The Unholy 2021

It is strongly suggested through the sounds of distress that a woman is undergoing a brutal beating and execution, ultimately revealed to be Mary Elnor, accused of witchcraft in 1845 in Banfield, Massachusetts. This tragic figure meets her end by being hanged from a tree and subsequently set ablaze. However, before her tragic fate is sealed, her spirit becomes tethered to a doll.

Fast forward many years, and we meet Gerry Fenn, portrayed by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, a disgraced journalist who specializes in reporting on the bizarre and unusual. His latest assignment takes him to Boston, where what initially seems to be a series of paranormal events is unveiled as nothing more than a teenage prank. Just as Gerry prepares to leave, he stumbles upon the doll and, in a moment of recklessness, crushes it, inadvertently liberating Mary’s spirit. Shortly thereafter, he encounters a young girl named Alice Pagett, played by Cricket Brown, who dashes across the road, prompting Gerry to follow her to the haunting tree that serves as the prologue’s location, where he once discovered the doll. It is there that he hears her speak before collapsing. When Gerry brings her to a church, he learns that Alice is deaf and couldn’t have uttered any words. This revelation drives him to remain in Banfield, driven by the belief that there is more to the story than mere antics.

The next day, to the amazement of the community, Alice claims to have been cured by the Virgin Mary. This proclamation ignites a media frenzy, fueled further by reports of additional miraculous healings. Among these occurrences, a statue of the Virgin Mary located in the church sheds tears of blood, prompting the Catholic Church to dispatch Monsignor Delgarde, embellished by Diogo Morgado and Bishop Gyles, played by Cary Elwes, to investigate these burgeoning claims. As Gerry becomes closer to Alice, he learns that she believes she has been communicating with an entity named Mary, mistakenly assuming that she is referring to the Virgin Mary. However, his unease mounts when he experiences horrific visions of “Mary.”

In an intriguing twist, he unites with Father William Hagan, portrayed by William Sadler, who happens to be Alice’s maternal uncle. Fr. Hagan, who himself was healed by Alice, grows wary of the true nature of the supposed miracles. Discovering a book discussing Mary Elnor, who allegedly performed miracles for Satan, he attempts to raise the alarm. Tragically, before he gets the chance, he is attacked by Mary, and his body is later found hanging in the church. Despite the alarming nature of Hagan’s death, Bishop Gyles persuades Gerry to keep the alleged suicide under wraps, fearing it could tarnish the ongoing divine occurrences.

Gerry eventually befriends Natalie Gates, the town’s physician, who learns of his past when he admitted to fabricating stories. They jointly uncover the chilling truth regarding Mary, who sold her soul to Satan for power, enabling her and her descendants—one of whom is Alice—to execute “miracles” in exchange for souls. In a terrifying showdown, Mary attempts to eliminate Gerry, only for Msgr. Delgarde to fend her off with prayer and his crucifix.

As the narrative escalates, Alice, seemingly oblivious to Mary’s true nature, expresses her desire to hold a church service by the tree to broadcast it widely. Msgr. Delgarde warns that the more individuals pledge themselves to Mary Elnor, the stronger she becomes, condemning their souls to Hell. Together with Gerry and Natalie, he tries to perform a ritual aimed at halting this dreadful event, but Mary violently interrupts by crushing him with a burning cross.

Once the service commences, Alice urges attendees to pledge their allegiance to Mary Elnor three times. Gerry, desperate, intervenes, asserting that the so-called miracles were merely figments of his fabrication and a consequence of the placebo effect. Meanwhile, Natalie employs sign language to communicate with Alice, imploring her to cease the service. As Mary threatens Alice, urging her to continue or face permanent silence, Alice realizes the true essence of the miracles she witnessed was not divine. The tree then ignites in flames, causing chaos as an enraged Mary emerges, igniting Bishop Gyles in a wave of fury before targeting Gerry. In a twist of fate, Alice sacrifices herself to save Gerry, causing Mary’s connection to the living realm to sever. In an emotional plea, Gerry begs God to restore Alice’s life; miraculously, she revives but finds herself deaf once more. The people Alice had previously healed revert to their former states, and the film culminates with a dire warning drawn from Matthew 7:15.