Pope’s Exorcist Review: Russell Crowe Horror Movie Rules, Make Sequels

There are few things better than a well-crafted horror film that knows exactly how silly it should be and why The Pope’s Exorcist absolutely rules. Yes, the film, in which Russell Crowe plays an Italian exorcist who reports directly to the Pope personally, is a smash. A goofy movie that’s actually good (as opposed to Ironically Fun) is awfully hard to find, so when Crowe’s character saves the day and then is told there are 199 other exorcisms he needs to perform to make the world shut save, I’m absolutely thrilled. We should all pray that every property gets its own film.

At this point, a taste of sequels and a broader universe of world-threatening demons reeks of franchising and great intellectual property. But for The Pope’s Exorcist It feels more like the light world building of the John Wick franchise, constantly pushing its limits and letting you know there’s more out there than our hero has encountered this time. And in the case of Crowe’s father, Gabriele Amorth, the things he’ll encounter happen to be minions of Satan and denizens of Hell sent to fight against God and make the world a slightly more evil place.

Father Amorth is the Catholic Church’s chief exorcist, handling its most complicated cases. The film goes out of its way to ensure that Father Amorth is a rational and cautious man, who mostly recommends psychological care to the alleged possessed victims he visits, rather than actually performing an exorcism or dealing with real demons.

It’s a big surprise when Amorth is confronted with the most powerful demon he has ever seen in a run-down former abbey in Europe. Amorth’s shock and the importance of the exorcism only grows when he stumbles upon a massive satanic conspiracy that has been hidden for hundreds of years and could threaten the entire world – an objectively stunning storyline that would make any film better. Each of the film’s revelations feels like a natural – and appropriately goofy – next stop for the story or a bit of color for the world that the film doesn’t explain.

Photo Credit: Jonathan Hession/Sony Pictures

But the clever world building only works because director Julius Avery is dizzy to indulge in silliness. The exorcism genre has become stale in recent years — take the last Conjuring film, for example — but The Pope’s Exorcist playfully pulls off plot threads The Exorcist, the all-timer, and its sequels. This includes a few nice nods to the underrated Dominion: Exorcist Prequel, in the idea of ​​Father Amorth being supremely confident in his faith, rather than the trope of a man of cloth questioning God that other series make frequent use of. Both in front of his Vatican colleagues questioning a failed exorcism and in front of the literal King of Hell, Father Amorth is absolutely convinced that God will see him through, whether by believing his convictions or by knowing exactly the right prayer for any demon fighting situation.

The big surprise is that The Pope’s Exorcist is extremely well done, with constantly creative shots and setups from Avery, who has previously turned B-movie footage into something extraordinarily fun. (See: 2018 overlord.) The scary scenes are exciting and imaginative, while Crowe brings his Italian accent to full-bodied prosciutto. And when the Demons really do arrive, they look great and sound great – the latter thanks to the reliable, raspy voice of The Green Knightis Ralph Ineson.

The Pope’s Exorcist doesn’t quite match the bone-deep terror or cinematic heights of the original exorcist, but what sets it apart is that the entire film is built on the understanding that its entire premise is a little silly — and it’s never afraid to draw on that fact, like when Amorth reminds a jury of Vatican colleagues that she If they have a problem with him, they can discuss it with his boss (the Pope). It’s well done and takes its scary moments seriously, but approaches each scene as an opportunity to keep the audience amused through either scares or jokes. It fits perfectly with the knowing, self-directed horror of movies like M3GAN And barbarian, which is a welcome change from the ramshackle and stuffy exorcism genre. So bring on the demons; Father Amorth has 199 more exorcisms to perform and I think a sequel to each one is just what we deserve.

The Pope’s Exorcist is in theaters now and is set to become the #1 movie on Netflix in a few months.