The Pope’s Exorcist (2023) is Big, Bleak, and Bland Demonic Horror
Originally published June 23, 2023
Title: The Pope’s Exorcist
First Non-Festival Release: April 5, 2023 (Theatrical Release)
Director: Julius Avery
Writer: Michael Petroni, Evan Spiliotopoulos, R. Dean McCreary
Runtime: 103 Minutes
Starring: Russell Crowe, Daniel Zovatto, Alex Essoe
Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here
How often does it come to light that powerful people in top positions around the world commit terrible acts? It seems to be more prevalent as each day passes. What happens if one of the most powerful religious leaders in the world fell into this category? What if he might be compelled to do something horrific at the beck and call of the Devil himself?
These are the questions asked by The Pope’s Exorcist. Underneath the Pope (Franco Nero), Father Gabriel Amorth (Russell Crowe) is his most trusted exorcist. Despite his track record of getting into trouble and making too many a joke, he is one of the most gifted exorcists alive. In this film, we learn what happens if and when he finally meets his match.
By-the-numbers exorcism horror, The Pope’s Exorcist, regurgitates subgenre cliches in a tired, tonally inconsistent drag.
From the beginning, The Pope’s Exorcist takes a typical approach to Catholic-centric demonic horror. This type of setup has been done to death and this 2023 offering is no different. The audience is treated to a glimpse of Father Amorth’s work before being introduced to a family moving into a noticeably creepy and abandoned abbey. The inevitable possession takes place after some workers repairing the site accidentally unleash a demon that takes over the youngest child and eventually Father Amorth is called to help. While things shift once the exorcism portion of the film commences, it cannot help but feel that The Pope’s Exorcist simply goes through the motions.
Outside of Father Amorth, little is done to develop the rest of the cast to the point where they all feel like an afterthought. It makes sense that Father Amorth is given the bulk of attention considering the film is a fictionalized account of his life and experiences. What is inexcusable, however, is the lack of attention the family gets. Beyond baseline human compassion, there is no reason for the audience to connect with Julia, Amy, and Henry. Aside from the knowledge that they are broke in the wake of their father/husband’s untimely death and a quirk or two thrown to each family member, they are wholly underdeveloped. Father Esquibel is given the same treatment. Other than some confirmed deviation from his vow of chastity, he has little personality beyond playing second fiddle to Father Amorth and the needs of the story’s development.
Besides Russell Crowe, the cast struggles to convey the immensity of the terror they are undertaking. Crowe’s good-natured approach to the historical figure gives enough ground in his portrayal to come across as a real person, rather than a particularly stilted or overly dramatic caricature of a priest audiences are so used to over the years. His performance feels natural even when his wise-cracks or subtle humor falls flat when paired with the odd pacing and his fellow cast members’ performances.
Alex Essoe, who normally gives terrific performances, is sleepwalking through the entire affair. Both younger cast members don’t get nearly enough screen time to do anything beyond a few unconvincing “scary” moments when possessed. Daniel Zovatto’s is the only actor who can rival Crowe’s screentime, yet Father Esquibel reads as flat and unengaged even when demons are practically hopping out of children, the walls, and computer-generated lakes of fire.
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The last huge, and mostly personal, criticism of the film arises in its attempts to act as the most blatant form of propaganda for the Catholic Church. Once discovered, it is stated that Father Amorth is targeted so Asmodeus can infiltrate the Catholic Church and wreak havoc against the world in the name of Satan. It feels dishonest, at best, to attribute the Crusades of all things to demonic possession in the Catholic Church rather than humanity’s own pitfalls. This isn’t necessarily a dog on the movie overall, but it just seems like a wild take that doesn’t sit right. It is very reminiscent of when a person of faith engages in terrible acts [murder, rape, kidnapping, abuse, war crimes, etc] and people who follow that religion will claim that they are not a ‘real’ follower of the religion. It also feels out-of-place in a movie that does take an otherwise decided stance on the Catholic Church in terms of covering up sexual abuse to end up not fitting at all.
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Visually, The Pope’s Exorcist offers some truly compelling and scary imagery to combat the listlessness of the actual action. While many of the scares themselves lack the gravitas necessary to unnerve even casual moviegoers, the imagery behind The Pope’s Exorcist makes up for what it lacks in direction. Bright oranges and fire are common sights within the genre, but the way The Pope’s Exorcist employs them is especially dread-inducing. Indicative of the carnage of what’s to come, these otherwise simple parts of the film give it a bit more color and dynamism against the drab grays of the crumbling abbey. There are also some exceptionally creative ideas surrounding the inner depths of the formerly sealed off abbey that make for some creepy visual experiences too.
While it isn’t outright terrible, The Pope’s Exorcist is a bland and obvious vehicle for demonic mania that doesn’t break any new ground in the subgenre. Crowe’s charming enough performance and the film’s general production values keep it afloat long enough to be passable entertainment. Its formulaic approach to horror, lack of character development, and odd religious takes are enough to knock it down a few pegs with the rest of the mainstream exorcist films that are churned out every year. If demonic possession films excite you no matter what, The Pope’s Exorcist will deliver on the promise of its premise, even if it doesn’t do much more than that.
Overall Score? 5/10
