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Julius Avery’s goofy-ass demonic thriller “The Pope’s Exorcist” was released in April of 2023, but I think it knows in its heart that it’s a January movie. “The Pope’s Exorcist” is about Father Gabriele Amorth, a real-life priest who worked as a specialized exorcist for the Diocese of Rome, the district that the Pope himself oversees. Amorth was one of the founding members of the International Association of Exorcists, a very real enclave of some 900 priests who specialize in demonic possession. Amorth wrote two memoirs based on his experiences as an exorcist (“An Exorcist Tells His Story” and “An Exorcist: More Stories”), and the writers of “The Pope’s Exorcist” extrapolated them into a very, very loose film adaptation. 

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Russell Crowe, trying on a very thick Italian accent, plays Amorth, and the film details a specific demonic possession he encountered in 1987. Amorth is seen serving a fictional Italian Pope played by Franco Nero, even though the Polish John Paul II was the Holy Father at the time. Amorth is tasked with traveling to Spain to look into the possible demonic possession of a young boy named Henry (Peter DeSouza-Feighoney), an American kid who just moved into a disused abbey with his mom and sister (Alex Essoe and Laurel Marsden). One of the highlights of “The Pope’s Exorcist” is the sight of Father Amorth speeding to his destination on a Vespa, wearing shades and a fedora. The image was amusing enough to inspire scores of snarky unauthorized t-shirts. 

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The recent death of Pope Francis has had film audiences flocking to the 2024 Oscar darling “Conclave,” a thriller about the election of a new Pope, as well as “The Two Popes,” the 2019 dramatization of the conversations held between Pope Benedict XVI and Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio (who would become Pope Francis after Benedict’s unexpected retirement). Anyone with a Hulu subscription, however, would do well to line up “The Pope’s Exorcist” as well. One may as well move from the sublime to the ridiculous.

And make no mistake, “The Pope’s Exorcist” is plenty ridiculous. In being based on a real person, the filmmakers may have felt that their cheesy possession thriller would stand apart from the thousands of extant “Exorcist” knockoffs made since 1973, but that wasn’t the case. “The Pope’s Exorcist” has a pretty predictable plot, and mostly stands out because of Crowe’s committed performance. 

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As mentioned, Amorth travels to Spain to exorcize a demon from an American boy. He teams up with a local Spanish priest named Esquibel (Daniel Zovatto), and they find a mysterious secret about the abbey where Henry is living. Not to give too much away, but it all links to a mysterious evil priest from the time of the Spanish Inquisition, and the demon Asmodeus that he once unsuccessfully tried to exorcize. There are fun Indiana Jones-like sequences wherein Amorth and Esquibel find hidden catacombs underneath the Spanish abbey. The film ends with a sequel tease wherein a Vatican representative extracts a map of 199 unholy sites that need investigating. Amorth and Esquibel will, it is implied, return to lead those investigations and, presumably, exorcize demons at each one. 

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Made for only $18 million, “The Pope’s Exorcist” was a modest hit, making $77 million back. Critics were mixed on the film, and it has only fetched a 50% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes (based on 107 reviews). Both the positive and the negative reviews agreed that the film was corny and broad, but some critics found that more entertaining than others. A sequel has indeed been greenlit, although few details are currently known. It would only be worth it if Crowe bothered to return. Doubly so, if he brings his Vespa. 

As mentioned, “The Pope’s Exorcist” is on Hulu. Get some popcorn, and maybe some strong sacramental wine (if you’re of drinking age), and celebrate the life of Pope Francis by watching one of the silliest demon thrillers of the last few years.