Diane Lane (FEUD: Capote vs. The Swans, Unfaithful) has been cast in Mike Flanagan’s The Exorcist, produced by Blumhouse-Atomic Monster and Morgan Creek Entertainment for Universal Pictures. She joins Scarlett Johansson and Jacobi Jupe, who were previously announced.
The film will tell an all-new story set in The Exorcist universe and is not a sequel to 2023’s The Exorcist: Believer.
The film is set to be released theatrically on Friday, March 12, 2027, and is set to shoot in New York City.
It is produced by Blumhouse-Atomic Monster, Morgan Creek Entertainment and Flanagan, who will also write and direct via his Red Room Pictures banner. Alexandra Magistro will also executive produce for Red Room Pictures. David Robinson produces for Morgan Creek Entertainment. Jason Blum and Ryan Turek serve as producer and executive producer, respectively, for Blumhouse-Atomic Monster.
From revolutionary writer-director Mike Flanagan-revered creator of the acclaimed series The Fall of the House of Usher, Midnight Mass and The Haunting of Hill House and the groundbreaking films The Life of Chuck (TIFF Audience Award Winner), Oculus, Doctor Sleep and Gerald’s Game-comes a radical new vision of the most terrifying title in the history of cinematic horror.
Academy Award®-nominated actress Scarlett Johansson will play the lead role in director Mike Flanagan’s radical new take on The Exorcist for Blumhouse-Atomic Monster and Morgan Creek Entertainment for Universal Pictures. The film is set to shoot in New York City.
Johansson is a Tony and BAFTA-winning actress, producer, and director. Johansson’s directorial debut, Eleanor the Great, which she produced with her partners at These Pictures, had its world premiere at the 78th Cannes Film Festival and North American premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. Johansson received her first two Academy Award nominations, for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress for her performances in Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story and Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit, respectively, becoming the twelfth performer to be nominated for two Oscars in the same year. Her other notable acting credits include Jurassic World Rebirth, Asteroid City, Fly Me to the Moon, Black Widow, Lost in Translation, Avengers: Endgame,Avengers: Infinity War, Lucy, Underthe Skin, Ghost in the Shell, Isle of Dogs, Sing, Sing 2, and Her.
“Scarlett is a brilliant actress whose captivating performances always feel grounded and real, from genre films to summer blockbusters, and I couldn’t be happier to have her join this Exorcist film,” said Flanagan.
Johansson is represented by CAA, Yorn Levine LLC, and True Public Relations.
The film will tell an all-new story set in The Exorcist universe and is not a sequel to 2023’s The Exorcist: Believer. It is produced by Blumhouse-Atomic Monster, Morgan Creek Entertainment and Flanagan, who will also write and direct via his Red Room Pictures banner. Alexandra Magistro will also executive produce for Red Room Pictures. David Robinson produces for Morgan Creek Entertainment. Jason Blum and Ryan Turek serve as producer and executive producer for Blumhouse-Atomic Monster.
Flanagan is the visionary writer and director whose latest film, The Life of Chuck, recently won the coveted People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival and continues to generate significant awards buzz. He most recently wrapped production on the Amazon MGM Studios TV adaptation of Stephen King’s debut novel, Carrie.
He is also the filmmaker behind the acclaimed features Doctor Sleep and Gerald’s Game, as well as the creator of the hit series Midnight Mass, The Haunting of Hill House and The Fall of the House of Usher. Flanagan is represented by WME, VanderKloot Law and Bespoke Publicity.
Mike Flanagan, the visionary writer/director behind the acclaimed films Doctor Sleep and Gerald’s Game and creator of the hit series Midnight Mass, The Haunting of Hill House and most recently The Fall of the House of Usher will write, direct and produce a radical new take on The Exorcist in a new film for Blumhouse and Morgan Creek.
The film will tell an all-new story set in The Exorcist universe and is not a sequel to 2023’s The Exorcist: Believer. The film will be produced by Trevor Macy on behalf of Intrepid Pictures and Flanagan via his new Red Room Pictures banner. John Scherer will also be working on the film on behalf of Intrepid.
This film marks the fourth collaboration for Flanagan and Blumhouse; he wrote and directed Oculus (2013), Hush (2016) and Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016), all also produced by Macy, the latter which was recently featured in Blumhouse’s Halfway to Halloween AMC Film Series.
Stated Flanagan, “The Exorcist is one of the reasons I became a filmmaker, and it is an honor to have the chance to try something fresh, bold, and terrifying within its universe. Reuniting with my friends at Blumhouse, with whom I’ve made some of my favorite pieces of work, only makes this more exciting.”
“Mike’s voice and vision are indispensable for horror fans and we are excited to welcome him back to Blumhouse. I immediately responded to Mike’s new take on the world of The Exorcist and can’t wait for audiences to experience it,” said Jason Blum, Founder and CEO, Blumhouse.
“It’s an honor to be working with Mike. I think his vision for this franchise is going to stun audiences worldwide, and I could not be more excited to be working with him, Trevor, Jason and the entire Blumhouse Team,” said David Robinson, Chairman and CEO of Morgan Creek.
(from left) Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) and Victor Fielding (Leslie Odom, Jr.) in The Exorcist: Believer, directed by David Gordon Green.
The Exorcist: Believer grossed $137M at the global box office. The film was directed by David Gordon Green, and written by Peter Sattler and Green, from a story by Scott Teems & Danny McBride & David Gordon Green. Green, Danny McBride, Stephanie Allain, Ryan Turek, Brian Robinson, Christopher Merrill, Mark David Katchur and Atilla Yücer are executive producers. David Robinson, James G. Robinson and Jason Blum produced the film. The film was a Universal Pictures Presentation and a Blumhouse/Morgan Creek Entertainment production in addition with Rough House Pictures.
Flanagan, Macy as well as Intrepid and Red Room are represented by WME, with VanderKloot Law also representing Flanagan and Reder & Feig handling Macy.
William Friedkin’s The Exorcist is the third film in Marcus Wehrenberg Theatre’s Friday night scare series. The film will be shown October 19-21, and there will be one screening each night at 10 PM. Admission is only $5. For more details and a list of participating theaters, go HERE
William Peter Blatty’s novel, The Exorcist, served William Friedkin a beacon of horror opportunity that still shines 44 years later. Blatty’s 1971 novel displays the exorcism of Roland Doe, a pseudonym for a boy, which happened in St. Louis. Friedkin adapts the film nearly two years later with Blatty’s screenplay. However, The Exorcist isn’t Friedkin’s first great film. He won the Academy Award for Best Picture the previous year for The French Connection. The Exorcist is the film he is most remembered for; Friedkin gets another Best Picture nomination, the first for a horror film, but doesn’t win. A horror film getting a Best Picture nomination is unheard of today, let alone 44 years ago. The Exorcist is considered by many to be the greatest horror film ever made. This opinion seems to be dwindling amongst recent generations. The younger moviegoers have argued that Friedkin’s film doesn’t hold up today; I disagree.
With the recent success of It, The Exorcist has finally been dethroned from the top box office spot inside the horror genre. The Exorcist grossed an international high at just over $440 million in 1973, and Stephen King’s novel adaptation has made $630 million worldwide. While inflation isn’t factored into the comparison between the two, there is still impressive box office numbers coming in for horror films today. People are never going to get tired of being scared. Friedkin once said, “People only go to movies for three reasons, to laugh, cry, or be frightened.” He followed that with, “There are only three reasons to make a movie, to make people laugh, to make them cry, or to frighten them.” The Exorcist will make some laugh today, but I will wager in the direction of the tears and fears that have plagued moviegoers for over four decades.
So what is different about Friedkin’s masterwork? Like It,The Exorcist was a film that audiences flocked to. The difference is that nowadays we know what we are getting, but many moviegoers in 1973 didn’t know what they were getting into. The Exorcist is a film that exploits a different style of filmmaking; this is true for the horror genre in particular. Friedkin adopts a documentarian approach to this film, and that’s why the movie is traumatically memorable. Do we care about Regan as she progresses into her devilish state? Do we care about what happens to the priests in the end? Do we care about the characters at all or are we hypnotized by the horrific events that take place? This film is a spiritual character study that brings us to the common recognition of how evil our world can be. It is hard to feel an emotional connection to subject matter that is so dark. All you have to do is sit back and watch. The film will take care of the rest.
“Your mother’s in here, Karras. Would you like to leave a message? I’ll see that she gets it.”
THE EXORCIST screens this Friday and Saturday nights (August 4th and 5th) at midnight at the Tivoli Theater as part of their ‘Reel Late at the Tivoli’ Midnight series.
This ground-breaking, starkly filmed thriller THE EXORCIST stands for many as one of the most terrifying films of all time. Fairly explicit for 1973, it raised the bar in film-making for realism and adult horror and has been emulated many times. However, it is set apart by its well-written (Oscar-winning) script and realistic performances. Ellen Burstyn is an actress who begins to sense unusual behavior in her preteen daughter (Linda Blair). The bizarre symptoms (open sores, violent thrashing, etc…) escalate as Burstyn seeks help from all conventional avenues. Finally, she determines that Blair is possessed by Satan (or a demon at least) and must be exorcised. Jason Miller is a troubled priest whose own problems pale in comparison with the dilemma facing Burstyn. When things get worse instead of better, it is up to legendary priest Max Von Sydow to attempt to rid the child of the demons inside her.
The sense of fear and dread in THE EXORCIST is aided by the cold, claustrophobic settings and the use of the music ‘Tubular Bells’ during key moments. The visuals are primitive by today’s standards, but still provide major jolts, notably Blair’s explosive green vomit and her celebrated 360 degree head turning. The film is packed with gross-out moments and shockingly blasphemous episodes which work to upset and disarm the viewer. Mercedes McCambridge helped provide the raspy, vulgar voice of the possessed Blair. I have a soft spot for the disastrous and heavily-panned 1977 sequel THE EXORCIST II: THE HERETIC, which starred an older, bustier Blair and Richard Burton. Maybe we should screen the sequel at midnight one of these weekends!
The Tivoli’s located at 6350 Delmar Blvd., University City, MO. Admission is a mere $8!
The Tivoli’s website can be found HERE
Another brilliant lineup of midnight movies for the ‘Reel Late at The Tivoli’ to kick off the summer 2017 season. It’s a typically good variety of titles that will draw the late night movie buff crowd with a couple of retro surprises. The Midnight Movie experience has always catered to a college-age crowd and that’s the way it should be. The oldest film this time is SHAFT from 1971 and the most recent is THE ROOM from 2003. It’s always exciting when Tommy Wiseau comes to town. There’s a Miyazaki thrown in there for attendance insurance and a handful of standards including OFFICE SPACE and THE PRINCESS BRIDE. The only title I’m certain is new to the Tivoli midnight roster is SHAFT, and I suspect it will draw a good crowd.
Here’s the line-up:
June 23-24BACK TO THE FUTURE
June 30-July 1OFFICE SPACE
July 7-8BLAZING SADDLES
July 14-15TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (1990)
July 21-22SHAFT (1971)
July 28-29THE PRINCESS BRIDE
Aug. 4-5THE EXORCIST: EXTENDED DIRECTOR’S CUT
Aug. 11-12SPIRITED AWAY Friday and Saturday at midnight, Subtitled Saturday matinee at noon in English
Aug. 18-19THE SHINING
Aug. 25-26THE ROOM with Tommy Wiseau in person! –
Preceded by a trailer for Tommy’s upcoming film BEST F(R)IENDS
All tickets $15; no passes
Responsible for one of the most iconic horror novels (and films…and posters!) of all time, THE EXORCIST author William Peter Blatty has passed away at age 89. Blatty started as a scriptwriter with credits including the Blake Edwards comedy A SHOT IN THE DARK and (uncredited) THE OMEGA MAN. He adapted his 1971 best-seller The Exorcist for the screen in 1973, which resulted in his Oscar win for ‘Best Adapted Screenplay’. In 1980, he directed an unusual film I saw at the theater then, but have never seen since. THE NINTH CONFIGURATION, an odd allegory starring Stacey Keach and Neville Brand about a remote castle that served as an insane military asylum, deserves to be rediscovered. In 1996, he wrote and directed THE EXORCIST III, based on his novel Legion. Just last year, the director’s cut of the film, now titled THE EXORCIST III: LEGION, was released on Blu-ray. Blatty had a type of blood cancer.
From The New York Times:
“William Peter Blatty, the author whose best-selling book “The Exorcist” was both a milestone in horror fiction and a turning point in his own career, died on Thursday in Bethesda, Md. He was 89. The cause was multiple myeloma, his wife, Julie Blatty, said…….”
During San Diego Comic-Con, one of the more interesting panels was for the new Fox series ‘The Exorcist,’ written by Jeremy Slater. Audience members were treated to the pilot of the show, as well as the SDCC exclusive trailer below. Premiering September 23rd, the show features two different priests trying to tackle one family’s horrifying case of demonic possession.
Widely regarded as the greatest horror movie ever made, “The Exorcist” broke box office records and terrified audiences around the world. Now, more than four decades after the Academy Award-nominated film, THE EXORCIST returns as a TV series. Directed by Rupert Wyatt (“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”), THE EXORCIST is a propulsive psychological thriller following two very different priests tackling one family’s case of horrifying demonic possession. FATHER TOMAS ORTEGA (Alfonso Herrera, “Sense8,” “The Chosen”) is the new face of the Catholic Church: progressive, ambitious and compassionate. He runs a small but loyal parish in the suburbs of Chicago. He has no idea that his quiet life is about to change forever. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, another priest finds himself locked in a life-and-death struggle with evil. FATHER MARCUS BRENNAN (Ben Daniels, “Flesh and Bone,” “House of Cards”) is a modern-day Templar Knight, an orphan raised since childhood by the Vatican to wage war against its enemies. Father Marcus is everything Father Tomas is not: relentless, abrasive and utterly consumed by his sacred mission. Caught in the middle is the RANCE family, members of Tomas’ parish. On the surface, they’re a normal, suburban family, but all is not as it seems in this household. The patriarch, HENRY RANCE (guest star Alan Ruck, “Spin City,” “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”), is slowly but surely losing his mind. Eldest daughter KATHERINE (Brianne Howey, SCREAM QUEENS) has become a recluse who refuses to leave her room. Her younger sister, CASEY (Hannah Kasulka, “The Fosters”), thinks she’s hearing strange noises coming from inside the walls. And mother ANGELA (Academy Award and Golden Globe winner Geena Davis, “Commander in Chief,” “Thelma & Louise”) has been plagued by recurring nightmares, each more frightening than the last. Angela believes there is something in the house, a demonic presence, growing stronger by the day. Desperate, she begs Father Tomas for help, unwittingly setting the naïve young priest on a collision course with Father Marcus. Separately, each faces an insurmountable task, but together they become the only hope against an evil force that has been mobilizing for centuries.
Recently, I talked with writer, friend, and enthusiast of cult films Jeremy Slater about the series. Check it out below!
1. Exorcism stories have been being told for such a long time, but it was The Exorcist that stands out to everyone because of how intense and frightening it was/is. I read that you said somewhere that you wanted to write it because you didn’t want anyone else to. Why is that, and what was your initial draw to the film/project/subject?
SLATER: When the idea was first pitched to me by my agent, the basic plan was to remake the same story from the novel and the original film. I basically told him, I’m not going to make that show, and no one else should either. Because it’s an impossible task, trying to improve on perfection. My standard line has been: “You’re never going to tell that story better, you’re only going to tell it longer.” So I initially passed on the project, but I wasn’t quite able to shake the idea of doing a serialized show about demonic possession. What would a real case of demonic possession look like in 2016? And the more I thought about it, the more excited I became. Finally I called my agent back and said, listen, you have to get me in the room with the producers, to see if they would even consider taking a different approach to the material. Because the only way to make this work is to tell a brand new story with a brand new cast of characters. Create something that’s true in spirit to the original novel and film, but not necessarily beholden to them. So I sat down with the producers and pitched them a version of the show you see now, and they immediately saw the potential in creating something new and exciting.
2. There are such incredibly elaborate websites and books on the subject of exorcism. What kind of research did you do, and do you have a favorite case or story?
SLATER: We’ve got a pretty extensive library of old grimoires and witch-hunting manuals and religious texts sitting around our writers room, which we page through whenever we’re searching for inspiration. Some of the material is bone-chilling, and some of it is honestly kind of adorable, believe it or not. There’s one grimoire that’s filled with spells and incantations for summoning demons to perform literally hundreds of meaningless tasks for you, like forcing your enemy to dance a jig or ensuring that your goats will be fertile.
The bad news is, I’ve tried a couple. Don’t work.
In terms of practical research, we spoke at length with a few different Catholic priests, men who claimed to have performed real exorcisms in the past, and some of the stories they told really informed not just the plot mechanics this season, but also how we’re approaching the concept of demons in general. But I can’t say more without getting into spoiler territory!
3. Ok. I’ve seen you play Dread Halls without really jumping. You’re a horror fan. Is there anything that actually scares you?
SLATER: President Trump? I dunno. I’m pretty hard to scare when it comes to horror movies or haunted houses. I mean, I’m petrified of heights and Great White Sharks. Oh, and flying. Oh God, flying scares the living shit out of me. But I’m probably fairly desensitized in terms of entertainment. Too much Carpenter and Cameron and Romero and Cronenberg at a dumb, impressionable age.
4. You’ve got an incredible cast. How was the process of piecing them all together?
SLATER: We approached the casting process saying, you know what, let’s ignore the constant industry desire to land giant “names” and instead just focus on getting the very best actors possible. We probably saw hundreds of actors for some of the main roles. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t familiar with Alfonso or Ben or Hannah or Brianne before we started the process, but we had amazing casting people in Eric Dawson and Jennifer Brooks, and they searched high and low to really discover some tremendous untapped talents. And our actors came in and just blew everyone else out of the water. Each and every one of them is a fucking rock star.
And then there’s Geena Davis, who is justifiably an icon and one of the best actors in this town, period. I sometimes wake up scratching my head and saying, how the hell did we convince Geena Davis to be part of our dumb little show? But she’s here, and she’s even more awesome in person than she is on the screen, which is no small feat. So yeah, we kinda lucked out.
5. How many seasons do you have planned out, since I’m guessing with television they usually expect you to have a few outlines… and as a writer, are you extremely structured, or is your approach to just roll with the punches?
SLATER: So far our writers room has mapped out the first eight episodes of the season, and we’re currently breaking the final two. I’ve got some vague, fuzzy ideas where the show might go in future seasons, but I’m mostly trying to take inspiration from shows like Lost or Battlestar Galactica: if you’ve got good ideas, don’t save them for future seasons. Throw everything you have at the screen and worry about topping it later. If you tell a story that’s propulsive and unpredictable and rewarding, the fans will support you no matter what.
I do know that we’re not going to be an anthology show that reboots its story and its characters every year, because that approach holds no appeal for me. And on the same track, I think that as a storyteller you’ve got a responsibility to the fans to tell a complete story every single season, with a satisfying beginning, middle and end. By the end of this first season, I can promise you that you will see the Rance possession get resolved. Because cliffhangers are bullshit.
6. Do you find there to be a pressure in pleasing The Exorcist fans, or are you perfectly ok with walking your own path? Where do you find the balance?
SLATER: It’s a fine line, because no one out there loves The Exorcist more than I do. And I’ve been feeling that pressure every single day for the last eight months, that desire to create something that gets the fans excited and really does justice to the franchise. But that pressure can also paralyze you if you let it, because it would be very easy to become too beholden to the source material. If you watch the pilot, there are some pretty overt homages in there, and that’s because we knew the fans would be expecting–and probably demanding–some of those iconic moments. But it was important for me to A) try to incorporate those moments in new and interesting ways, and B) to get them out of the way as early in the season as possible. Because at the end of the day, no one’s going to tune in week after week for something that’s just a parade of references. If you’re not putting your own stamp on the material, then why the hell are you bothering in the first place?
7. Since there are so many films now being adapted into series, if there was one area, film you could adapt for television, what would it be and why?
SLATER: Between The Exorcist and The Umbrella Academy, I’ve already got my hands on two dream properties. Why be selfish? I’ve got plenty to keep me busy.
Cinemark Holdings, Inc., the world’s highest attended motion picture exhibitor, is pleased to announce that the “Summer Classics Series,” featuring eight legendary Hollywood movies, will take place in over 100 Cinemark theatres across the country. All of these digitally restored movies, from the Warner Bros. film catalogue, will be scheduled to play each Wednesday, during the months of June and July, at two separate show times, 2 pm and 7pm.
“Cinemark’s Classic Film Series presents a great opportunity for movie-lovers to revisit some of the greatest Hollywood films of all time,” states James Meredith, VP of Marketing & Communications for Cinemark. “Our customers can experience all of these celebrated movies as they were meant to be seen, on the big screen, with crystal clear digital projection and incredible surround sound.”
Cinemark has worked with Warner Bros. to select eight titles that were visionary films at their time of release, and still stand as true “classics” in every sense of the word. The list of films and dates of their presentation are:
June 6 – THE EXORCIST (1973) – Rated R
June 13 – CITIZEN KANE (1941) – Rated PG
June 20 – COOL HAND LUKE (1967) – Rated PG
June 27 – THE SEARCHERS (1956) – Rated PG
July 4 -THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT (1974) – Rated G
July 11 – A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971) – Rated R
July 18 – NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959) – Not Rated
July 25 – CABARET (1972) – Rated PG
Cinemark takes pride in creating the best entertainment experience in the industry. In order to make movie-going as easy and enjoyable as possible, Cinemark focuses on offering more choices to their customers. For example, “Print at Home” ticketing, available at www.cinemark.com, makes it easy for patrons to purchase tickets in advance from the comfort of their home or office. Customers can bypass lines at the box office and go directly to a kiosk in the theatre lobby. Also, guests can download and purchase tickets through Cinemark’s mobile applications that are available for iPhone and Android phones. Finally, to stay connected, customers can sign up online to receive free, weekly showtime e-mailers that contain online coupons for discounts at the concession stand and other weekly special offers.
A full list of participating Cinemark locations, advance ticket purchases and show time information can be found atwww.cinemark.com.
A woman fidgets in a chair outside a closed bedroom door. Two priests-one grayed, the other wide eyed and youthful-chant. A young woman, stapped to the bedpost, growls in low tones. These are parts of a horror film scene as familiar to moviegoers as a mad scientist’s lab full of test tubes and electrical devices, or a moonlit crypt with vampires emerging from their coffins. That familiarity is mostly due to William Friedkin’s 1973 film version of William Peter Blatty’s THE EXORCIST. Through the years we’ve seen many variations on the basic story of demon possession. There’s also been two sequels and a prequel to that milestone film. Now, the producers of THE RITE want us to revisit this scene with a couple of twists-the story is ” inspired by true events ” and features Hannibal Lechter himself, Anthony Hopkins, as the veteran exorcist. Can this new tale grab filmgoers by the throat like that nearly 40 year old shocker?
The main focus of THE RITE is actually a young priest in training. Michael Kovac (Colin O’Donoghue) is first seen preparing and cleaning bodies at his father’s Chicago funeral home. He tells a pal that’s he’ll be part of a parochial college scholarship program in order to get a psychology degree. He will drop out before he takes the vows ( he states before flirting with a pretty barmaid ). In his final days at college, he witnesses a horrific traffic accident. The dying cyclist pleads with him to give her the last rites. Seeing this, another priest, decides that Michael should further his studies (or, have his final grades withheld) and study further in Rome. The studies should concentrate on the rituals of exorcism. In he Rome takes a course taught by Father Xavier (Ciaran Hinds) and attended by a reporter, Angeline (Alice Braga). Xavier sends Michael to study with an exorcist living outside the city, Father Lucas (Anthony Hopkins). There Micheal observes the eccentric priest dealing with an unwed, pregnant sixteen year old who believes she is possessed by Satan. The young man is skeptical and thinks the young girl may have emotional problems. Lucas is adamant in his belief in demonic possession. Later Michael observes Lucas using some slight of hand trickery in counseling a mother and her young son. This adds to Micheal’s skepticism. Will someone close to him become possessed in order to make Michael a believer?
Unfortunately the filmmakers desire for a PG-13 rating dilutes most of what could be very shocking scenes. The camera will cut away to the priests’ reactions, while the music and sound effects are cranked up to an almost deafening level. They even use the old cliche of a cat jumping up on the opposite side of the window. Some of the scenes of the pregnant demon possessed girl are compelling, but there’s nothing there that Linda Blair’s Reagan didn’t do so many years ago. I guess they thought the side of her bulging belly would add another element of danger. The ads are a bit misleading as Hopkins doesn’t appear till nearly 20 minutes into the film. O’Donoghue’s dour, sullen Michael is just not compelling enough to carry us through this story. The film makers hint at a possible romance between Michael and Angeline, but there’s few sparks between them. Hopkins get to throw off some funny lines and shout with great fury as we’ve seen him do many times before. He’s so much better than this material.The final big confrontation between the two priests proves to be a big, loud letdown. I’d be very interested to see how close this movie mirrored those “true events”. It all seems like a noisy spook show exploiting a major religious group. Or as the saying goes-a tale full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. It doesn’t come close to that 73 classic.
