Review by Paul Salfen
This is Paul Salfen with your KLAK Movie Minute. In theaters this weekend is The Exorcism starring Russell Crowe, not to be confused with The Pope’s Exorcist starring Crowe that was a hit last year. This one was actually shot during the pandemic and got dusted off when the other became a hit and now we have Crowe as a down-on-his-luck former big star that delved into addiction and depression and gets another shot at a starring role in a remake of a big exorcism film (presumably based on The Exorcist, which starred the director of this film’s father) and while it’s a great showcase for Crowe, the film itself isn’t as striking as it should be given that it came from the promising writer-director duo that made The FInal Girls. We even see a good return from David Hyde Pierce and solid bits from Sam Worthington and Adam Goldberg. Ryan Simpins plays Crowe’s estranged daughter and her and Crowe manage the heart of the story but if you’re looking for chills here, it’s more in the insides of the characters than something otherworldly although there is that here, too. As it turns out, possession can be somewhat of an inside job, too. This film within a film may give casual horror buffs a snack until Halloween but it may not be full-throttle enough for those expecting The Exorcist. That’s it for this week. Join me next week and every week for another Movie Minute right here on 97.5 KLAK, AMFM Magazine, and RECRD.
