When Horror Met Humanity
Prey for the Devil was not just another exorcism horror film, released in 2022. Directed by Daniel Stamm, this horror thriller focused on a young nun who defies the Church’s prohibition on female exorcists, incited a nationwide discourse. This discourse was not limited to a critique of the film but expanded to include issues of faith, trauma, feminism, and even fashion. The film was a mirror to contemporary unease, to power, and the belief in the courage to defy the established order.
The discourse began a cultural moment, to share a meme was to participate in it, and so many did. The Sister Ann meme, where she bravely faces evil, became so pervasive that it ignited passions among younger women who began to create, and share fashion minimalist, bold black and white outfits in the meme style. And so many social media participants began to share and argue about the film, a modern work of art, that critique the patriarchy.
For once, a horror movie’s audience was not just passive, but active participants in the work.
Sister Ann’s Story
Sister Ann is at the forefront of Prey for the Devil. Ann is a fierce young nun working with the young and the possessed, battling God for what she perceives as a God-given assignment. The challenge is that the Church does not permit women to perform exorcisms. When trauma of Ann’s childhood resurfaces while dealing with a young girl with possession, Sister Ann covertly starts training with Fr. Quinn (Colin Salmon) to confront evil possession.
Jacqueline Byers is not playing a “scared woman in the horror film” as horror films define. Byers as Ann portrays a grounded and raw intensity. She is battling her God-given mandate, her faith and her fear. She speaks of “religion and control” in her upbringing and having to navigate around that. “Ann is haunted, not just by demons but memories,” she admits in an interview. “That’s what I connected with, how trauma disguises itself as something supernatural.”
Especially for Indian audiences, this emotional undercurrent is understood vividly. The image of women confronting control from the widening faculties of care is understood and accepted. This Ann’s struggle was compared to women in Indian institutions, where empathy is the guide, in order to be heard and obey.
The Conversations It Sparked
The wide-ranging conversations sparked by some films can fade away as fast as the last scream. This was not the case, however, with ‘Prey for the Devil.’ It evoked a deep and thoughtful analysis of the movie’s subtext on feminism. Social media platforms, especially Reddit and Instagram, filled up with users examining the film and discussing its implications. ‘LetHerExorcise,’ an understated feminist social slogan used by Western feminists and some Indian activists, illustrated women reclaiming their spiritual dominion.
In the world of fashion, Sister Ann’s modest attire sparked the ‘nun-core’ trend. Fashion designers began to showcase and develop ‘nun-core’ fashion lines, minimalist monochrome ensembles with veiled headscarves, and structured long dresses. Somber, modest, attire was now chic. Fans joked that ‘Sister Ann made black cool again’ as Billie Eilish and Anya Taylor-Joy wore outfits inspired by the movie.
TikTok users made motivational edits of Olivia Byers’ character, with lines like ‘Faith is my weapon,’ inspired by the cadence of meditation, placed along the bottom of the screen as she strode confidently through shadowy corridors. Even in India, fans posted the re-interpreted quotes in Hindi and paired the text with the inspirational ‘Andhera bhi roshni se darta hai’ (Darkness is afraid of light).
The movie had crossed state and film borders — to reach and touch hearts.
Behind the Shadows: Making Faith Frightening
Not all of the production of Prey for the Devil involved dark hallways and holy water. There were also plenty of interesting stories from behind the scenes. For example, Daniel Stamm, the director who also worked on The Last Exorcism, wanted to “reinvent the genre.” He collaborated with real theologians and trauma specialists for the possession scenes. Rather than simply depicting demonic possession, the aim was also to demonstrate how trauma can act like possession — invasive, uncontrollable, and highly misunderstood.
Byers underwent several weeks of psychological coaching to learn how to play someone dealing with childhood guilt and trauma wrapped around faith. “They told me about faith being both a shield and a burden,” she said. “That duality became the spine of my performance.” She also visited real convents and spoke to nuns who had witnessed supposed possessions.
The exorcism scenes were interesting because instead of relying on heavy CGI, the crew used practical techniques. For the “impossible” scenes, innovative camera tricks were used to create the effect of chairs sliding on their own, candles flickering, and a palpable tension in the air. Stamm was convinced that what you don’t see is far more terrifying.
During an emotionally charged shoot, Byers passed out while shooting an esorcism scene. The director chose to include this scene, dubbing it “the most real moment of surrender I’ve ever captured.”
The ‘Prey for the Devil’ marketing campaign was as clever as the movie. The marketing strategy for the movie was brilliant. Playing on the concept of forbidden knowledge, one of the trailers asked, “What if God chose her?” This line sparked curiosity on the internet. Many fans speculated about the film’s connection to real-life Vatican cases. Some, especially on YouTube, claimed the film’s title was banned in certain countries, feeding internet conspiracy theories.
The incident was memed as well. Clips of Sister Ann confronting the possessed girl used in pop-culture mashups — The Nun crossover jokes and even Marvel comparisons. One tweet that went viral said, “Sister Ann entered the MCU of exorcism.”
In India, the horror-loving audience put their own, unique twist on these memes. Sister Ann as the horror movie poster on Instagram with the caption “When your mom tells you to pray but you summon the wrong thing.” The movie memes made even those who hadn’t watched the movie it immediately accessible, modern horror, as it was made clear, thrives on memes as much as on screams.
The Cross
The reflection on bad religion and the control it exorcised on Byers personally made the film a statement and a career insight. Byers admitted that the film made her confront those very fears. “This film taught me that faith and fear are siblings — not enemies.”
Colin Salmon, who portrayed Father Quinn, elaborated on the gender dynamics involved in the script. He said, “It’s about permission — who gets to speak for God. That’s not a question for the Church alone. It’s a question for the world.”
The release of the film also served as a reunion for horror fans who had grown tired of mindless cheap jump scares. Prey for the Devil, in contrast, felt humane — a horror tale with a beating heart. “The thinking person’s exorcism movie” is what most fans had began calling it, and for good reason — the integration of theology + psychology inspired many.
When Fiction Became Reflection
The most impressive thing about Prey for the Devil is the manner in which it expanded beyond the genre. It is not simply about demons and possession. It became a metaphor for a society grappling with the issues of control, fear, and a woman’s empowerment.
From college cafeteria conversations to social media comment threads, discussions for weeks post release about trauma, religion, and gender spilled into the broader public. The fashion world borrowed its simplicity, the meme world borrowed its dialogue, and the political world borrowed its message.
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