seeing something different than the unholiest of reviews when it comes to movie production companies and their creations.