Culture
10 Jan 17

New Hair-Raising Irish Documentary Asks, "Does The Devil Exist?"

Hostage to the Devil is a new Irish documentary about a possessed child and an exorcist locked in combat with an ancient evil. This feature length doc – from Belfast based Causeway Pictures, which will launch on Netflix this Sunday, 15 January 2017 – tells the true story of Kerryman Father Malachi Martin and asks, in the battle for saving a soul, just who really is ‘Hostage to the Devil?’

Abbadon. Lucifer. Beelzebub. Satan. Old Nick. Antichrist. Mammon. Old Scratch. Evil One. The Devil. He is known by many names across the world and across the centuries. You may have your own name for him. You may imagine his form, his shape, his voice, his presence. You may have seen his portrait in artwork, in paintings, in film. You’ve doubtless heard stories of his power. You may have seen his shadow in dark news reports. You may tell yourself he is a cautionary tale, a childish fable; that you have nothing to fear.
“The central question this film sets out to interrogate is one that has occupied minds for centuries – does the Devil exist?” says writer/producer Rachel Lysaght.
Using real footage from exorcisms, first-hand interviews, dramatic reconstruction, archival evidence and Martin’s own words, the film follows Father Martin’s incredible crusade from the 1970s through to his death in 1999.
“The film examines this question through the life of one man, Malachi Martin; an Irish priest – a Kerryman - who dedicated his life to battling this ancient evil. But was he a warrior for Christ, or a charismatic charleton?” continues Lysaght.

Hostage to the Devil - Trailer 1 - (2016) from Causeway Pictures on Vimeo.

“I’m delighted that ‘Hostage To The Devil’ will be released worldwide on Netflix,” says the film’s director, Marty Stalker. “As a filmmaker, it’s a dream come true to present my work to such a large-scale audience, and Netflix provides an incredible platform.”
Stalker continues: “The fascinating Malachi Martin was and still is an enigma and I have no doubt we’ll be seeing and hearing a lot more about him and his life in the years to come.”
'Hostage to the Devil' is a Causeway Pictures production in association with Underground Films. It was funded by Northern Ireland Screen and Bord Scannán na hÉireann / The Irish Film Board.