Father Peter, a prestigious exorcist, teams up with Father Daniel, a young and inexperienced priest, on his first day of work. They try to stop the demonic possession of a young boy named Charlie.
While performing the exorcism on Charlie and seeing his arms slowly burn, Father Daniel realizes that Father Peter is actually possessed, and in a struggle, Father Daniel kills Father Peter.
Later on, the archbishop and Father Daniel realize every priest who has worked under Father Peter has been possessed by a demon, creating a network of demonic priests that is quite sizable.
Plot
The film opens in 1995 Boston, where a young Father Peter Costello assists the veteran exorcist Father Louis in performing a harrowing demonic exorcism on a boy. The ritual goes awry: the boy’s body begins to burn and Father Louis ultimately loses his life while Peter stands by, traumatized by the event. "The Seventh Day (2021) Movie Review". JoBlo. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
Flash forward to the present. Peter, now a hardened, rule-bending exorcist portrayed by Guy Pearce, is summoned by the Archbishop and paired with Father Daniel Garcia, a newly ordained priest played by Vadhir Derbez, who shows a latent ability to sense evil but has minimal field experience. The Church is facing a surge in demonic activity, and Daniel’s training begins immediately under Peter’s unorthodox tutelage. "Review: 'The Seventh Day' shows the devil you know". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
Their first major case involves Charlie Giroux, a boy who has brutally murdered his entire family with an ax and is suspected of being possessed. Peter and Daniel travel to New Orleans to investigate. They test whether Charlie is truly possessed by subjecting him to spiritual rituals and confrontations, and they gradually uncover clues that suggest the supernatural is at play. "The Seventh Day". Wikipedia. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
During the exorcism, disturbing phenomena escalate—Charlie’s arms begin to smolder and flare with fire, and voices and visions haunt the priests. Daniel begins to suspect that Peter may be hiding something; his behavior grows increasingly erratic. In a climactic confrontation, it is revealed that Father Peter himself has been possessed by the same demon since the failed exorcism in 1995. Daniel is forced to act, killing Peter by stabbing him in the neck with a pectoral cross in order to separate the demon. "The Ending of "The Seventh Day" Explained". Looper. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
In the final act, Daniel learns that Peter’s possession began long ago and that many priests who worked under him have also become possessed, forming a hidden network of demonic clergy. Daniel, however, resists the demon’s attempts to inhabit him and emerges as the first priest to break the cycle. In the closing moments, the Archbishop entrusts Daniel with Peter’s case files, tasking him to exorcise the corrupted priests and continue the fight against darkness. "The Seventh Day (2021 film)". Wikipedia. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
On November 6, 2019, it was announced that Guy Pearce signed on to play the lead role in the film.[2] On January 14, 2020, Vadhir Derbez joined the cast.[3] On January 27, 2020, Stephen Lang, Keith David, Robin Bartlett, Brady Jenness and Chris Galust joined the cast of the film.[4]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 14%, based on reviews from 14 critics, with an average score of 4.10/10.[7] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 43 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[8]
"The movie is diverting enough when it flirts with clerical politics, and that made me think it might be cool to make an exorcist film that dramatized the true-life ins and outs of the Catholic Church’s relationship to exorcism. There’s a major story there, and it could fuel a heady thriller. But The Seventh Day, having established Father Peter as a new kind of exorcist renegade, soon gets down to business as usual."[9]
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