Screen Gems and Sony Pictures recently released The Pope’s Exorcist to theaters. It’s doing decent in terms of ticket sales, but I think more money would be on the table if they marked it as “based on true events.” Movie-goers, including myself, are suckers for a good narrative that was spawned from real life horror. I didn’t know until creating this review that The Pope’s Exorcist is based on a series of books published by Father Gabriele Amorth, who founded the International Association of Exorcists and claims to have performed thousands of exorcists. In the new movie, he is played by Oscar Winner and certified GILF Russell Crowe.
The Pope’s Exorcist follows a small family moving to a dilapidated church in Spain way back in 1984. Having suffered a devastating loss, the abbey is the only equitable possession left and they’re hoping to renovate and sell it to turn a profit. Construction inadvertently unleashes a demonic presence that was sealed beneath the abbey for centuries. Dwelling within a young boy, the family and the priests sent to exorcise the evil are tormented by the demon who uses their sins against them. Now, it’s a race against time to save the boy and stop the entity from spreading. The Pope’s Exorcist is now in theaters!
Russell Crowe, Daniel Zovatto, Peter DeSouza-Feighoney, Laurel Marsden and Alex Essoe star in a major motion picture from Overlord director Julius Avery. The books from Father Gabriele were adapted to screen by Michael Petroni and Evan Spiliotopoulos with producers Doug Belgrad, Michael Patrick Kaczmarek and Jeff Katz. It features cinematography by Khalid Mohtaseb and editing by Matt Evans. The Pope’s Exorcist is a traditional Hollywood production, which means it’s polished, cohesive, realistic and void of behind-the-scenes error. My only gripe is a glaring plot hole in the script about a room that contains flammable toxins that doesn’t combust when the room is ablaze during the final fight.
Is the movie scary? No. If you’ve seen flicks like The Conjuring, The Last Exorcism or The Vatican Tapes, then you can already guess how the majority of this title is going to play out. It’s entertaining, but far from frightening. I did enjoy that this particular adventure was brought to life because it has many more layers than most exorcism stories. It’s an onion, with more mysteries and plot twists revealed after every new layer is revealed. Father Gabriele plays off like the Buffy the Vampire Slayer of exorcists… or maybe more like Giles? The film sets up ideas for further sequels without trying to be the next big thing in horror, and I truly appreciate the subdued confidence. I give credit for fully understanding the product that was delivered.
Would I buy The Pope’s Exorcist on home media? No. Did I enjoy my viewing in theaters? Yes. A fun footnote in possession flick history, this title teaches us that our faith is often misplaced.
Final Score: 6.5 out of 10.
