(Left) Laurence Fishburne in ‘Cellar Door’. Photo: Lionsgate. (Right) Chiwetel Ejiofor as Roger in ‘Eleanor the Great’ Image: Anne Joyce. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.
Preview:
Laurence Fishburne and Chiwetel Ejiofor are part of the next ‘Exorcist’ movie.
Mike Flanagan is writing and directing the film.
Scarlett Johansson and Diane Lane are already in the cast.
As he prepares to make his take on a movie that exists within the world of ‘The Exorcist,’ writer/director Mike Flanagan is recruiting two additional cast members –– one new to him, and one he’s worked with before.
The new movie won’t be a continuation of David Gordon Green’s ‘The Exorcist: Believer’ as plans for a trilogy flamed out following the disappointing box office returns for that.
Instead, Flanagan has written his own script, and has the backing of Universal and Blumhouse.
Katherine (Olivia O’Neill) in ‘The Exorcist: Believer,’ directed by David Gordon Green.
Flanagan is keeping his plans quiet for now –– no details have emerged, beyond the basic idea of demonic possession –– and we don’t know how the actors will factor in. We do know, however, that cameras will be rolling in New York this year.
When will the new ‘Exorcist’ movie be on screens?
Universal has scheduled the new movie for release on Friday, March 12, 2027.
(L to R) Cody Flanagan and director Mike Flanagan on the set of ‘The Life of Chuck’. Photo: Neon.
(Left) Diane Lane as Slim Keith in ‘Feud: Capote vs. The Swans.’ Photo: FX. (Right) Linda Blair in 1973’s ‘The Exorcist’. Photo: Warner Bros.
Preview:
Diane Lane is joining the next ‘Exorcist’ movie.
Mike Flanagan is writing and directing the film.
It’ll be an all-new approach.
After a brief detour into the more metaphysical side of filmmaking with ‘The Life of Chuck’ modern horror maestro Mike Flanagan is diving back into the terror genre via a new take on ‘The Exorcist.’
The new movie won’t be a continuation of David Gordon Green’s 2023 effort ‘The Exorcist: Believer’ as plans for a trilogy flamed out following the disappointing box office returns for that.
Instead, Flanagan has written his own script, and has the backing of Universal alongside genre stalwart production companies Blumhouse and Atomic Monster.
(L to R) Cody Flanagan and director Mike Flanagan on the set of ‘The Life of Chuck’. Photo: Neon.
Flanagan is keeping his plans quiet for now –– no details have emerged, beyond the basic idea of demonic possession –– and we don’t know how Johansson, Jupe and now Lane will factor in.
When will the new ‘Exorcist’ movie be on screens?
Universal has scheduled the new movie for release on Friday, March 12, 2027.
Sam Neill in ‘Event Horizon’. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
In 2047, a group of astronauts are sent to investigate and salvage the starship ‘Event Horizon’ which disappeared mysteriously 7 years before on its maiden voyage. With its return, the crew of the ‘Lewis and Clark’ discovers the real truth behind the disappearance of the ‘Event Horizon’ – and something even more terrifying.
A family discovers that dark spirits have invaded their home after their son (Ty Simpkins) inexplicably falls into an endless sleep. When they reach out to a professional for help, they learn things are a lot more personal than they thought.
One night per year, the government sanctions a 12-hour period in which citizens can commit any crime they wish — including murder — without fear of punishment or imprisonment. Leo (Frank Grillo), a sergeant who lost his son, plans a vigilante mission of revenge during the mayhem. However, instead of a death-dealing avenger, he becomes the unexpected protector of four innocent strangers who desperately need his help if they are to survive the night.
Five years after surviving Art the Clown’s (David Howard Thorton) Halloween massacre, Sienna (Lauren LaVera) and Jonathan (Elliott Fullam) are still struggling to rebuild their shattered lives. As the holiday season approaches, they try to embrace the Christmas spirit and leave the horrors of the past behind. But just when they think they’re safe, Art returns, determined to turn their holiday cheer into a new nightmare. The festive season quickly unravels as Art unleashes his twisted brand of terror, proving that no holiday is safe.
Set in 1982 in the suburb of Blackeberg, Stockholm, twelve-year-old Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) is a lonely outsider, bullied at school by his classmates; at home, Oskar dreams of revenge against a trio of bullies. He befriends his twelve-year-old, next-door neighbor Eli (Lina Leandersson), who only appears at night in the snow-covered playground outside their building.
Cillian Murphy in 2002’s ’28 Days Later.’ Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Twenty-eight days after a killer virus was accidentally unleashed from a British research facility, a small group of London survivors are caught in a desperate struggle to protect themselves from the infected. Carried by animals and humans, the virus turns those it infects into homicidal maniacs — and it’s absolutely impossible to contain.
Obsessed with teaching his victims the value of life, a deranged, sadistic serial killer abducts the morally wayward. Once captured, they must face impossible choices in a horrific game of survival. The victims must fight to win their lives back, or die trying…
Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) is a journalist investigating a videotape that may have killed four teenagers. There is an urban legend about this tape: the viewer will die seven days after watching it. Rachel tracks down the video… and watches it. Now she has just seven days to unravel the mystery of the Ring so she can save herself and her son.
In October of 1994 three student filmmakers disappeared in the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland, while shooting a documentary. A year later their footage was found.
When twin brothers (Theo James) find a mysterious wind-up monkey, a series of outrageous deaths tear their family apart. Twenty-five years later, the monkey begins a new killing spree forcing the estranged brothers to confront the cursed toy.
Drew Barrymore in ‘Scream’. Photo: Dimension Films.
A killer known as Ghostface begins killing off teenagers, and as the body count begins rising, one girl (Neve Campbell) and her friends find themselves contemplating the ‘rules’ of horror films as they try to survive a real-life one.
Several friends travel to Sweden to study as anthropologists a summer festival that is held every ninety years in the remote hometown of one of them. What begins as a dream vacation in a place where the sun never sets, gradually turns into a dark nightmare as the mysterious inhabitants invite them to participate in their disturbing festive activities.
When carefree teenager Jay (Maika Monroe) sleeps with her older boyfriend for the first time, she learns that she is the latest recipient of a fatal curse that is passed from victim to victim via sexual intercourse. Death, Jay learns, will creep inexorably toward her as either a friend or a stranger. Jay’s friends don’t believe her seemingly paranoid ravings, until they too begin to see the phantom assassins and band together to help her defend herself.
After a tragic accident, six friends reunite for a caving expedition. Their adventure soon goes horribly wrong when a collapse traps them deep underground and they find themselves pursued by bloodthirsty creatures. As their friendships deteriorate, they find themselves in a desperate struggle to survive the creatures and each other.
Finney Blake (Mason Thames), a shy but clever 13-year-old boy, is abducted by a sadistic killer (Ethan Hawke) and trapped in a soundproof basement where screaming is of little use. When a disconnected phone on the wall begins to ring, Finney discovers that he can hear the voices of the killer’s previous victims. And they are dead set on making sure that what happened to them doesn’t happen to Finney.
A brilliant toy company roboticist (Allison Williams) uses artificial intelligence to develop M3GAN, a life-like doll programmed to emotionally bond with her newly orphaned niece (Violet McGraw). But when the doll’s programming works too well, she becomes overprotective of her new friend with terrifying results.
After returning from a wedding reception, a couple (Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman) staying in an isolated vacation house receive a knock on the door in the mid-hours of the night. What ensues is a violent invasion by three strangers, their faces hidden behind masks. The couple find themselves in a violent struggle, in which they go beyond what either of them thought capable in order to survive.
Paranormal investigators Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) work to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse. Forced to confront a powerful entity, the Warrens find themselves caught in the most terrifying case of their lives.
Steve Freeling (Craig T. Nelson) lives with his wife, Diane (JoBeth Williams), and their three children, Dana (Dominique Dunne), Robbie (Oliver Robins), and Carol Anne (Heather O’Rourke), in Southern California where he sells houses for the company that built the neighborhood. It starts with just a few odd occurrences, such as broken dishes and furniture moving around by itself. However, when he realizes that something truly evil haunts his home, Steve calls in a team of parapsychologists led by Dr. Lesh to help before it’s too late.
When Ellen, the matriarch of the Graham family, passes away, her daughter’s family begins to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry.
Two young missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse.
Immediately after their miscarriage, the US diplomat Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck) adopts the newborn Damien (Harvey Stephens) without the knowledge of his wife (Lee Remick). Yet what he doesn’t know is that their new son is the son of the devil.
When larcenous real estate clerk Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) goes on the lam with a wad of cash and hopes of starting a new life, she ends up at the notorious Bates Motel, where manager Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) cares for his housebound mother.
A young couple, Rosemary (Mia Farrow) and Guy (John Cassavetes), moves into an infamous New York apartment building, known by frightening legends and mysterious events, with the purpose of starting a family.
During its return to the earth, commercial spaceship Nostromo intercepts a distress signal from a distant planet. When a three-member team of the crew discovers a chamber containing thousands of eggs on the planet, a creature inside one of the eggs attacks an explorer. The entire crew is unaware of the impending nightmare set to descend upon them when the alien parasite planted inside its unfortunate host is birthed.
A fading celebrity (Demi Moore) decides to use a black market drug, a cell-replicating substance that temporarily creates a younger, better version of herself (Margaret Qualley).
Members of an American scientific research outpost in Antarctica find themselves battling a parasitic alien organism capable of perfectly imitating its victims. They soon discover that this task will be harder than they thought, as they don’t know which members of the team have already been assimilated and their paranoia threatens to tear them apart.
Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) accepts a caretaker job at the Overlook Hotel, where he, along with his wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and their son Danny (Danny Lloyd), must live isolated from the rest of the world for the winter. But they aren’t prepared for the madness that lurks within.
Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Hannibal Lecter in ‘The Silence of the Lambs’. Photo: Orion Pictures.
Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) is a top student at the FBI’s training academy. Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn) wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), a brilliant psychiatrist who is also a violent psychopath, serving life behind bars for various acts of murder and cannibalism. Crawford believes that Lecter may have insight into a case and that Starling, as an attractive young woman, may be just the bait to draw him out.
Teenagers in a small town are dropping like flies, apparently in the grip of mass hysteria causing their suicides. A cop’s daughter, Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp), traces the cause to child molester Fred Krueger (Robert Englund), who was burned alive by angry parents many years before. Krueger has now come back in the dreams of his killers’ children, claiming their lives as his revenge. Nancy and her boyfriend, Glen (Johnny Depp), must devise a plan to lure the monster out of the realm of nightmares and into the real world…
When Sally (Marilyn Burns) hears that her grandfather’s grave may have been vandalized, she and her paraplegic brother, Franklin (Paul A. Partain), set out with their friends to investigate. After a detour to their family’s old farmhouse, they discover a group of crazed, murderous outcasts living next door. As the group is attacked one by one by the chainsaw-wielding Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen), who wears a mask of human skin, the survivors must do everything they can to escape.
12-year-old Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair) begins to adapt an explicit new personality as strange events befall the local area of Georgetown. Her mother (Ellen Burstyn) becomes torn between science and superstition in a desperate bid to save her daughter, and ultimately turns to her last hope: Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller), a troubled priest who is struggling with his own faith.
A scene from 1978’s ‘Halloween’. Photo: Compass International Pictures.
Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween Night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois to kill again.
Director David Gordon Green on the set of ‘The Exorcist: Believer.’
Preview
Universal has sunk more than $400 million into buying the rights to ‘The Exorcist’.
‘The Exorcist: Believer’ performed solidly but didn’t set the box office alight in the same way as ‘Halloween’.
Director David Gordon Green may not necessarily return to direct the sequels, which are likely to see some creative tinkering on their way to screens.
Is the planned ‘Exorcist’ movie trilogy kicked off by last week’s ‘The Exorcist: Believer’ bedeviled? Universal might be starting to think it is.
While David Gordon Green’s first movie in what is imagined, like his ‘Halloween’ effort, as a three-movie franchise that follows up William Friedkin’s original 1973 horror classic did decent if uninspiring business at the box office (it has so far made $46 million worldwide, which covers its thrifty $30 million budget), it needs to perform better to recoup a much bigger figure.
What has happened with the new ‘Exorcist’ movies so far?
(from left) Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) and Victor Fielding (Leslie Odom, Jr.) in ‘The Exorcist: Believer,’ directed by David Gordon Green.
Universal has already put $400 million into acquiring the rights to the movie franchise alone, even before the money it spent directly on the first film. And that puts a heavier amount of pressure on the new trilogy to perform.
The Reporter’s story doesn’t have specifics, but it is looking like there could be some creative tinkering for ‘The Exorcist: Deceiver’ and the other, yet-to-be-revealed third movie spawned from Green’s first instalment.
A completed script is already in hand for ‘Deceiver’, though there could well be changes on that front.
And the studio has found ways to generate revenue from the title beyond any new films –– including fees for streaming the movie on Peacock and an ‘Exorcist’ attraction at Universal Studio’s Halloween Horror Nights.
Will David Gordon Green return for the other movies?
‘The Exorcist: Believer’ director David Gordon Green and producer Jason Blum.
While Green directed all three ‘Halloween’ movies and had previously said he’d be handling the new trilogy in the same fashion, recent statements from the director are making that look less likely.
“My intention is just to start making things, and as those plans come together, if I find myself in ‘The Exorcist: Deceiver’ director’s chair, I’d be thrilled. But right now, I’m navigating it from a story perspective and looking at my realities of life as I pivot.”
He’s also been showing signs that he’s ready to make other things besides horror movies. He does have creative outlets such as TV comedy ‘The Righteous Gemstones’, but on the big screen he was ready to step away from the horror genre until Blumhouse boss Jason Blum dangled the idea of the ‘Exorcist’ movies in front of him.
However it all works out (and whoever ends up making it), we are still likely to see ‘The Exorcist: Deceiver’ in 2025.
(L to R) Victor Fielding (Leslie Odom, Jr.) and Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) in ‘The Exorcist: Believer,’ directed by David Gordon Green.
Can it replicate the success (hit and miss as it was) of Green’s ‘Halloween’ trilogy? On the evidence of this, not really.
csKbLEnQJFS2S0EgrdlWO7
What’s the story of ‘The Exorcist: Believer’?
(from left) Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) and Victor Fielding (Leslie Odom, Jr.) in ‘The Exorcist: Believer,’ directed by David Gordon Green.
Since the death of his pregnant wife in a Haitian earthquake 13 years ago, Victor Fielding (Leslie Odom Jr.) has raised their daughter, Angela (Lidya Jewett) on his own.
But when Angela and her friend Katherine (Olivia Marcum), disappear in the woods, only to return three days later with no memory of what happened to them, it unleashes a chain of events that will force Victor to confront the nadir of evil and, in his terror and desperation, seek out the only person alive who has witnessed anything like it before: Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn).
Who else is in ‘The Exorcist: Believer’?
(L to R) Tony (Norbert Leo Butz), Katherine (Olivia O’Neill) and Miranda (Jennifer Nettles) in ‘The Exorcist: Believer,’ directed by David Gordon Green.
Director David Gordon Green on the set of ‘The Exorcist: Believer.’
Clearly deciding that because his first ‘Halloween’ movie was a hit with audiences and critics (and ignoring the response to the other two), David Gordon Green returns to the horror beat by planning a sequel-skipping follow-up to another legendary horror title.
Unlike John Carpenter’s franchise, which had at its core Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie Strode, something that Green hitched his own wagon to, this time he’s only really using Ellen Burstyn’s Chris MacNeil (the mother of Linda Blair’s possessed Regan in the 1970s original) as window dressing.
Instead, the focus here is on two new families –– Odom Jr’s Victor and the parents of Katherine. And opening up the concept for a linked possession does offer a few decent ideas.
What also works –– at least until it really doesn’t –– is exploring other cultures’ ideas of exorcism, widening the world of ritual and belief beyond the Catholic church.
(L to R) Victor Fielding (Leslie Odom, Jr., background) and Angela Fielding (Lidya Jewett) with additional cast members in ‘The Exorcist: Believer,’ directed by David Gordon Green.
Odom Jr. adds another decent role to his cinematic resume, even if he is saddled with a very seen-it-before single dad role, all comedy bonding and then concern.
Green has also stacked his cast with some great performers in both the lead and supporting roles, the two youngsters who end up vessels for demonic creatures working with the special effects team to convince you that they’re suffering at the hands of some terrible entity.
The likes of Ann Dowd (in particular) and Raphael Sbarge do good work with their parts even when the writing lets them down. They’re given moments to shine and some shading in between the scares, and they really put the work in to sell these side characters. Ditto Norbert Leo Butz as Katherine’s concerned dad.
Finally, Green has the courage of his convictions with regards to the outcome, but we’ll say no more about that.
What are the problems with ‘The Exorcist: Believer’?
(from left) Angela Fielding (Lidya Jewett) and Katherine (Olivia Marcum) in ‘The Exorcist: Believer,’ directed by David Gordon Green.
Possibly the biggest issue with the new movie is that, unlike William Friedkin’s, it exists in a world where we’ve had enough possession stories to fill at least one level of Hell. Even just earlier this year, we had Russell Crowe puttering around on a Vespa before doing battle with the forces of evil in ‘The Pope’s Exorcist’.
The existence of those other films is not a fault of this latest stab at ‘The Exorcist’ but the choice to make it –– and to attempt to follow what is still regarded as the best –– can entirely be laid at the feet of Green and his team.
So, this needed to be truly great to stand out. Unfortunately, it’s mostly middling. Despite the performances from most of the cast, it’s clear that Green and co. were mostly on a nostalgia trip, bringing back Burstyn for little more than a glorified cameo, reduced primarily to offering exposition.
This is also very much in the Blumhouse mold, the difference between this movie and Friedkin’s stark. Where the original is cold and calculated, this is all eager jump scares and frenetic pacing, images thrown at the screen in an attempt to keep us unnerved.
Yet the effect by the end is more enervating than unnerving, the bag of tricks becoming clear. Yes, it might seem unfair to compare this with one of the greatest horror movies of all time, but when you opt to shoot “a new chapter”, you already invited that.
Katherine (Olivia O’Neill) in ‘The Exorcist: Believer,’ directed by David Gordon Green.
What ‘The Exorcist’ does with a few lashings of pea-soup, a quick neck twist and some levitation, the new movie cannot challenge, even with a healthy respect for physical effects augmented by judicious use of digital trickery.
Likewise, the demonic figure at the center of the story is in no way as compelling as in the original, possibly because our attention is split between the two victims. And an obvious attempt to channel the personal connection of the first film (more than once) comes across as crass more than emotional.
And beyond the script letting the ensemble down in key moments, it starts to unravel as a whole, cliches creeping in to possess the movie long before the credits roll.
Is this likely to make your head spin with excitement? Unless you know almost nothing about the original, probably not. While Friedkin’s rightly lauded original might be considered slow by today’s audiences raised on a diet of endless jump moments and quicker editing, Green’s version will try the patience in other ways.
Proof, surely (even with Green’s confirmed plans that this should kick off another trilogy) that the co-writer/director might be better off going back to fully original work.
One to see only if the power of curiosity compels you.
‘The Exorcist: Believer’ receives 6 out of 10 stars.
‘The Exorcist: Believer’ opens in theaters on October 13th.
The future director was born in Chicago on Aug. 29, 1935, the only child of a former nurse whom he described as a “saint” and a father who hopped between jobs. The family was poor and at one point lived on welfare, though as Friedkin remembered, that was the case for many people in the local area.
He attended Senn High School, where he was not much of a student but sought to develop his basketball skills to pro level. Since he never grew taller than six feet, however, he changed his career path to journalism.
Applying to a local news station for work, he showed up at the wrong one for an interview, but it was the best thing that could have happened: he was hired by WGN, where he fell under the wing of writer and columnist, Fran Coughlin, who recognized his talent.
Working his way up to floor manager and director, Friedkin then segued into documentaries with ‘The People vs. Paul Crump’ in 1962, about a death row inmate. It not only helped Crump win clemency but opened the door for a whole new career for Friedkin.
Gene Hackman in 1971’s ‘The French Connection.’ Photo courtesy of TCM.
He soon earned a reputation as a fearless, even reckless filmmaker in the pursuit of clarity and good work. Seeking to win over the subject of one documentary, he agreed to let the man’s son shoot a cigarette out of his mouth from 50 paces; wishing to make a behind-the-scenes circus story come to life, he stepped into a cage with a lion tamer.
TV work followed, including on ‘The Alfred Hitchcock Hour’ and the small screen would prove to be a place that welcomed Friedkin back even as his cinema career became patchier –– he earned an Emmy nomination for a 1998 TV movie remake of ’12 Angry Men’, and he’d also direct operas.
His movie career kicked off with the Sonny and Cher-starring ‘Good Times’ in 1967, flopped, but he followed that up with a wide range of genres and subjects, including ‘The Boys in the Band’, ‘The Night They Raided Minsky’s’ and ‘The Birthday Party’. While none of them saw much success, he had a chance meeting with producer Phil D’Antoni, which led to ‘The French Connection’ in 1971, the movie that truly announced Friedkin to the world. Starring Gene Hackman, Fernando Rey and Roy Scheider, the story of narcotics detectives taking huge risks to track down a drugs smuggling ring became famous for its success (it won five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for Friedkin) and infamous for the dangerous driving sequences that gave the movie some of its most memorable moments.
4922
Here’s what Friedkin said about those in his memoir, ‘The Friedkin Connection’:
“I have not, and would not again, risk the lives of others as we did. But the best moments of the chase came from this one long run with three cameras; pedestrians and cars dashed out of the way, warned only by the oncoming siren. I put people’s live at risk. I say this more out of shame than pride; no film is worth it. Why did I do it? I shared the cops’ obsession.”
‘The French Connection’ partly helped him become one of the leading lights of the 1970s, even as some of his other movies failed to connect at the box office. But not his iconic and incredibly influential adaptation of William Peter Blatty’s tome ‘The Exorcist’ in 1973. The story of a mother (Ellen Burstyn) recruiting the Church’s help to save her daughter (Linda Blair) from the clutches of demonic possession, it became one of the biggest box office hits of all time, it also won two Oscars.
While he never enjoyed quite the same success as with ‘The Exorcist,’ he kept working through the 1980s,’90s and 2000s, putting out movies including ‘Bug’ and ‘Killer Joe’.
Married four times (to newscaster Kelly Lange and actors Lesley-Anne Down and Jeanne Moreau), he’s survived by his fourth wife, retired film executive and philanthropist Sherry Lansing, and their sons, Jack Friedkin and film editor Cedric Nairn-Smith.
He has one final as director that will be shared with the world: ‘The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial’ was accepted into this year’s Venice Film Festival.
Always the realist, Friedkin was open about his faults as he summed up his life to date in his memoir:
“I’ve burned bridges and relationships to the point that I consider myself lucky to still be around. I never played by the rules, often to my own detriment. I’ve been rude, exercised bad judgment, squandered most of the gifts God gave me, and treated the love and friendship of others as I did Basquiat’s art and Prince’s music. When you are immune to the feelings of others, can you be a good father, a good husband, a good friend? Do I have regrets? You bet.”
Regrets he may have, but his impact on cinema is undeniable.
William Friedkin winning the Oscar® for Directing. Photo courtesy of the Oscars YouTube page.
MqSOkTn9
Russell Crowe (Right) as Father Gabriele Amorth in Sony Pictures ‘The Pope’s Exorcist.’
In theaters on April 14th, ‘The Pope’s Exorcist’, directed by Julius Avery, tries to turn a captivating true-life person into a homily-spouting, all-action priest who chuckles in the face of demonic possession. The result is a mess of a movie that is only haltingly entertaining. You’d honestly be better off throwing on William Friedkin’s 1973 iconic ‘The Exorcist’.
a5jLHwbRgvzNOonQQ8g5z5
Is ‘The Pope’s Exorcist’ a true story?
While the movie itself is full of outrageous demonic invention, the titular central priest was indeed a very real man who worked for the Vatican for decades.
Father Gabriele Amorth, who died (no, not in the middle of a titanic exorcism) in 2016, was an Italian Catholic priest and exorcist of the Diocese of Rome who claimed to have performed tens of thousands of exorcisms throughout his life. Amorth, along with five other priests, founded the International Association of Exorcists. And before he ever joined the priesthood, he was a lawyer, a journalist and a partisan fighter against fascism in the Second World War.
The movie’s story follows Amorth (Russell Crowe) 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.
An American family move into a spooky former abbey (which would surely be a giant red flag to a family looking for accommodation). Julia (Alex Essoe) is looking to comfort her kids, Henry (Peter DeSouza-Feighoney) and Amy (Laurel Marsden) after the death of their father.
But grief and trauma has opened a dark doorway for a demon, and Henry is soon going full Regan-from-‘The-Exorcist’, sallow and scarred, spouting Latin insults and digging up secrets from the past he couldn’t possibly know.
Nervous young priest Father Esquibel (Daniel Zovatto), who doesn’t even know the exorcism rites, let alone what to do with a creature from hell possessing a child, summons Amorth, who quickly figures out that Henry isn’t mentally ill, nor is he making it all up.
(L to R) Daniel Zovatto and Russell Crowe in Sony Pictures ‘The Pope’s Exorcist.’
What works about the movie?
Crowe comes over well, despite some elements of the character that are more humorous than horrifying –– he putters around Rome on a little Vespa scooter, which given his current generous girth and flowing robes, looks more than a little embarrassing.
But in full flow, his portrayal of Amorth is an entertaining one. Whether it bears any resemblance to the actual exorcist is better answered by people who actually knew, worked with or were helped by him, but in the movie, he aims for a blend of friendly, relatable priest and gruff cop-style figure.
He’s no fan of bureaucracy, and when brought up in front of a snippy Vatican council about his most recent case (a scene that could have been ripped straight out of a police thriller, with the council demanding that he answer for his actions and he blithely suggesting that if they have a problem with him they can talk to his boss –– yes, the Pope). Add to that his actions later in the film, where he kicks in a door to help a young woman under threat from the demon of the day. Oh, and a moment in the finale where he and Esquibel brandish their crucifixes like guns. It’s certainly a choice, and while Crowe certainly does his best with it, the idea doesn’t do much to help the horror aspect.
Yet despite all the real-life adventures to draw from, the film instead goes for a souped-up version of Friedkin’s classic, mashing all the standard buttons and resulting in a schlocky horror that hardly feels worthy of Amorth. There’s the gnashing, wailing, growling victim, the priests and family members flung around like ragdolls by supernatural power and even a crucifix slowly grinding upside down on a wall. It’s more likely to provoke eye-rolling than hiding them behind your hands.
One or two jump scares work, and Avery, (working with cinematographer Khalid Mohtaseb) gives it a certain visual polish. But the story doesn’t do any of their work justice and several of the performances are lacking given their skeletal detail in the script.
(L to R) Daniel Zovatto and Russell Crowe in Sony Pictures ‘The Pope’s Exorcist.’
And while we won’t spoil how it all shakes out, the movie (written by Michael Petroni and Evan Spiliotopoulos from a story by R. Dean McCreary, Chester Hastings and Jeff Katz) switches tracks from ‘The Exorcist’ to something more like ‘The Da Vinci Code’ with the pontiff (played in a few brief scenes by screen legend Franco Nero) and Amorth digging up evidence that buried beneath the abbey is something far more terrifying than anyone suspected.
We’re soon being treated to exposition dumps explaining dark chapters of the church’s history, and one particular period comes back to haunt all involved in a big, dark way. It’s one thing for the demon to play on our heroes’ fears, sins and regrets, it’s quite another for Crowe to go spelunking into cheap-looking caverns and musty chambers.
Plus, the plot strands never quite weave together until the end, and it feels a waste of such a great actor as Nero to spend his time paging through ancient tomes like he’s reading a teenager’s diary and looking shocked when he discovered that the Catholic church has been suppressing information. We’ve got some real revelations his holiness might want to investigate –– if it wouldn’t give the man presented here a case of the holy vapors.
Final Thoughts
Despite Russell Crowe’s best efforts, ‘The Pope’s Exorcist’ never quite gels. Which is a shame, as Father Gabriel Amorth is a truly fascinating figure who would benefit from, say, a limited series rather than this goofy attempt to jazz up his work.
‘The Pope’s Exorcist’ receives 4.5 out of 10 stars.
Russell Crowe as Father Gabriele Amorth in Sony Pictures ‘The Pope’s Exorcist.’
‘The Pope’s Exorcist’ is produced by Screen Gems, 2.0 Entertainment, Jesus & Mary, Worldwide Katz, and Loyola Productions. It is set to release in theaters on April 14th, 2023.
Blatty’s widow, Julie Alicia Blatty, confirmed the news to The Associated Press, telling the outlet that Blatty passed away at a hospital near his home in Bethesda, Maryland. She said that the cause of death was multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer.
First published in 1971, “The Exorcist” told the story of a young girl who was possessed by a satanic force, inspired by a real-life incident that Blatty — who grew up Catholic — had read about while attending college. The book was an immediate hit, spending more than a year on the New York Times bestseller list, and moving more than 10 million copies throughout its print run.
More success followed with the film version, released in 1973, which was written and produced by Blatty and starred a young Linda Blair as the possessed Regan. The film was considered revolutionary at the time, featuring now-iconic imagery of a head-spinning, vomiting child, and audiences were literally sickened by the shocking flick. Religious figures condemned “The Exorcist,” but that didn’t stop it from racking up more than $400 million at the worldwide box office (a then-whopping sum for an R-rated feature), as well as 10 Academy Award nominations. It took home two trophies, including one for Blatty’s screenplay.
Four film sequels followed, but only one, “The Exorcist III,” had Blatty’s direct involvement, with the author both writing and directing the 1990 flick. (He adapted his own novel, 1983’s “Legion,” for that film.) He also wrote and directed 1980’s “The Ninth Configuration” (based on a revised version of one of his earlier novels, “Twinkle, Twinkle, ‘Killer Kane’”), for which he received a Golden Globe Award for best screenplay. In addition to those adaptations, he wrote several screenplays in the 1960s, including those for the Blake Edwards films “A Shot in the Dark” and “What Did You Do In the War, Daddy?”
Blatty is survived by his wife and his eight children.
