When the artwork for The Exorcism was first revealed I had to have a second look as at first I thought that for some strange reason The Pope’s Exorcist was getting a rerelease, the artwork for the two films are strikingly similar a fact which might confuse more than just me.
Thankfully it’s not a chance to see The Pope’s Exorcist in cinemas for a second time, it wasn’t that good on its first outing, but a chance instead to see Russell Crowe have a second go at playing a priest.
Having been completed way back in 2019 The Exorcism finally hits cinema screens some five years later.
Loosely based on the urban legend that the set of The Exorcist (1973) was cursed, The Exorcism sees Crowe playing Anthony Miller, a washed up actor who, unable to cope after the loss of his wife, has turned to drink as a form of solace.
Offered the part of a priest in a supernatural film, a film which looks suspiciously like The Exorcist, Miller’s daughter (Ryan Simpkins) starts to notice, as the shoot progresses that her father is starting to behave strangely. Is it method acting, as suggested by the film sets advisor and real priest (David Hyde Pierce), or is there something more sinister going on?
The idea of the The Exorcism is a good one but thanks to scares being few and far between, it’s been the staple fare of horror films recently that if you can’t come up with anything original just have someone jump out of the dark, and with an ending that’s more comedy than horror, even the star power of Crowe can’t stop The Exorcism from being largely underwhelming.
