Shaman [Movie Review]

Shaman [Movie Review] | A quiet weekend, a curious mind, and a trailer that hooked me. 

I just had to find out—was it worth the watch, or just another letdown?

SYNOPSIS

Shaman (2025) Trivia

• Starring: Sara Canning, Daniel Gillies, Jett Klyne & Humberto Morales
• Director: Antonio Negret
• Producer: Antonio Negret, Daniel Negret, Luiza Ricupero & María de Los Ángeles Palacios
• Production Company: Night Tree, Epopeya Films & Macumba Films

• Distributed by: Well Go USA Entertainment 

• Release date: August 8, 2025
• Running time: 93 minutes
• Rating: R (for violent content/bloody images, some sexual content, and brief drug material)
• Country: Ecuador & United States
• Language: English, Quechua & Spanish
• IMDb: 4.3/ 10
• Tomatometer: 67%
• Metascore: NA
• Sara Canning and Daniel Gillies both starred in The Vampire Diaries. 
• Filmed in Chimborazo, Ecuador, the world’s highest point, with indigenous actors and Quechua dialogue adding cultural depth.
• Producer Daniel Negret (Talk to Me, 2023) makes his writing debut with Shaman.

In the heart of the jungle, far removed from modern comforts, Candice and Joel arrive at an Embera village with nothing but their faith and their son, Elliot. Their mission is to spread the light of Christianity. But instead of salvation, they unleash something darker, Supay, the God of Death.

It begins innocently enough. While Candice and Joel dedicate their lives to the villagers, leaving Elliot feeling neglected. Seeking acceptance, he defies warnings about a forbidden cave. Inside, he loses not just his grandfather’s watch but something far greater which is his innocence.Soon, his eyes reflect something sinister, and the villagers whisper of possession.

Candice’s motherly instinct refuses to rest. She clings to prayer, Joel to scripture. But their faith is tested when exorcisms fail, pastors fall, and even the church itself is reduced to ashes. Every prayer seems powerless. Every plea unanswered. Supay is relentless, feeding on doubt, punishing those who dare impose a foreign God.

As Elliot slips deeper into Supay’s grasp, the couple’s unity fractures. Candice, once steadfast, begins to unravel. Fear poisons her thoughts, turning Joel into an enemy and the shaman into a reluctant ally. But even pagan rituals cannot break Supay’s hold as his hunger is too vast and his vengeance too deep. When the shaman sacrifices his life to stop the possession, Supay simply reclaims Elliot, proving that death itself is no barrier to a god.

Candice’s breaking point comes when her son threatens her life. Driven by desperation, she does the unthinkable: lures another child into Supay’s path, offering an innocent soul in exchange for Elliot’s freedom. The act shatters not only her faith but her very identity. She abandons her crucifix, the final symbol of a belief that once defined her.

Trapped between an ancient god of death and a faith they hardly understand, who will they turn to for salvation?

MY REVIEW

What I Like:  

• The location is beautiful - wish I could go visit. But looks too cold too. 
• Learning about new faith and culture. 
• It is gory. And please do not watch with minors. 
• I thought The Substance was gory - this one is even more than that!

What I Don't Like:

• Not much jumpscare - and no new idea here too.
• Wish they could portray more about the indigenous faith here. 

Will I Watch It Again: Not in my go to list. 

Overall: 4.0/ 5.0

The pictures are taken from multiple sources on the Internet. Thank you.

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