I found myself enjoying The Pope’s Exorcist more than I expected to. Seeing the previews, I dismissed it as another possession movie—a type of film I've encountered countless times. While that assessment isn’t entirely wrong, there was something about this one that made watching it a genuinely pleasant experience. The filmmakers don’t try to reinvent the genre or do anything particularly innovative, but what they …

I thought it was really good; it turned unexpectedly somber toward the finish.

Going into a film like “The Pope’s Exorcist,” you pretty much know what to anticipate. The movie is full of Catholic symbols—rosaries, crucifixes, holy water, church ceremonies, and prayers—all employed in an attempt to combat the demonic possession of someone innocent. All the usual ingredients are here, but director Julius Avery's film surprisingly provides a fresh (though somewhat familiar) perspective on religiou…

Julius Avery’s direction brings some effectively scary horror moments to "The Pope's Exorcist," and he certainly wasn't shy about using the R rating to show plenty of graphic violence. Despite this, the film struggles to move beyond the familiar story beats seen countless times before in movies about people being possessed by demons. Russell Crowe’s presence significantly improves things; his acting is strong, managi…

Russell Crowe takes on the role of a character inspired by events from relatively recent Vatican history, portraying him in religious garb as he journeys to a secluded Spanish abbey where he encounters "Fr. Esquibel," played by Daniel Zovatto. The reason for his visit turns out to be a young boy seemingly possessed by an especially malevolent demon. Fr. Amorth isn’t unfamiliar with these kinds of cases and acknowledg…