51% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 83 reviews)
Runtime: 103 minutes
Directed by: Julius Avery
Starring: Russell Crowe, Daniel Zovatto, Alex Essoe, Peter DeSouza-Feighoney, Laurel Marsden, Franco Nero
From: Screen Gems
Not only was this movie a hoot, it was a hoot and a half.
By the time this film was experienced yesterday on the big screen, I already knew from hearsay without diving too deep into reviews that this was a silly movie you shouldn’t take too seriously, despite it being based on an actual person who claimed to perform an incredible amount of exorcisms… the definition of which could be rather loose. Father Gabriele Amorth wrote several books but presumably the story presented here was solely the invention of the screenwriters. After all, The Pope is a character and is played by Franco Nero, but is never called John Paul II and definitely doesn’t look like John Paul II so I can only surmise that the film takes place in some sort of multiverse. At least in that universe there is also 80’s New Wave and punk, which is heard more often than expected.
You see, 1987 is the film’s setting & Russell Crowe goes to Spain for what proves to be one HELL of an exorcism. Even with the help of a local priest, he has to deal with a case that is also part of a conspiracy with huge implications. That’s as complicated as it gets, really. The scares are exactly as you’d expect; it’s totally unfair to compare this to The Exorcist… even though this lifts moments wholesale from that all-time classic*. The Pope’s Exorcist will never be considered a classic; furthermore, I feel you need to go into this not expecting this to be a stone-cold serious examination of demonic possession.
Rather, going into this with the knowledge that this is a OOT spook ride with hints of camp (even if that may not have been the intention when filming began) might put you in the right mood—at least it did for me. It is not campy winking at you, but the priest (what an awesome role that Crowe just devoured) cracks just a few jokes and that character is a delight: when there are A-hole superiors he has no tolerance for. Thankfully he is serious when it comes to serving The Lord and only answers to The Pope and those who are good people.
The frightening scenes aren’t done badly, the cast is capable, the possessed boy is at least pretty creepy, and I was always entertained even when the plot became increasingly outrageous. Thankfully this was not pretentious or haughty, which is a problem for me personally when it comes to horror in recent years. I’d MUCH rather watch this than a 3 hour long “surrealist black tragicomedy horror film”, as unpopular as that will be for most on Letterboxd. There was a blatant tease of a sequel-which was just announced as being in early development. I am down for that if are as much fun as this was.
* Only after I arrived home and saw a mutual review the 2017 “documentary” The Devil & Father Amorth did I even remember that William Friedkin presented purported legit footage of an actual exorcism done by Amorth. The negative reviews and the statements from many that the film is as phony as those “reality” “ghost hunting” shows that pollute too many cable channels. That’s disappointing for a director responsible for more than one legendary motion picture.
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