Agnes (film)

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Agnes
Agnes (film).jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMickey Reece
Written byMickey Reece
John Selvidge
Produced byJensine Carr
Molly Quinn
Matthew M. Welty
Elan Gale
Jacob Snovel
Starring Hayley McFarland
Music byNicholas Poss
Production
companies
Distributed by Magnet Releasing
Release dates
  • June 12, 2021 (2021-06-12)(Tribeca)
  • December 10, 2021 (2021-12-10)
Running time
93 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$5,526 [1]

Agnes is a 2021 American horror drama film directed by Mickey Reece and starring Hayley McFarland as the titular character.

Contents

Premise

Rumors of demonic possession at a religious convent prompts a church investigation into the strange goings-on among its nuns. A disaffected priest and his neophyte are confronted with temptation, bloodshed and a crisis of faith.

Cast

Production

Filming occurred in Oklahoma and wrapped in February 2020. [2] [3]

Release

The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 12, 2021. [4] [5] [6] In September 2021, it was announced that Magnet Releasing acquired North American distribution rights to the film, which was released theatrically and on demand on December 10, 2021. [7]

Reception

Box office

In its opening weekend, Agnes earned $1,433 from five theaters. [8] The film made $96 in its sophomore weekend from three theaters. [9]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 68% of 56 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.4/10.The website's consensus reads: "It may not deliver as many straight-up scares as genre fans expect, but Agnes takes a gratifyingly unusual approach to well-worn territory." [10] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 65 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. [11]

Katie Rife of The A.V. Club wrote: “…those looking for straightforward supernatural chills would be better off watching whatever turns up when they search “exorcism” on Netflix... If, on the other other[ sic ], you're tired of seeing the same old beats hit again and again in these kind of movies, Agnes provides idiosyncratic salvation." [12] Shelagh Rowan-Legg of Screen Anarchy also gave the film a positive review and wrote, "Discordant and fascinating, bizarre and deeply affecting, Agnes marks an intriguing and strong step in Reece's filmography." [13] Scott Weinberg of Thrillist ranked the film #32 of the 40 best horror films of 2021 and wrote, "The film starts out as a somewhat traditional "possessed nun" story, but about halfway through it makes a sharp left turn and becomes a compelling character study about how an innocent young woman must contend with a trauma she can't explain." [14] Lorry Kikta of Film Threat rated the film an 8 out of 10 and wrote, "I can only hope that as Reece’s career progresses, he gets bigger budgets and better resources. His vision is certainly deserving of that, and this is just more proof of his talents." [15] Jeannette White of Comic Book Resources gave the film a negative review and wrote, "Overall, it holds a lot of unfulfilled potential that could have benefited from a concrete theme." [16]

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References

  1. ↑ "Agnes (2021)". Box Office Mojo . IMDb . Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  2. ↑ McDonnell, Brandy (May 3, 2021). "Mickey Reece's movie 'Agnes' to premiere at Tribeca and more Oklahoma entertainment news". The Oklahoman. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  3. ↑ McDonnell, Brandy (February 5, 2020). "Oklahoma filmmaker Mickey Reece's new horror film 'Agnes,' featuring Molly C. Quinn, Sean Gunn and Rachel True, completes principal photography". The Oklahoman. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  4. ↑ Baila, Morgan (June 15, 2021). "Agnes Isn't Your Typical Exorcism Nun Movie". Refinery29. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  5. ↑ Millican, Josh (June 1, 2021). "Trailer: New Religious Horror AGNES Drops in Advance of Tribeca Debut". Dread Central. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  6. ↑ Santer, Kristen (June 1, 2021). "First 'Agnes' Trailer and Photos Tease a Classic Exorcism Horror Film". Collider. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  7. ↑ Harring, Bruce (September 2, 2021). "Mickey Reece Horror Thriller 'Agnes' Worldwide Rights Go To Magnet Releasing". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Domestic 2021 Weekend 50". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Domestic 2021 Weekend 51". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Agnes". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved May 23, 2022. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  11. ↑ "Agnes". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  12. ↑ Rife, Katie (August 14, 2021). "You've never seen a nun movie quite like this". The A.V. Club. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  13. ↑ Rowan-Legg, Shelagh (June 12, 2021). "Tribeca 2021 Review: AGNES, Exorcism, Anger, Faith, and Sandwich Dissection". Screen Anarchy. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  14. ↑ Weinberg, Scott (August 17, 2021). "The 40 Best Horror Movies of 2021 (So Far), Ranked". Thrillist. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  15. ↑ Kikta, Lorry (August 8, 2021). "Agnes". Film Threat. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  16. ↑ White, Jeannette (June 14, 2021). "Agnes Attempts to Create a Slow-Burn Exorcism Film". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
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