The Director of The Exorcist Made a Documentary About a Real-Life Exorcism

In The Devil and Father Amorth, director William Friedkin was invited by Gabrielle Amorth, head Exorcist for the Diocese of Rome for over 30 years, to record the 9th attempt at exorcism for a woman named Cristina.

While I do not personally believe in demonic possession, I’ve long been intrigued by incidents of “the supernatural” that those who experience it insist are real. That’s why The Devil and Father Amorth caught my eye, as the documentary promises to explore the religious-based states of possession and exorcism alongside discussions with priests, non-believers, psychologists, and doctors.

The Devil and Father Amorth also looks promising because it’s made by a man who’s quite the expert on exorcisms, considering he committed the most famous horror movie version of such ceremonies to film in 1973. Friedkin’s interest in the subject continued, and he seems to take a personal, front-seat role in his new documentary, opting to film Cristina’s exorcism without any other crew in order to make his recording as unintrusive as possible. Here’s what we know so far:

What began as a brief conversation between Friedkin and Father Gabrielle Amorth – the head Exorcist for the Diocese of Rome for over 30 years – as two professionals who knew of each other’s work soon transformed into an once-in-a- lifetime opportunity, as Amorth agreed Friedkin could film an exorcism ceremony. It would be the ninth exorcism for a painfully afflicted woman, Cristina (a pseudonym), who had already been under Father Amorth’s care – and it would be filmed by Friedkin alone, with no other crew allowed, no light other than the natural light in the room and a small digital camera-and-mic unit that could capture the ritual and its revelations.

Combining the startling and singular footage from Cristina’s exorcism with interviews from priests and psychologists, neurosurgeons and non-believers, Friedkin guides us on a journey into the twilight world between the boundaries of what we know and what we don’t with a singular and startling guide in the form of the urbane, charming and self-deprecatingly funny Father Amorth, a man who laughs in the face of the Devil both figuratively and literally. Combining Friedkin’s past memories and present observations with archival footage and new interviews – as well as also presenting what may be the only real exorcism ceremony captured on film – THE DEVIL AND FATHER AMORTH is a startling and surprising story of the religion, the ritual and the real-world victims involved in possession and exorcism.

This mix of the supernatural and scientific explanations is my favorite kind of media, so I’ll be excited to review The Devil and Father Amorth (it’s scheduled for release on April 20th). My one worry is that Cristina’s experience might be framed in a way to make it “scary” to Friedkin fans who want a jump scare-like environment; the fact remains that real-life people marked for exorcism are in a frightening enough situation without enhancement. But it sounds like Friedkin has worked hard on establishing a respectful filming situation, and Father Amorth, a man who led the exorcism business for 30 years, surely has some fascinating stories to tell.

Is The Devil and Father Amorth something you’re interested in seeing? Let’s talk about it in the comments—I think I’ll need someone to hold by hand at the screening.

(image and summary via The Orchard/Sony)

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