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The Old Ways

Play trailer 1:15 Poster for The Old Ways 2021 1h 30m Horror Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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97% Tomatometer 38 Reviews 46% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
Deep in the Veracruz jungles, Mexican American journalist Cristina Lopez is held captive by a mysterious bruja, or witch doctor who is convinced she's possessed by a demon. Ultimately her fight for survival becomes one for her soul.
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The Old Ways

The Old Ways

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Critics Consensus

A demonic possession movie with impressive depth, The Old Ways uses familiar genre ingredients to cast a uniquely gripping spell.

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Critics Reviews

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Sara Michelle Fetters MovieFreak.com Dec 10, 2021
3/4
This is an inherently human story, grounded in the perception and heritage of its protagonists. Go to Full Review
Scott Marks San Diego Reader Nov 3, 2021
2/5
It eventually picks up, but not before dragging us through a number of addiction tropes. Go to Full Review
Meagan Navarro Bloody Disgusting Oct 25, 2021
When so many exorcism horror movies revolve around a crisis of faith, it's a welcome shift to center around the preservation of tradition and culture. It's a slick new coat of paint, complete with animal teeth, bones, and serpents galore. Go to Full Review
Brandon Stanwyck InSession Film Jul 16, 2024
B+
Brigitte Kali Canales pushes her character in so many unexpected directions on her journey to rediscovering her roots that the hard pivot the film takes in its final act actually works. Go to Full Review
Evan Dossey Midwest Film Journal Nov 6, 2021
A strong entry in the exorcism genre. Go to Full Review
Bob Bloom Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN) Nov 5, 2021
3/4
'The Old Ways' in an apt title for this old-fashioned possession-exorcism movie that contains horror elements but is more about retaining your soul than things that go bump in the night. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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B P @Bradster69 Sep 26, 2026 Not Bad, but Not My Favorite See more
Marco L @decatur555 Sep 8, 2026 Different enough to intrigue, not scary enough to convince It gives the possession genre a welcome change of scenery, replacing familiar Catholic exorcism imagery with Mexican witchcraft, ritual and folklore. That cultural angle is easily the most interesting part, and Brigitte Kali Canales commits fully to a demanding central role. Unfortunately, the actual horror rarely worked for me. There is blood, body horror, snakes and some effective gore, but very little genuine fear. The tiny production is cleverly concentrated around one main room and a handful of actors, yet eventually I started noticing those limitations rather than feeling trapped by them. The early ambiguity between possession, addiction and superstition is interesting; once the movie becomes more certain about what is happening, it becomes much more ordinary. Not terrible, not particularly good: sometimes intriguing, sometimes cheap, and never scary enough. See more
Joseph H. @joeyholland Jun 20, 2026 I feel missed opportunity to have entire movie in Spanish. See more
Rita M. @DeafCow May 30, 2026 The title is appropriate. The movie is more about re-connecting with your roots told as a horror genre. It is beautifully written. I enjoyed watching the protagonist grow though she was annoying in the beginning. The ending was satisfying. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and would watch it again. See more
Chris H @RT60525826 May 21, 2026 Dreadful. Not scary - not even the jump scares - and not coherent. See more
A R. @marsrose Apr 21, 2026 This movie was honestly awful from start to finish. I found myself zoning out in the beginning, finally kind of enjoying it when it was around the middle, only to be insanely disappointed. There were so many plot holes I just felt slightly lost. The lead was very pretty… so pretty she definitely was not matching being on drugs, possessed, & locked in a sell in the middle of no where lol. Back to zoning out again, when I thought it was over then there was still a whole 20 minutes left.. the last 10 minutes of the film had so much cringey dialogue I almost didn’t make it. See more
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The Old Ways

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Cast & Crew

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Christopher Alender

Director

Brigitte Kali Canales

Cristina

Andrea Cortes

Miranda

Julia Vera

Luz

Sal Lopez

Javi

AJ Bowen

Carson

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The Old Ways

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The Old Ways

The Old Ways (2021) The Old Ways (2020) The Old Ways (2020) The Old Ways (2020) The Old Ways (2020) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Deep in the Veracruz jungles, Mexican American journalist Cristina Lopez is held captive by a mysterious bruja, or witch doctor who is convinced she's possessed by a demon. Ultimately her fight for survival becomes one for her soul.
Director
Christopher Alender
Producer
Christa Boarini, T. Justin Ross, David Grove Churchill Viste
Screenwriter
Marcos Gabriel
Production Co
Soapbox Films
Genre
Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 12, 2021
Runtime
1h 30m
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