Netflix’s The Old Ways, created by Christopher Alender, is a 2020 American horror movie about Cristina Lopez, who is possessed by a demon known as ‘POSTEHKI.’
The Old Ways explores remote Mexican territories in pursuit of a witches legend. The Old Ways is mostly a one-location film that largely focuses on odd traditional symbolism, rites, and demonic terror.
It follows a Mexican journalist who returns to her homeland of Veracruz in quest of a story on the local culture. Cristina Lopez goes against her will and enters prohibited area, where she is possessed by demon called POSTEHKI. She was taken by a local tribal tribe who convinced her that she was possessed by a demon before she could comprehend anything.
The Old Ways: Full Movie Explained
********** Warning! This Part Contains Spoiler **********
It all starts with Cristina witnessing her mother endure an exorcism when she was a youngster almost twenty years ago. Cristina is beckoned to her mother’s bedside by the devil who has taken possession of her, lunging at her and scratching Cristina’s arm.
Cristina is shown in the beginning of the video tied to her bed in a remote hut in Veracruz, Mexico, with a sack over her head. Javi, a guy, places lighting in the little room and ignores her questions, but he takes her sack and asks why she was at La Boca.
Luz, a burja, examines Cristina’s eyes and says, “She has it.” Then Javi forced Cristina to drink goat milk in order to purify her spirit. After that Cristina’s cousin Miranda steps in and claims she saw her at La Boca and brought her to Luz and Javi for help. Luz and Javi feel she is actually possessed after completing multiple rituals.
Cristina continues to persuade Javi that she is a Los Angeles reporter who traveled to her hometown to investigate the neighboring La Boca ruins for an article on native culture. After persuading Javi to return her backpack pack, she manages to contact her editor Carson for assistance, but Javi snatches her phone away.
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Cristina is drug addicted and injects herself on a regular basis to prove that she is not possessed by demons. Luz and Javi undertake a ritual to exorcise the demon the next morning. Cristina acknowledges that she is possessed when more terrifying events occur, such as snakes entering her room as she is bound to the floor.
In her cell, she sees a bizarrely mutilated rooster, and lights progressively burn out, descending to a dark corner. Again, during a ritual, Luz seems to extract animal fangs from her stomach, and she unsuccessfully attempts to collect the snake, which escapes deeper into her body.
Cristina chokes Javi senseless one night and tries to flee, but she is prevented by an unknown power. She begins to believing in the demon Postehki after vomit hair and black liquid. Postehki is regarded as “the death god of broken things,” and he has taken up home in her since she is perpetually miserable as a result of her foster care background and drug addiction.
To finish his “consuming” of her, the devil has called her to her hometown. While Luz, Javi, and Andrea prepare for a further exorcism session, Cristina inquiries about a mysterious boy she periodically sees. They all claim to be unaware of any guys in the neighborhood.
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The Old Ways: Ending Explained
Miranda’s book teaches Cristina about the “broken guy ritual.” During the ritual, Luz takes down Cristina by nailing a rope triangle to the ground, which also “nails” Cristina to the floor. Luz finds Postehki and seizes its heart, putting her life on the line to eject it and save Cristina. Cristina, on the other hand, scratched Miranda at a previous meeting, creating a doorway for the demon, similar to what her mother did to her 20 years ago.
Cristina realizes that it still desires to use her as a vessel and has shifted to Miranda, therefore she must exorcise it as the new witch. Cristina used the tomes to repeat the ritual after Javi left town because he couldn’t deal with Luz’s death.
Cristina has completely immersed herself in the old customs, painted her face and assumed the persona of Luz. On the other hand, she is anxious about Miranda becoming enslaved since she is aware that the demon is after her.
She teases it as a consequence, expressing no fear and stating, “You need me to hurt her.” Cristina rips Postehki’s heart out as the shadow form takes shape. Miranda wields the sacred dagger and stabs Postheki in the heart, thereby killing him. Over the next few weeks, Cristina rebuilds the shanty and makes Luz’s house her home. She embraces the part of the new bruja in the final scene.
Carson, Cristina’s supervisor, traveled to Veracruz in search of her. He was kidnapped by a native tribe, who believed him of being possessed by demons. Cristina notices the strange creature moving in his iris with her one eye while in her bruja avatar.
Carson is infested with a demonic parasite, which she is aware of. Cristina began the classic procedures of exorcism in accordance with tradition. “We’re not good at this,” she says to Carson, “but we’re going to become better.”
The Old Ways is now streaming on Netflix. Don’t miss this epic horror movie.