It has been such an amazing time to be a horror fan. Over the last number of years so many iconic franchises have returned in exciting fashion along with a fresh set of killer IPs. However, one of the most surprising box office hits of late has been The Pope’s Exorcist, starring Russell Crowe as real life exorcist Father Gabriele Amorth. Now, reported by Bloody Disgusting, a Pope’s Exorcist sequel is now in development at Sony.
There are no specific plot details yet as it's still very early on in the process and the first film is barely two weeks old, but Crowe is expected to return as Father Amorth. This shouldn’t come as a surprise as this film has made an absolute killing at the box office. The film up to this point has made $52 million and counting at the worldwide box office on a very economical $18 million budget. In its opening weekend it even beat out Universal’s Renfield, which had a much bigger marketing push behind it. It also just helps that this was a fun film that horror fans sank their teeth into. The film was decently received by critics, but Pope’s Exorcist has a great 82% audience rating. Despite the film being very loosely based on Amorth’s life, the first job of any film is to be entertaining and that’s exactly what this was. Pope’s Exorcist was simply old school demonic horror with a committed performance by Crowe. You could tell how much he loved this story, and it is just great seeing someone as popular as Crowe play in the horror space.
The History of Demonic Horror
While horror is still considered one of the more niche genres, the supernatural subgenre has always acted as a chilling gateway for moviegoers. Whether it be the classics of the satanic panic era that include Rosemary’s Baby and The Amityville Horror or modern genre gems like Insidious or The Conjuring, ghosts have always been one of the scariest concepts around. Especially given how much real unknown is still involved with the so-called afterlife. Pope’s Exorcist taps into that spooky fear and, although it's not as memorable or effective as something like The Conjuring, it was a solid start to a new horror franchise with endless possibilities. Father Amorth was the Pope’s personal exorcist after all and had kept a journal on all his countless exorcisms. He was the Warrens of his day despite the controversy surrendering his work. Because of that, it’s going to be very exciting to see where this sequel takes cinema's new favorite Vespa riding exorcist.
While there’s no confirmed release window for the sequel, we’re sure to hear more news on that front as the film gets further into development. While horror fans anxiously wait, you can see The Pope’s Exorcist in theaters now. The trailer can be viewed down below.