The connection between man and otherworldly forces has always interested cultural figures. Thoughts about God and the Devil occupy an almost leading place in pop culture – and this despite the fact that there is nothing particularly new to say on this ground in the cinema. “The Exorcist of the Vatican” again turns to the familiar theme of exorcism from a person, but tries to dilute the horror elements with the intrigues of the Vatican. We tell in the review below how this film turned out.
“The Pope’s Exorcist” / The Pope’s Exorcist
Genre horror
Directed by Julius Avery
Starring Russell Crowe, Daniel Zovatto, Alex Essow, Ralph Ineson, Franco Nero
Premiere cinemas
Release year 2023
IMDb site
The plot of the film tells about the Vatican priest Gabriel Amorte (Russell Crowe). He is the chief exorcist in the Vatican and specializes in exorcising evil forces. Over the years of his activity, Gabriel managed to see the devil in people in amazing manifestations. But one of the situations forever left a mark in his memory – the film is dedicated to it.
The authors position “The Exorcist of the Vatican” as a film based on real events. It is based on the books and memoirs of the real-life priest Gabriel Amorth. He claimed to have helped thousands of people get rid of the devil, and he knew everything about exorcism. Of course, the veracity of his words has not been confirmed, but Amort gained his popularity.
Against this background, it would be possible to shoot an interesting psychological thriller, in which the expulsion of the devil would border on deception and, more importantly, self-deception. Immerse yourself deeper into the backstage of the Vatican, which is a separate world in itself. But by no means should you slip into the most standard paths of films about the devil, which seemed to be exhausted even in the days of “Rosemary’s Baby”.
Director Julius Avery here chose the simplest answers to far from the most complex questions. Therefore, “The Exorcist of the Vatican” is an extremely primitive horror film, in which everything develops along long-established rails. The devil here is just the devil, not some human fiction.
Frankly speaking, I’m already a little tired of writing about almost every modern horror movie that it’s not scary. But in terms of elements of horror, “The Exorcist of the Vatican” is so primitive that I don’t want to use any new definitions for its sake. Screamers here are built in absolutely no way, and the film as a horror cannot offer anything more.
But then why should you watch it? At least because of Russell Crowe’s excellent acting. The local priest, who himself is terrified of otherworldly things happening around him, is always a pleasure to watch. In addition, priest Amort can make a good joke and show sincere warmth to strangers.
Also, in “The Exorcist of the Vatican” the culture of the Vatican itself is shown quite well. The film does not go into any revelations at all, but everything looks as textured and authentic as possible. The communication between clergy and ordinary people here emphasizes the difference of views and the individuality of divine influence depending on beliefs and characters.
And when the movie isn’t trying to scare you, it’s really gripping. Yes, it is not the most interesting in the world of cinema, but it allows you to touch the closed world of the Vatican, full of its laws. At one time, the audience was given similar feelings by “The Da Vinci Code”, which was also remembered by the public as a controversial work.
If Dan Brown’s screen adaptation was marred by an incoherent structure that distracts from the search for answers to the mysteries of human history, then in “The Exorcist of the Vatican” all the magic is destroyed when another demonic entity appears on the screen. Attempts to scare in the film are very tiresome, but it could still be tolerated if they complemented the main ideas. Instead, each screamer resembles a loud incoherent exclamation that interrupts the generally interesting story.
“The Exorcist of the Vatican” perfectly demonstrates one of the main problems of the modern film industry. Many directors and companies don’t seem to understand why people love horror movies. After all, it is not about creepy sounds or incomprehensible creatures on the screen.
Every great horror film was, is and remains about encountering the unknown. They are, in fact, very peculiar puzzles that do not have an answer – but that is their beauty.
“The Exorcist of the Vatican” is a mystery, the answer to which you do not want to look for at all. Even more, there is essentially no mystery here. But why then try to turn the film into a horror, and not focus exclusively on the aesthetics of the Vatican, is a big question.
Pros: excellent acting by Russell Crowe, who embodied a somewhat simple but attractive image on the screen; the atmosphere of traditions and laws of the Vatican, which clings; in general, a competent structure of the story Cons: as a horror film, the film is absolutely not scary; some boring and drawn-out story; vagueness of all characters, except for the main character Conclusions:
To perceive “The Exorcist of the Vatican” as a horror film is to spoil the viewing experience even before the film begins. After all, there is no fear here at all. But there is a wonderful Vatican and Russell Crowe — and that’s enough for a good evening at the movies
