The Unholy(2021)

Plot Summary

• It is implied from sound that a woman is being beaten and executed, whom is later identified as Mary Elnor, accused of witchcraft in 1845 in Banfield, Massachusetts. The woman is hanged from a tree and ultimately set on fire. Before she dies, however, her spirit is bound to the body of a doll.Many years later, disgraced journalist Gerry Fenn works a job reporting on all things strange and unusual. His latest assignment takes him to Boston, where the purported strange activity is revealed to be a teenage prank. As he's preparing to leave, he discovers the doll and purposely crushes it, accidentally freeing Mary's spirit. Gerry later gets into an accident as he's driving away after seeing a young girl, Alice Pagett, run across the road. He follows her to the tree from the prologue, the site where he found the doll, and hears her speak before collapsing. When he takes her to a nearby church, he learns that Alice is deaf and couldn't have spoken. Gerry decides to stay in town to investigate what he thinks could be a real story rather than a hoax or prank.The following day Alice stuns the community by speaking, proclaiming that she has been cured by the Virgin Mary. This launches a media furor that is further propelled by other seemingly miraculous healings. During the healings, a statue of the Virgin Mary near the chancel of the church cries tears of blood. The Catholic Church sends Monsignor Delgarde to investigate the claims, assisted by Bishop Gyles. Gerry befriends Alice, learning that while she has been speaking to an entity named Mary, the girl has only assumed that Mary was the Virgin Mary. Beginning to suspect that something sinister is occurring due to visions of "Mary" as a horrific entity, Gerry finds a partner in Father William Hagan, Alice's maternal uncle, who was healed by Alice, but also suspects the healings' true nature. Fr. Hagan discovers a book detailing Mary Elnor, a witch who performed miracles for Satan, but before he has the chance to warn anybody he is attacked by Mary and his body is found hanging in the church. Bishop Gyles convinces Gerry to keep the apparent suicide of Hagan quiet as it will tarnish the divine occurrences. His death is declared an accident.Gerry befriends Natalie Gates, the town's physician, and reveals that he was found fabricating stories which is why he now reports hoax stories, hoping this event will relaunch his career. The pair eventually comes across the information Fr. Hagan discovered, revealing Mary sold her soul to Satan in order to gain power. Satan would allow her and her descendants (one of whom is revealed to be Alice) to perform "miracles" prompting people to pledge themselves to her, and in turn, Satan. Mary tries to kill Gerry, but Msgr. Delgarde drives her away with prayer and his crucifix. Gerry and Delgarde are shocked to learn that Bishop Gyles was aware of the history in Banfield involving Elnor, but thought that it was not connected to the miracles that were recently occurring. He warns Gerry that any attempt to share his views on the situation will fall on deaf ears due to Gerry's tarnished reputation.Alice, who they believe is unaware of Mary's true nature, wishes to hold a church service by the tree and broadcast it to the masses. Msgr. Delgarde warns that those pledging themselves to Mary Elnor would make her stronger and condemn their soul to Hell. Msgr. Delgarde, along with Gerry and Natalie, tries to perform a ritual in the church to stop this, but Mary appears and crushes him with a burning cross.Once the service begins, Alice urges everyone to pledge themselves to Mary Elnor three times. Gerry manages to stop the crowd from fully pledging by claiming that the miracles were just more of his hoaxes, that they were all a result of the placebo effect. Natalie communicates with Alice using sign language, urging her to stop the service. Mary speaks to Alice, entreating her to continue it or never speak again. Realizing Mary's true nature, Alice confirms that the miracles were not of God. The tree suddenly bursts into flames, causing all the attendants to flee in panic as an angry Mary emerges from it. She incinerates Bishop Gyles before trying to kill Gerry, but Alice sacrifices herself to save his life. This in turn causes Mary to disappear, as Alice was her link to the living world. Struck by her sacrifice, Gerry begs God to save Alice's life. She comes back to life, but is once again deaf. All the people whom Alice cured soon return to their prior state and the film concludes with a warning from Biblical verse Matthew 7:15. (copied from Wikipedia)

Storyline

• After a supposed visitation from the Virgin Mary, young hearing-impaired girl Alice is inexplicably able to hear and speak--and heal the sick. As word spreads and people from near and far flock to witness her miracles, a disgraced journalist hoping to revive his career visits her small New England town to investigate. When terrifying events begin to happen all around, he starts to question if these phenomena are the works of the Virgin Mary or something much more sinister. — anonymous Willing to sell his soul for a story, Gerry Fenn, a defrocked journalist who has fallen from grace, arrives in the sleepy town of Banfield, Massachusetts to investigate a bogus story, only to stumble upon his big break. As young Alice, a local deaf-mute woman, can suddenly hear and speak--and perform miracles--after seeing an otherworldly apparition in the trunk of a dead tree, the news spreads like wildfire, and crowds of people start gathering to witness the modern wonder. Now, the undying spirit speaks through Alice, and the masses vow everlasting devotion. However, is the Lady of Banfield a benevolent, life-giving entity, or does it draw its power from a diabolical source? — Nick Riganas