'The Exorcism': A Priest Looks at the New Russell Crowe Thriller

The Exorcism, now in theaters, marks the second year in a row that Russell Crowe has starred in a movie about exorcism -- and in both cases, he's at war with dark forces.

In 2023, Crowe starred in The Pope's Exorcist as Father Gabriele Amorth (a fictionalized version of a real person), the exorcist for the Diocese of Rome, as he seeks to free members of an American family from an ancient horror occupying their home, a former Spanish abbey.

In 2024's The Exorcism (produced before The Pope's Exorcist but released a year after), Crowe plays an actor with a history of substance abuse, suffering guilt over the death of his wife and difficulties with his teen daughter (Ryan Simpkins).

Crowe's character, in the movie within a movie, has been cast as a priest battling demons, in a film production that had problems before he even came in.

The Exorcism is rated R, for language, some violent content, sexual references, and brief drug use. More on that at the bottom.

The Exorcism and The Exorcist

The Exorcism is a unique take on the gold standard in the genre, 1973's The Exorcist. The director is Joshua John Miller, the son of actor/playwright Jason Miller, who played one of the priests in the 1973 film. And, to make things a bit more convoluted, the film-within-a-film in the new movie is a loose remake of The Exorcist, written for page and screen by devout Catholic William Peter Blatty.

During the original 1973 production, there were setbacks, injuries, and technical problems, which some have attributed to demonic activity. The script for The Exorcism, by Miller and M.A. Fortin, takes that notion to extremes.

Our producer-at-large Father Vince Kuna, C.S.C., a graduate of USC's film school, answers some questions about the new film.

How does The Exorcism fit into the general run of Catholic-themed exorcism movies?

The premise of the film nuances Catholic-themed exorcism movies in that it is film about a cast and crew producing an exorcism movie. Think writer/director David Mamet’s State and Main meets director William Freidkin’s The Exorcist.

It tries to not be a subgenre horror-exorcism film by relying more on the family drama between the actor and his estranged daughter. Even the director of the film-within-a-film, played by Adam Goldberg, makes an inside quip that the movie he’s directing is a psychological drama under the veneer of a horror movie.

What are your biggest issues with the film?

The midpoint twist lost me ... that is, the spider-walking scene by one of the characters. I thought the first half of the film built some real family drama, but the filmmakers couldn’t resist sensationalizing the story and relying on visual effects as a crutch.

What did you like best?

As referred to earlier, the first half of the film set up some engaging small family drama. If you want to watch films within the genre that play as riveting drama from opening to closing credits, you have to go across the pond.

Oscar-nominated Sandra Hüller (for Anatomy of a Fall) plays a possessed teenager in the German film, Requiem. Romanian director, Christian Mungui tackled the subject matter quite accurately in Beyond the Hills.

This was filmed before Russell Crowe did The Pope's Exorcist but released after. Do you have a theory why Crowe seems attracted to this material?

It’s hard to get into an actor’s inner psyche. I would half-jokingly theorize that he fell in love with my hometown of Naperville while filming scenes for one of the Superman scenes. Naperville is historically one of the more Catholic suburbs of Chicago, so maybe the good, God-fearing Midwesterners rubbed off on him.

What did you think of the portrayal of the priest/film consultant?

David Hyde Pierce of Frasier fame plays Father Conor. As someone who has consulted on a couple of mainstream Hollywood exorcism films, I found his characterization to be spot-on.

Contrary to the myth, priest-exorcists tend to be the most scientifically minded. Father Conor works a clinical psychologist, so his first instinct is to demonstrate the potential exorcism couldn’t be explained away rationally.

But if nothing else can explain the phenomenon, then indeed, “bring in the priest.” We are a Church of reason and faith, after all.

Regarding the film's R rating, be aware that it includes non-explicit scenes of a priest abusing a teen, and a instance of same-sex attraction between the daughter character and a young actress (Chloe Bailey). There is some kissing, but the presentation, again, is not explicit.

There are also plenty of jump scares, violence, and some gore -- but this is an exorcism movie, after all.

The Exorcism does, however, end with an affirmation of faith and grace, which, while not erasing the film's shortcomings -- including some gaping logic holes -- does count for a lot.

Image: The Exorcism/Vertical Entertainment

Kate O’Hare, a longtime entertainment journalist, is Social Media Content Manager at Family Theater Productions.

Click here to visit Father Vince Kuna’s IMDB page.