Independent filmmaker Shravan Tiwari is set to take audiences into a gripping world where supernatural horror meets crime investigation with Holy Father, the latest feature from SRHP Films. Starring Academy Award-nominated actor Eric Roberts, the film offers a fresh perspective on the exorcism genre by combining psychological suspense, criminal investigation and unsettling supernatural mystery.
Produced by Sandip Patel and Rita Patel, Holy Father follows Father Isaac Wales, portrayed by Eric Roberts, a seasoned Catholic exorcist who is called to investigate a disturbing case involving possession, unexplained events and a series of violent crimes that threaten an entire community.
As faith collides with forensic investigation, the story unfolds into a suspenseful search for answers where both the spiritual and physical worlds become increasingly intertwined.
For Tiwari, the film began with a deceptively simple but powerful idea.
“Holy Father started with a simple, uncomfortable question: what happens when a man whose entire authority comes from the ritual finds that the ritual doesn’t work?” he explains. Rather than presenting evil as something that can be defeated through familiar religious tradition, the film challenges both its characters and its audience to confront a mystery where the official answers may no longer be enough.
This philosophy shapes the film’s unique balance between psychological thriller and supernatural horror. Instead of relying solely on conventional scares, Tiwari designed the narrative as an investigation first and a horror film second.
“The exorcism drives the fear; a murder and an abduction drive the plot,” he says. “The audience is always doing two things at once — bracing for the next scare and assembling a case.” The result is a story where every revelation deepens the tension, allowing fear to grow naturally through understanding rather than spectacle.
The collaboration with Hollywood veteran Eric Roberts proved equally significant. With a career spanning more than 700 films, Roberts brought a level of subtlety that influenced the director’s entire approach to filming.
“He’ll strip a line down to almost nothing and it lands harder than the version I wrote,” Tiwari reflects. “He never signals. That restraint changed how I shot him. I moved to longer takes and let the camera sit on him. He gave the film a centre of gravity that a smaller name couldn’t have, and honestly, a credibility that opens doors for an independent production like ours.”
Like many ambitious independent productions, Holy Father faced its share of challenges. Although the story is set in Savannah, Georgia, the production recreated much of its atmosphere by filming throughout Augusta and Lincolnton. Careful location scouting and disciplined visual storytelling allowed the filmmakers to preserve the scale and mood of the screenplay while working within an independent budget.
Despite those challenges, the film has already begun attracting international recognition. Holy Father has earned Best Director at the Los Angeles Movie and Music Awards, Best Director and Best Actor for Eric Roberts at the Alternative Film Festival Toronto, as well as Best Film at Filmmaker Sessions Volume 7. The screenplay has also received a nomination for Best Screenplay at the Anatolia International Film Festival, demonstrating the project’s growing appeal with festival juries across multiple countries.
For Tiwari, however, the greatest reward lies beyond trophies.
“My real hope is distribution,” he says. “For an independent horror film, the first battle is simply being seen, and these results are ammunition for that conversation.”
Holy Father also expands the world first introduced in Holy Ghost as the second chapter of the planned Holy Trilogy. While each film tells its own complete story, they are united by recurring themes exploring small American towns, disappearances and the consequences that emerge when trusted institutions fail. The trilogy will conclude with Holy Son, bringing Tiwari’s evolving exploration of faith, morality and the unknown to its final chapter.
Blending supernatural horror, detective mystery and thoughtful psychological storytelling, Holy Father positions itself as more than a traditional possession film. Instead, it offers audiences a suspenseful and intelligent cinematic experience where every revelation raises new questions, and where the greatest mysteries may ultimately be human rather than supernatural.
Main image [L-R] Sandip Patel, Eric Roberts, Shravan Tiwari
