JP Nunez
One of the most intriguing horror movies coming out this year is The Pope’s Exorcist. It’s based on the real-life case files of Fr. Gabriele Amorth, a prolific Catholic exorcist who worked in Rome for several decades before his death in 2016. He wrote a number of books during his life, and he was the subject of William Friedkin’s 2017 documentary The Devil and Father Amorth. But as far as I’m aware, this is the first narrative feature that’s ever made about him. As a Catholic myself, I’ve been looking forward to The Pope’s Exorcist ever since it was announced, and now, Sony has finally given us a trailer for the film. Here’s what it’s going to be about:
Inspired by the actual files of Father Gabriele Amorth, Chief Exorcist of the Vatican (Academy Award®-winner Russell Crowe), The Pope’s Exorcist follows Amorth as he investigates a young boy’s terrifying possession and ends up uncovering a centuries-old conspiracy the Vatican has desperately tried to keep hidden.
I have to be honest, after watching this trailer, I’m of two minds about The Pope’s Exorcist. On the one hand, the trailer looks really cool. It has some beautiful cinematography, Russel Crowe is just as good in the lead role as we’d expect, and the horrific visuals are pretty damn creepy. So on a purely cinematic level, I’m as excited as ever for this movie.
But on the other hand, I’m a bit worried about the story. It apparently centers around some sort of Vatican conspiracy, so it looks like it’s going to be a “priest vs. the Church hierarchy” sort of tale. And in a film about Gabriele Amorth, I don’t know if that would really work. Fr. Amorth remained a faithful Catholic his entire life, so that type of story would be completely opposed to everything he stood for.
To be fair, I don’t actually know if that’s how this film is going to play out. That’s just the impression the trailer and the plot synopsis give me, but I could also see it being a bit of an intentional misdirection to sell more tickets. Either way, I’m still really intrigued by The Pope’s Exorcist, even if the trailer makes me a bit apprehensive about it, so you can bet I’ll be there opening night to see it.
The Pope’s Exorcist hits theaters on April 14.
