Hundreds of exorcism movies are kicking around cinemas and in cyberspace, so what’s one more? Turn off the blasé tone of voice and think of this: some of these the-power-of-[deity’s name]-commands-you flicks are based on true stories about men of the cloth grappling with demons and evil spirits.
The latest offering in this genre is The Pope’s Exorcist that tells the story of Father Gabriele Amorth, who was the chief exorcist at the Vatican for over 30 years.
Directed by Julius Avery, the film follows Father Amorth (Russell Crowe) as he performs an exorcism on a child.
The movie opens (as usual) with Amorth’s dispatch to a small village in Italy to help a possessed individual, whose unwelcome resident demon is cast out and ends up in a pig, which Amorth shoots, landing him in trouble with church officials because some of them do not believe in exorcism.
The beginning falls flat. No blood-and-guts horror or stuffed birds in reception, but it gets you into the story directly.
The Pope sends Amorth to the possessed Henry (Peter DeSouza-Feighoney) in Spain and the film settles down to business.
Henry, his mother Julia (Alex Essoe) and his sister Amy (Laurel Marsden) came from the US to Spain to sell a house which Henry’s father had left for them before he died in an accident.
Amorth tries to help Henry, but the demon can play mind-tricks and get into the person through his concealed sins.Amorth has to dig deeper in the story of the house. He uncovers a centuries-old conspiracy which the Vatican has desperately tried to keep hidden.
The story is somewhat ho-hum and keeps you hanging on to learn more, but unfortunately, no satisfactory answers are forthcoming. Does this mean that the truth will come out in — gasp! — a sequel?
The ‘jump scares’ were few and not very scary. This film was like a pale imitation of such classics as The Exorcist (1973), directed by William Friedkin, or MikaelHåfström’sThe Rite (2011), which is based on a real-life priest Gary Thomas, who went to Rome to study exorcism.
In The Rite, Thomas becomes Michael Kovak (Colin O’Donoghue), a skeptical seminary student who is sent to Rome to attend a course on exorcism.
He meets Father Lucas Trevant (Anthony Hopkins), an experienced exorcist who challenges Michael’s beliefs and forces him to confront his own demons. Both plots are predictable, as is the acting, which deserves a thumbs-up.
In The Pope’s Exorcist, Russell Crowe gives an outstanding performance due to his ability to portray complex characters. Amorth is a cynic with a good sense of humor.
Acting ‘possessed’ is a challenge for young actors like British-born Peter De Souza-Feighoney, who was comparable to Linda Blair in The Exorcist.
Although The Pope’s Exorcist is not one of the best horror movies, but it will surely appeal to audiences seasoned with scenes with deep voices, gibberish and super-human strength, plus the occasional ‘C’nya held an ole alter boy, fadder?’ and ‘Dimi! Dimi!’ touches.
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