Russell Crowe is one of the most distinguished actors of his generation. Recently, Crowe’s career has deviated towards the horror genre — with two similar roles in The Pope’s Exorcist and The Exorcism. Crowe was nominated for Best Actor three years running during the 2000s for his lead role in Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind, and The Insider. While Crowe has experienced notable highs in his career, he has encountered significant setbacks, too. Poker Face sits at Crowe’s lowest critic score on Rotten Tomatoes with a meager 9%, and his most recent slate of films has not performed well.

In 2023, Crowe portrayed the real-life Vatican exorcist in The Pope’s Exorcist, Father Gabriele Amorth. Months later, Crowe featured in The Exorcism, where he depicts a single father and recovering addict, starring on a cursed film set. The comparisons between The Pope’s Exorcist and The Exorcism were addressed by the writer, who believes “it’s sort of a happy accident.” Aside from the superficial connection, Crowe’s exorcist movies are vastly different. In fact, Crowe signed up for The Exorcism back in 2019, meaning the project would have been released much sooner if it hadn’t been for Covid delaying production.

The Exorcism Is More Effective As A Horror Movie

The Exorcism Delivers A Darker Story Than The Pope’s Exorcist

The Pope’s Exorcist follows Father Amorth as he uncovers a century-old conspiracy in the Vatican in the midst of investigating the possession of a young boy. The plot, while intriguing, occasionally gets swept away by its eccentricity and whimsy — such as Crowe’s extended motor scooter ride through Italy, which hinders the film’s sense of seriousness. After that, The Exorcism continued Crowe’s venture into horror’s possession subgenre. when it was released a year after The Pope’s Exorcist.

The Exorcism has a far stronger premise, which is complimented by Crowe’s strong performance. The movie centers on an actor, Anthony Miller, who succumbs to the unhealthy behaviors of the supernatural while filming a horror movie. This story generates suspense that is more effectively sustained throughout the film, and the physical and emotional manifestations of possession are far more disturbing and unsettling in The Exorcism. This creates a constant sense of unease between both the characters and the audience. This is to say nothing of the escalating conflict between Anthony and his daughter, Lee, which sustains viewer interest and enhances the underlying narrative’s impact.

As a horror movie, The Exorcism, inspired by William Friedkin’s similarly-named 1973 film, The Exorcist. is more unsettling as it centers around a number of supernatural occurrences that take place on the set of the film. The fictional movie in Crowe’s film bears a striking resemblance to the alleged incidents that transpired on the set of The Exorcist. The real story behind The Exorcist during its production adds a layer of depth to the horror in The Exorcism that is far more unnerving than the basis of The Pope’s Exorcist, where the only truth behind this film is the figure Crowe portrays.

The Exorcism’s Anthony Miller Is Far More Compelling Than Father Gabriele In The Pope’s Exorcist

Anthony Miller Is A More Multifaced Character Than Father Gabriele Amorth

The Exorcism sees Anthony struggling with his relationship with his daughter, alongside his own sanity. Anthony is burdened by decades of guilt, and desperately trying to repair his broken relationship with Lee. Attempting to restart his career, Anthony gets a job on a horror film, where he begins to act peculiarly in tangent with a series of mysterious events that begin to occur on set. Lee struggles to know whether her father is relapsing or if there is a more malevolent force to blame. The Exorcism‘s realistic and ficтιтious elements are obscured as, from Lee’s perspective, Anthony’s possession initially resembles a drug relapse.

That’s not to say the prominent figure in The Pope’s Exorcist lacks depth — he is just not as thoroughly explored as he had the potential to be. Audiences see Father Gabriele Amorth struggling to reconcile with an incident that took place earlier in his career, yet this element is somewhat overlooked throughout the film. This ultimately has a detrimental impact on the character’s depth, as it becomes increasingly difficult to empathize with the remorse that Father Gabriele harbors. The Pope’s Exorcist appears to focus more on the dynamic between Father Gabriele and Père Esquibel, intentionally setting the stage for a sequel.

Russell Crowe’s Strengths Are Better Showcased In The Exorcism’s More Challenging Role

The Exorcism Is A More Demanding Role In Every Sense

Russell Crowe’s exorcism-themed movies are not groundbreaking cinema. Nevertheless, his performances in both projects are impressive. The Exorcism stands out as the most fitting instance, where Crowe delivers a fevered performance as Anthony, who is responsible for most of the film’s thrills. This film is far bleaker, and demands a more somber approach. Crowe’s intensity, refined by decades of acting, rendered him exceptionally well-prepared for this more challenging role. The Exorcism is more physically demanding, too, which is a welcome change of pace in Crowe’s recent work. Certain scenes presented significant emotional and physical challenges, which resulted in a more rounded and complete performance.

The Pope’s Exorcist is slightly more spirited, with Crowe speaking with an amusing Italian accent. It is important to note that Crowe fits seamlessly into these worlds, but The Pope’s Exorcist‘s horror elements are occasionally undercut by moments of unintentional humor which diminish the impact of the horror experience. The Pope’s Exorcist was Crowe’s first venture into the horror genre, stating “it was just something I hadn’t done – a genre I’ve never really touched at all. To be quite frank, I don’t really like scary movies.” (via Daily Mail). This undoubtedly helped him hone his performance for the grittier role in The Exorcism.

The Pope’s Exorcist Performed Better At The Box Office Than The Exorcism

The Pope’s Exorcist More Than Doubled Its Budget At The Box Office

Although The Exorcism is the superior film in its entirety, The Pope’s Exorcist performed better at the box office than its compeтιтor. The Pope’s Exorcist has an average rating of 51% by critics on Rotten Tomatoes, but its audience score soars to an impressive 80%. In spite of its average reception, the movie went on to make $76.9 million globally on a modest $18 million budget. The Pope’s Exorcist also hit Netflix’s top 10 charts, where it found new audiences and spent over a week as the most-watched film on the streaming service.

The Exorcism may hinder The Pope’s Exorcist‘s sequel as the 2024 film currently stands at 27% on Rotten Tomatoes. Of course, The Pope’s Exorcist overcame these critical hurdles, but the more recent adversity to The Exorcism may lead audiences away from Crowe’s upcoming horror films. It remains unclear why the premise of the 2024 horror film failed to resonate with audiences. However, The Exorcism was perhaps the lowest-performing horror movie of last year, with a global total of under $4 million.

Source: Daily Mail