Joe Ahearne came to my attention with his 1998 vampire series Ultraviolet. It was a surprisingly imaginative and clever piece of fantasy television that sadly never returned for a second run. A fan of sci-fi/horror (he directed numerous Doctor Who episodes in its comeback year), Ahearne has now created Apparitions; a supernatural chiller starring Martin Shaw as Father Jacob, an investigator at the Congregation for Causes of Saints, and part-time exorcist…Now, if you're experiencing déjà vu, that's because you're half-remembering Andrew Marshall's 2003 flop Strange, which starred Richard Coyle as a former priest who battles demons. Ahearne directed three episodes of that short-lived drama, and clearly liked the idea so much that he's now appropriated it with the help of exec-producer Nick Collins. Admittedly, the idea of a man of the cloth battling evil forces is nothing new, so we'll let it slide…
Originally intended as a two-part special (before the BBC suggested a full six-part series), Apparitions finds Father Jacob in the process of trying to get Mother Theresa canonized 11 years after her death in 1997. His skills as an exorcist are later requested by a little girl called Donna (Romy Irving), who insists that her dad Liam (Shaun Dooley) is possessed by a demon, after hearing him talking to himself in his bedroom. Hmmm.
It's not the most damning of evidence, is it? And even after Jacob witnesses Liam swearing in front of his daughter, and uncovers evidence of the man's passionate agnosticism (Jerry Springer: The Opera on CD, Richard Dawkins' books), it's still not the blasphemous freak-show you associate as signs of demonic possession.
Indeed, if you're expecting a TV version of The Exorcist, you may well be disappointed. Apparitions is more interested in the disconnect between religion and modern secularism. How do you exorcise an adult disbeliever, who rubbishes your faith as mumbo-jumbo? How can Jacob protect Donna from her own father, if society won't accept demonic possession as the cause of Liam's problem? The answer proves to be a combination of mind-games with the possessed, and manipulation of the facts to encompass mental health concerns and child abuse issues.
Having done his homework, Ahearne's script sounds credible whenever it throws up the inevitable Bible quotes or comments on the history of the exorcism ritual. Shaw makes for a commanding presence with his clipped, snow-white beard and inherent gravitas. He looks the part, he sounds the part, and you can believe in him as a committed, altruistic dog-collared hero. Perhaps influenced by Max Von Sydow's iconic portrayal in The Exorcist, it's his unwavering calm and purity of faith that draws you in.
The supporting cast all seem good, too. There's Jacob's loyal assistant Sister Anne (Michelle Joseph), there to speak common sense; his boss Cardinal Bukovak (John Shrapnel), who doesn't believe in exorcism; old friend Monsignor Vincenzo (Luigi Diberti), who wants Jacob to supersede him as Rome's chief exorcist; and Vimal (Elyes Gabel) a young seminarian who was cured of leprosy as a child -- a miracle Jacob's been trying to have attributed to Mother Theresa, to earn her sainthood.
Vimal shoulders the big subplot of this story, as it becomes clear he's in contact with demons himself -- seeing them in the form of a possessed homeless man called Michael (Rick Warden), who claims Vimal's leprosy was cured by demons, not God. It's an interesting plot, as Vimal finds himself haunted by demons who want him to embrace the "new flesh" they've provided him with, and accept his homosexuality at the expense of his religious career.
The pervasive atmosphere is a mix of '90s drama and '70s chiller, with a flash of Kubrickian oddity in a steam room assault with Hellraiser-esque gore. The idea of people being possessed by demons mostly avoids the bodily contortions you associate with the affliction, and instead borrows from Russell T. Davies' The Second Coming -- where an actor's performance and a subtle effect (bleeding eyes and flickering lights, say) are the only tricks used to chill the blood. No rotating heads, sorry.
Shaun Dooley does a great job as Liam the possessed dad, bringing a mix of sympathy and erratic terror to the role. His aborted exorcism in a kitchen is a notable highlight -- with doubter Liam shifting in his seat as Jacob begins his blessing, before losing his cool, throwing a table to one side, and bellowing at Jacob in subtitled Albanian. Yes, Albanian. Funny how Albanian and Latin, the two prominent languages spoken by demons in this episode, can raise the hairs on the back of your neck. You just don't get that with Swedish.
On the downside, Apparitions isn't always smooth and efficient at spinning its yarn. There's a certain roughness to the plot, a few dumb moments, some poor dialogue, and a 15-minute trim would have been beneficial. But it gets the job done, establishes the premise and main characters well, and contains enough spooky moments to keep you gripped. I was also pleased to see some unsettling and grisly visuals creep into the episode by the end (together with an unexpected death.) It may just be just the latest tweak on an unoriginal idea, but if Apparitions can continue to balance realism and the supernatural to this standard, it should make for an effective, compelling series of weekly chillers. Hopefully it won't become exorcism-of-the-week with Martin Shaw.
13 November 2008
BBC1, 9pm
Cast: Martin Shaw (Father Jacob), John Shrapnel (Cardinal Bukovak), Luigi Diberti (Monsignor Vincenzo), Elyes Gabel (Vimal), Rick Warden (Michael/Astaruth), Michelle Joseph (Sister Anne), Shaun Dooley (Liam), Romy Irving (Donna), Sarah-Jayne Steed (Sarah), Adam Zane (Police Officer), Shyam Chudasama (Young Vimal), Guido Adorni (Priest) & Sam Mancuso (Archbishop)
