Pooja Sharma
With enough jump scares that keep you on the edge of your seat and a riveting story, ‘The Pope’s Exorcist’ is a supernatural horror film ticking all the boxes of an entertaining exorcism film. Directed by Julius Avery, it follows the life of Gabriele Amorth, the personal exorcist for the Pope. When the Pope assigns Father Amorth to visit a possessed little boy in Spain, he sets out only to find an evil worse than anything he’s ever seen. The movie gives way to a number of mysteries that don’t just question Father Amorth’s faith but also the past of the Church.
The movie is based on the books ‘An Exorcist Tells His Story (1990)’ and ‘An Exorcist: More Stories by Father Gabriele Amorth (1992)’ by the renowned chief exorcist of Rome, Father Gabriele Amorth. Starring Russell Crowe, Daniel Zovatto, Alex Essoe, and Franco Nero, the eerie narrative doesn’t just retell one of the most frightening tales but also keeps viewers hooked with its overwhelmingly intense yet true narratives. If it appealed to you for its facticity and element of historicity in addition to its supernatural element, then here’s a list of movies like ‘The Pope’s Exorcist,’ you can watch next.
8. The Last Exorcism (2010)
Directed by Daniel Stamm, this mockumentary follows a minister documenting his last exorcism and exposes the fraud of the ministry. Starring Patrick Fabian, Ashley Bell, Iris Bahr, Louis Herthum and Caleb Landry Jones, the movie traces the story of Cotton Marcus, who, for years, guiled the gullible, only to be faced by actual evil in the last exorcism he will ever perform. For viewers who loved the element of true faith in the face of abject demonic power in ‘The Pope’s Exorcist,’ ‘The Last Exorcism’ will offer several similar elements.
7. The Possession (2012)
Directed by Ole Bornedal and starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Kyra Sedgwick, Natasha Calls, Grant Show and Matisyahu follows the story of Em, a young girl who buys an antique box at a yard sale, only to be faced with a devastating fate. With a malicious ancient spirit housing the collectable, the results lead to a supernatural possession that makes for an engrossing watch.
While the grueling performances add to the horror, the consequent exorcism to rid Em of the possession makes for an overwhelmingly intense movie. Viewers who want to discover an element of mystery, as seen in ‘The Pope’s Exorcist’ will surely love ‘The Possession’.
6. The Rite (2011)
Based on actual events of a training priest, ‘The Rite’, directed by Mikael Hafstrom follows the story of Michael Kovak, a seminary student attending the Vatican School of exorcism. However, things change when he becomes an apprentice of Father Lucas, a veteran exorcist, and is met with things that challenge his beliefs and push him to encounter a mystical force of terror. Starring Colin O’Donoghue and Anthony Hopkins, the movie encapsulates the essence of faith. Naturally, viewers who loved the groundbreaking deliverance of faith in ‘The Pope’s Exorcist’ will find ‘The Rite’ equally mesmerizing.
5. Deliver Us From Evil (2014)
Directed by Scott Derrickson and starring Eric Bana, Edgar Ramirez, Sean Harris, Olivia Munn and Joel McHale follow the story of cop Ralph Sarchie and a renegade priest. The dark and horrifying events Ralph sees in his line of work are not just engulfing his soul but also pushing his limits one case after another. The story follows Sarchie’s discovery that evil and demonic powers really do exist. For viewers who found ‘The Pope’s Exorcist’ a riveting tale of belief and evil, ‘Deliver Us From Evil’ will offer several similar elements.
4. The Exorcist (1973)
This cult classic and the first to launch a series of movies on exorcism and supernatural horror follows the demonic possession of a young girl whose existence is marred by the mark of evil. As her mother attempts to rescue her soul with the help of an exorcism done by Catholic priests, the movie culminates in the love of the divine Father and the altruism of the priests. Viewers who were fascinated by the element of unsettling eerie in ‘The Pope’s Exorcist’ will surely find this cult classic an entertaining watch.
3. The Vatican Tapes (2015)
Directed by Mark Neveldine, ‘The Vatican Tapes’ follows the story of Angela Homes and the unprecedented effects she has on everyone close to her. When priests from the Vatican come to rid her of the demon that possesses her, the sheer power of the satanic force is seen as more powerful than anything.
From the Antichrist to the ravens, the movie includes all the elements of ancient forces that add yet another element of historicity to the tale. Naturally, viewers who found the Vatican’s involvement in ‘The Pope’s Exorcist’ will find another tale enmeshed with the Church in ‘The Vatican Tapes’ equally entertaining.
2. Conjuring (2013)
The cult classic and the first movie of ‘The Conjuring’ franchise, it follows the true story of paranormal investigators and demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren. As the two try to navigate their past, they are met with a family of seven who experience a supernatural presence in their house. The family of Carolyn and Roger Perron soon find themselves faced with something demonic when they move to their new house.
From corners of the house coming alive to clocks stopping and mysterious deaths of creatures happening around the house, the movie’s culminating exorcism offers a plight of love, kindness, and faith. Renowned for its gritty horror and stomach-clenching storyline, ‘The Conjuring’ starring Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Lili Taylor, Joey King, Hayley McFarland, Mackenzie Foy, and others, is a cult classic that involves all the elements of courage and horror that viewers loved in ‘The Pope’s Exorcist’, making this the right movie to watch next.
1. The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
Following the riveting trial of parish priest Wilkinson accused of negligent homicide for performing an exorcism and refusing medical intervention, ‘The Exorcism of Emily Rose’ delivers on the essence of faith, God and belief effortlessly. Starring Jennifer Carpenter, Laura Linney, Campbell Scott and Tom Wilkinson, the movie’s frightening narrative is horrifying and yet riveting.
As the story of the deceased Emily Rose, a young college student, uncovers, viewers are left to question more than just their beliefs. If you found ‘The Pope’s Exorcist’ intriguing, you will definitely find the courtroom drama and exorcism sequences of ‘The Exorcism of Emily Rose’ equally marvelous.
