Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson , based on child development research. How do we rate?
age 16+
Crowe saves bloody but routine demon possession movie.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
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Violence & Scariness
a lot
A naked person covered in blood explodes in a huge pile of gore. Flashback to WWII shows soldiers being shot and killed; bloody wounds. Flashback to child in car accident and an adult impaled by a tree branch ("he saw his father impaled"). Child claws at own face. Possessed character coughs up dead bird. Possessed characters have violent convulsions, skin wounds, demonic eyes, scary voices, etc. Characters are hurled across rooms, crashing into walls, mirrors, etc. Woman's head bashed on bathroom sink. Characters spew blood, black bile from mouths. Ear bitten off. Character's neck twisted halfway round. Character jumps to her death; two huge pools of blood under her body. Characters hang by neck. Pig shot in head, with blood spurt. Character bites head off of bird. Explosions. Minor characters burned. Things crawl under skin. Mouths stretched out to horrific lengths. Suicide attempt. Mummified bodies, skulls. Threats. Peril. Jump scare. Nazi symbols.
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
a lot
Topless women shown briefly, in two scenes. Teen girl wears short-shorts and a skimpy top. (Her mother says "you can't dress like that anymore.") She removes her sweater, revealing a tank top, while flirting with a man. Woman shown in panties and tank top. Possessed child touches mother's breast, asks to be breastfed. Sex-related dialogue.
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Language
a lot
Several uses of "f--k," plus "s--t," "c--t," "oh my God," "bitch," "whore," and uses of "damn" and "hell," both as swear words and as faith-based terms. Middle-finger gestures.
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See AlsoThe Pope's Exorcist: Plot, Cast, Release Date, and Everything Else We KnowThe Pope's Exorcist Cast & Character GuideMeet The Pope's Exorcist cast: who's who in the Russell Crowe movieDie Filmstarts-Kritik zu The Pope's ExorcistGet started
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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
a little
Teen smokes briefly. Priest sometimes sips whiskey from a silver flask.
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Positive Role Models
some
Based on a real person, Father Gabriele Amorth is brave and clever, maybe even heroic. He's like a superhero demon hunter who knows his stuff but doesn't mind a joke now and then. He has his flaws and his quirks (he walks away from a disciplinary committee hearing, he sometimes sneaks a sip of whiskey, etc.), but he also promises the family that he won't leave them until he saves their boy, and he's a man of his word.
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Diverse Representations
a little
While most characters are White, they come from all over the world. Crowe (from New Zealand) plays an Italian, Zovatto (from Costa Rica) plays a Spaniard, Nero (who plays the Pope) is Italian, Essoe (who plays Julia) was born in Saudi Arabia to Canadian and American parents, Laurel Marsden plays the headstrong teen Amy, etc. Black British actor Cornell John plays a bishop who's a friend to Amorth and holds a position of some power.
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Positive Messages
very little
While movie argues that pure evil (i.e., demons) exists, it also shows that humans are more nuanced than that. Sometimes what appears to be evil is just a mistake, a misunderstanding, or a moment of weakness. These things can be understood and forgiven.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Pope's Exorcist is a horror movie based on nonfiction books by Father Gabriele Amorth (played here by Russell Crowe). Violence includes moments of intense blood and gore, a child in peril, a child suffering from trauma, characters getting shot, bloody wounds, demon possession imagery (violent convulsing, scary voices, etc.), characters being thrown across rooms and crashing into walls, biting, head-bashing, bile-spewing, animals getting killed, and more. Women are briefly shown topless, a teen girl wears a skimpy outfit, and there's some sex-related dialogue. Language includes "f--k," "s--t," "c--t," and "bitch," plus "damn" and "hell" both as swear words and faith-based terms. There are also two middle-finger gestures. A teen briefly smokes, and a priest sometimes sips whiskey from a flask. The movie's demon possession stuff is standard issue, but the interesting backstory and Crowe's likable performance make it worth a look for mature horror fans. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
Where to Watch
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The Pope's Exorcist
- Parents say (3)
- Kids say (2)
age 16+
Based on 3 parent reviews
Daniel J. Adult
April 21, 2023
age 15+
It has some violence and lanaguage in a not so terrfying exorcist movie!
You could say this is another exorcist movie . . . but this one is actually interesting, if not losing it by the 3rd act! For the most part, this movie has no outright terrfying scares that's going to be a lasting impression. The violence/blood in this movie is nothing over-the-top, with a brief exception to a pig being shocking shot in the head. There is some blood in this movie, but nothing with over excess use. This movie may not be for everyone seeing it's an exorcist movie, and sometimes these movies don't sit well with some people or they mess with your brain, so be careful when deciding who should watch this. I think the most concerning part of this movie is two brief shots of a woman's chest (one shot of it is when it's all covered with blood) . . . but overall, I feel like this movie is okay for older teens who wants to see it. There's a few F-bombs scattered throughout the movie with other curse words, but nothing your teens has not heard yet. This movie has no really great messages, and I would say that the best role model was the main character, Father Gabriele, who is fighting to help a family with a demon. Overall, there's nothing much worthy to talk about this film. It may be terrfying for some, but nothing over the top!
Katherine R. Parent of 10, 14, 18+, 18+, 18+ and 5-year-old
June 4, 2024
age 17+
Rate movie
See all 3 parent reviews
What's the Story?
In THE POPE'S EXORCIST, Father Gabriele Amorth (Russell Crowe) is shown to be a controversial figure in the church, using unlikely methods to treat people who don't actually need a real exorcist. But when widow Julia (Alex Essoe) and her two children -- teen Amy (Laurel Marsden) and younger brother Henry (Peter DeSouza-Feighoney) -- move in to a grand Spanish abbey that was left to them by Julia's late husband, real trouble is unleashed: A demon takes over Henry's body. Amorth is summoned, and, along with Spanish priest Father Esquibel (Daniel Zovatto), begins the exorcising rituals. But this demon is unexpectedly powerful, with the ability to see the sins and guilt of the priests and knock them off balance. They must find the secret of the old abbey -- and the name of the demon -- before it's too late.
Is It Any Good?
Our review:
Parents say (3):
Kids say (2):
The demon possession elements all feel quite familiar, but this film gets a pass for Crowe's committed, not-too-serious performance. His Amorth is cool and in charge, but also sometimes charmingly goofy. Based on books by the real-life Amorth, Julius Avery's The Pope's Exorcist misses a chance to capture the "based on actual events" eeriness of The Conjuring, preferring generic horror movie ingredients instead. There are satanic voices emanating from children, crosses that turn upside down, people getting thrown across rooms, demonic writing on flesh, etc. (There is, however, a fascinating twist explaining the reason behind the Catholic Church's involvement in a certain period of history.)
Yet the A-list casting of Crowe makes this worth a look. Recapturing some of the same energy of his Captain Jack Aubrey in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Crowe's Father Amorth is immensely likable and comfortable in his own skin. He emits cool while riding his moped in his flowing robes and black fedora. He even finds time to crack little jokes, including in the face of danger. While the wrap-up of The Pope's Exorcist may feel a little too rushed and a little too neat, it at least leaves open the possibility that we'll see Amorth again someday.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about The Pope's Exorcist's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
Is the movie scary? What's the appeal of horror movies? Why do people sometimes like to be scared?
Do you consider Father Gabriele Amorth a role model? Why, or why not?
Given that Amorth is a real person, does that mean that demon possession is real too? Why do you think so?
What's the appeal of movies about demon possession? How is this one different from some of the others? How is it similar?
Movie Details
- In theaters: June 13, 2023
- On DVD or streaming: June 13, 2023
- Cast: Russell Crowe, Daniel Zovatto, Alex Essoe
- Director: Julius Avery
- Inclusion Information: Latino actors, Female actors
- Studio: Sony Pictures Releasing
- Genre: Horror
- Topics: Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- Run time: 103 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: violent content, language, sexual references and some nudity
- Last updated: June 21, 2024
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