The Pope's Exorcist
Directed by Julius AveryInspired by the actual files of Father Gabriele Amorth, Chief Exorcist of the Vatican, The Pope's Exorcist follows Amorth 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.
- jackmeatJanuary 9, 2026My quick rating - 6.3/10. Great soundtrack so far. The Pope's Exorcist is a supernatural thriller that follows the journey of Gabriele Amorth, portrayed by Russell Crowe. He plays the role of the Vatican's top exorcist. This is such an intriguing way to take an already good movie and add it to the mix of the conspiracy that has been hidden by the Vatican for so long. Above-average acting in the movie, along with the amazing soundtrack that I pointed out immediately, the movie has the ability to engage you to a point, because I found myself pretty hooked. I bring up the music as the first thing I noticed about the movie because it sets the tone and the mood for the eerie environment created throughout the movie. It immerses the audience in the supernatural world that the characters experience. Crowe performs admirably in the role of the Vatican's exorcist. His performance makes him look convincing as a believer in his work and conveys a seriousness to his character. It helps make the movie more believable and therefore easier to invest in. The movie takes inspiration from a real-life character named Gabriele Amorth. It makes this particular aspect of the movie intriguing. It allows viewers to understand more about exorcisms as well as what goes on inside the Vatican. This makes it more authentic to witness. This may be of particular interest to those who like to be captivated by true stories and mysteries surrounding religion. Even though it doesn’t make use of its potential to its full extent, it does have a way of thrilling audiences and frightening them at times. It remains a great movie to view, nonetheless, when observing either supernatural thrillers or exorcisms. It does venture a bit into the fantastic later on, but I completely expected that to happen, being a big-budget production such as this. Based on a true story is always taken with "to an extent" in my head, and you can clearly see where the extent was defined in this one. Still an entertaining flick and a nice change of pace for Crowe.
- Kevin WardJuly 2, 2025Look, I’m all in on the 199 sequels that are teased as long as one of those sequels has The Pope’s Demonslayer take on Nic Cage’s Dracula. Seriously, this was surprisingly fun. Russell Crowe giving a dedicated performance to some pretty campy material is definitely worth giving a stream.
- HakihikoMarch 13, 2025A Middling Supernatural Thriller "The Pope's Exorcist" tries to blend classic exorcism horror with action-thriller elements but ultimately lands in the middle-neither truly scary nor particularly memorable. While Russell Crowe delivers a solid performance as Father Gabriele Amorth, the Vatican's chief exorcist, the film itself struggles to offer anything fresh in the genre. The movie follows a standard possession storyline, complete with eerie whispers, contorted bodies, and ominous Latin chants. The visual effects and atmosphere are well-crafted, but the scares are predictable, and the plot doesn't do much to differentiate itself from countless other exorcism films. The attempts at deeper Vatican conspiracies add an interesting layer, but they feel underdeveloped and somewhat forced. Crowe's portrayal of Amorth is the film's strongest aspect-his charismatic and slightly humorous take on the character gives the movie some personality. However, the supporting characters are forgettable, and the emotional stakes never feel as gripping as they should. Overall, "The Pope's Exorcist" is watchable but uninspired. It doesn't fail completely, but it doesn't leave much of a lasting impression either. For die-hard fans of exorcism films, it might offer some entertainment, but for most, it's a forgettable entry in the genre.
- DigitalDisappointmentFebruary 23, 2025Half the movie is in Latin without subtitles. Half the movie is whispering. Half the movie is explosions and over-amped SFX. Half the movie is screaming. It's essentially impossible to follow much of what goes on because you're constantly straining to hear and when you DO hear, you're deafened. Julian Avery shit the bed violently in the sound department.
The Pope's Exorcist Trivia
The Pope's Exorcist was released on April 5, 2023.
The Pope's Exorcist was directed by Julius Avery.
The Pope's Exorcist has a runtime of 1h 43m.
The Pope's Exorcist was produced by Doug Belgrad, Michael Patrick Kaczmarek, Eddie Siebert, Jeff Katz.
Inspired by the actual files of Father Gabriele Amorth, Chief Exorcist of the Vatican, The Pope's Exorcist follows Amorth 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.
The key characters in The Pope's Exorcist are Father Gabriele Amorth (Russell Crowe), Father Esquibel (Daniel Zovatto), Julia (Alex Essoe).
The Pope's Exorcist is rated R.
The Pope's Exorcist is a Horror, Thriller, Fantasy film.
The Pope's Exorcist has an audience rating of 8 out of 10.
The Pope's Exorcist had a budget of $18M.
The Pope's Exorcist has made $77M at the box office.