Take a scan of films related to Catholicism each Halloween to see what Hollywood in general thinks of the faith.
Occasionally however, the faith does get a fair hearing in the depraved film industry.
Some examples from history include The Mission and The Passion of the Christ, even if the latter was the subject of much disdain for its portrayal of the life of Jesus Christ.
Two upcoming films will seek to portray two of the most compelling figures of the past century, one being Shia LaBeouf’s portrayal of Padre Pio while the other will be filmed in Ireland next month and in September, Russell Crowe’s portrayal of Vatican Exorcist Gabriele Amorth.
Amorth passed away in 2016 aged 91, but before he died he published the compelling book An Exorcist Tells His Story.
The film, entitled The Pope’s Exorcist will be based upon this book.
Crowe visited the Sistine Chapel this week, presumably to research his role.
Amorth hit the headlines in the 2000s when he warned about the dangers of reading Harry Potter, referring to the character as the 'King of Darkness’ and stating that ‘magic is always a turn of the devil. Author JK Rowling has been hounded as of late by demonic forces of a sort.
The topic is still one that remains the most fascinating for the faithful but perhaps especially for those without belief.
Hopefully, this film can be a source of provocation like the Passion of the Christ or the Exorcist were. The most recent high profile film about Exorcism was the Anthony Hopkins movie, The Rite. It was based on true events and has some very worthwhile depictions of the faith, though some of the sensationalist scenes detract from this feature of the movie.
Crowe is known for his dedication and devotion to his craft, so we are sure that this film will be no exception.