The Devil and Father Amorth (2017) User Reviews

I have concluded that God is Satan

[emsky333 · 5/10 · 30 July 2018]

This will not be popular amongst the religious but... I'm very sceptical when it comes to Satan and demons. Why? Why would Satan possess random Italian lady? A demon maybe, but Satan? No. I'm sure he has better things to do.

I hear the argument from religious people that it is to destroy a person's faith, or to steal their souls, but if you look at it logically, how many are lost to possession? Wouldn't it only increase a person's faith in God and religion, exorcisms always seem to be successful, excluding the odd one or two horror stories. The only thing it benefits is religion, and a person's faith in their God.

I honestly believe that if Satan existed, he would have a far bigger agenda, like control over a population, making people commit atrocities in his name, he would cause division, hate, encourage discrimination, he would control people through fear of sinning, and threats of eternal torture... Oh wait, that sounds like... RELIGION!

Adding or substracting?

[kosmasp · 5/10 · 20 December 2018]

The Exorcist is still considered (rightfully) as one of the best horror movies of all time. This documentary goes beyond that, with the original director giving us some insights. Where the story originated, original shooting location, chracters versus their real life inspired ... humans/demons.

All that is well and good, but unfortunately even with a short running time, it does feel long at times. Especially during the "real" exorcism. It's nice to get a behind the scenes look, but it doesn't add anything to the discussion really. Although I can see that some may feel it has more weight, because it is "real". Why do I use "" when I write real? Because even the documentary, tries to pick it apart, with experts (doctors) and priests talking about it.

And even their arguments and their insight is nothing really new, at least not that much new things. I like Friedkin, he is a great director, so he does get the most of certain situations (though his insistance on asking the same question over and over again to a priest, about his spiritual "power" does feel a bit long and annoying), overall the documentary could have been shorter though. I do hope he makes more feature films - they tend to be really great

science v religion

[ferguson-6 · 5/10 · 19 April 2018]

Greetings again from the darkness. In 1971, William Friedkin directed one of my all-time favorite films, THE FRENCH CONNECTION. He won the Oscar for Best Director. But of course that's not the movie which entrenched him as a cinematic legend. Two years later he directed THE EXORCIST, a film that, 45 years later, still regularly appears at or near the top of most "Best Horror film" lists.

For most of his adult life (he's now in his 80's), Mr. Friedkin has been associated with exorcisms, and he kicks off this documentary by confessing that he will be attending his first ever actual exorcism ... and will be filming the ceremony. It's a ritual very few of us have ever witnessed, and we learn that more than 500,000 Italians seek exorcisms from a priest each year. The director seems very anxious to take us along on his journey.

We get interviews and footage from multiple associated folks: Jeffrey Burton Russell, author of "The Prince of Darkness" and other satanic novels; William Peter Blatty, author of "The Exorcist"; a young Los Angeles priest who simultaneously expresses skepticism while stating he wouldn't want to get that close to the devil; and a couple of Neurosurgeons and some Psychiatrists. There are also interviews with a brother and sister recalling her experience of having a liberating exorcism performed on her, and the titular Father Gabriele Amorth - one of the most beloved figures in the Catholic Church. He was Head Exorcist for the Diocese of Rome for more than 30 years.

Whether the movie works for you or not (whether you believe it's real) likely depends on the interview we neither see nor hear. Mr. Friedkin's build up is to the exorcism he attends as Father Amorth performs the 9th exorcism on 'Cristina'. It's May 1, 2016 and there are perhaps 12-15 people in the room, including Cristina's parents and boyfriend. She has struggled with "demonic possession" for years, and the footage is quite startling - especially the audio of the guttural voice from such an innocent looking lady. It's also Father Amorth's 91st birthday and he literally thumbs his nose at the devil. It's after this ceremony where Friedkin claims he was to interview Cristina in a local church. Inexplicably, he doesn't have his camera, so we only hear him tell of the horrific events.

Mr. Friedkin directs the film (co-written with noted film critic Mark Kermode) and also acts as our guide through the rituals and beliefs associated with exorcisms. There is a bit of a "Dateline" vibe to the production, though it's a bit surreal to hear Father Amorth proclaim to the evil spirits, "You are banned forever". As has been the tradition for years, religion and science are at odds with the subject. Neurosurgeons label it "delirium", while Psychiatrists call it "Disassociate Trance Disorder". Is it merely a placebo effect caused by religious beliefs, or does Satan exist? Perhaps author Jeffrey Burton Russell says it best: "stay away from this stuff".

Fact or Fiction? Friedkin Style

[Michael_Elliott · 29 April 2018]

The Devil and Father Amorth (2017)

** (out of 4)

For better or worse, THE EXORCIST will always be the film people think of whenever William Friedkin is discussed. I personally don't think it's his best film but there's no question that it was a ground-breaking motion picture that was the director's most successful at the box office. It's interesting to see that towards the end of his career he would revisit the subject of exorcisms but this time it's the true story of Father Amorth who let Friedkin film his ninth exorcism on a woman.

THE DEVIL AND FATHER AMORTH got released to mostly negative reviews with many calling into question the ethics of Friedkin because of a twist that happens towards the end of the picture. I'll get to that more in a minute but there's no doubt that this here is a rather questionable movie for the director to tackle and especially when you consider it's just 69-minutes, which makes it feel more like a Blu-ray extra instead of an actual feature. In fact, Friedkin hasn't taken too kindly to the negative press this film has gotten and has really lashed out at critics.

Well, I'm sorry to say it but I have to agree with the negativity surrounding this picture. The first ten or so minutes basically has Friedkin talking about THE EXORCIST including revisiting the locations where it was filmed. He talks about the case that the movie was based on and then we get some archival footage of William Peter Blatty discussing the original case and the film. Umm... okay. I'm really not sure why we needed this stuff unless it was some sort of attempt to bring more attention to this movie. Perhaps the running time wasn't long enough so this was added?

Whatever the case is, none of this early footage is of much interest but then we jump to the exorcism that is being performed. We hear from the woman's family as well as Father Amorth who talks about exorcisms and various ones that he has performed. Once we get to the exorcism the main thing that's going to jump out is the voice coming from the woman. Some have question whether it's a sound effect or not but I really don't know. Are these scenes scary? Not at all.

What follows is Friedkin talking to a various of doctors and showing them the footage. There's a debate on whether it is some sort of brain issue yet we never really get any test results from the woman herself. The back and forth debate on the religious issue to the medical one is rather interesting but then we get back to the controversial ending. I'm not going to spoil it for people but I must admit that I found it to be incredibly stupid and I didn't buy it at all. It's like one of those monster hunter television shows where nothing ever happens until the moment a camera isn't set up.

THE DEVIL AND FATHER AMORTH is a film that I was really looking forward to but it's a real shame that it turned out the way it did.

The "Devil's" Voice

[notnordan · 1/10 · 30 July 2018]

The voice effect is literally the same one used for the zombies mode in Call Of Duty. How exactly did they expect anyone to think this is authentic? This is not a documentary, it is a blatant lie.

Disgusting and exploitative

[marktyoung · 1/10 · 12 July 2021]

Frankly this is trash. The "possessed" people clearly have mental health issues and/or epileptic seizures. Early on, we hear from a woman who was exorcised 4 times. Not only is her brother the lead interviewee, the formerly "possessed" woman is introduced as HIS sister. Like he is the 'lead act'. It's bizarrely misogynistic. The description given by both of them of her symptoms sound like seizures, although they exaggerate the symptoms at first: "slithering" on the floor shifts to "crawling" on the floor, until finally he sounds honest and says she was "writhing on the floor" (i.e. Seizing).

Then we are introduced to another woman. Who will be live filmed during her 9th exorcism. Yes, 9th. Worryingly, in her interview she wouldn't say if she has ever seen as psychiatrist as she has a "spiritual disease" and they can mimic physical ones. Sounds like brainwashing a vulnerable person to me. This is where this already bizarre "documentary" becomes openly manipulative. Her voice was digitally manipulated during the live exorcism. It's pretty obvious when you watch it, and subsequent investigation by journalists releasing the non-manipulated voice shows just how cheap and exploitative this "documentary" is.

William Friedkin comes across as credulous, swallowing any possession story given to him. But then, why did he have to manipulate the voice of the "possessed" woman in post-production? To give his audience what they expect it?

What makes this film so sick and exploitative is how clear it is that these women need medical and/or psychological help. They are being openly used, and told they have "spiritual diseases" that mimic physical ones, leaving them at the mercy of a man who has openly admitted needing to exorcise some people hundreds of times.

You gotta believe!

[dsmcg · 1/10 · 24 July 2018]

OK, call me a skeptic, but if I taped someone speaking in dual voiced slightly delayed harmonics, that would be the key to the entire project right there. The title would be, Possession proof via audio recording of the voice of Satan! Instead, it goes without discussion or further interest. This could mean one thing; it's a fake. (It sounds exactly like the Satan voice you can buy with vocal effect units at any music store.) Why would he bury the lead? It serves one purpose; keep the believers believing, And that is all the audience you need when you are a charlatan. Meanwhile, those who know a bit about audio or are skeptics will immediately wonder what happened? How did that get skipped over? This is a much more crucial mystery because it needs to be solved before you can take the next step. Friedkin could have not only eliminated this question but sold the whole project on it! But he did not. Again, ask yourself why? The non-religious testimony is dismissive. The religious commenters are useless in this context of legitimizing. The whole thing is poorly made and embarrassing as a project for the director. Apologist involved are on record saying they saw early version pre-post and the voice was there. But would you really expect a charlatan to show it before he put the effect on. Again, extraordinary claim requires extraordinary evidence. In this day and age, trusting a video tape is just not smart. The woman first found she had a problem during a mass and it coincidentally gets worse during an exorcism. This is presented as good evidence along with her brothers testimony. To wrap up he retells a story where he forgot to bring his camera... The voice now has additional lower pitched voices in addition to the already suspiciously altered voice to really drive it home, again without pointing out how unbelievably important that would be.

Some radical ratings here. Nerves touched.

[Nicarachie · 7/10 · 7 August 2018]

It's interesting to see people giving this a one star rating based on their own personal belief. It's really nice if you're an atheist or Christian but setting that aside it's a competent documentary. Seemed pretty open minded to me. Friedkin's stand point seemed to be he felt there was something to it but wasn't 100% convinced. The music was a bit intrusive and framing during a couple of his monologues seemed careless. I don't know or care if extra processing was done on her voice. Other than those things it was interesting and helmed by an intelligent, rational guy. Giving it a 1 or even a 10 seems like a personal issue with the religious aspect rather than standing back and viewing objectively.

What a load of baloney!

[LightningBalt · 1/10 · 6 April 2019]

In order to push that demonic posession is real, Friedkin: 1) talks about the inspiration for "The Exorcist," but omits that the "possessed" boy faked it for attention. 2) uses special effects to alter the sound of the "possessed" woman's voice during her "exorcism" 3) talks to psychiatrists then blatantly lies that they believe in demonic posession. Pathetic!

This movie was ok

[Jessicanu94 · 6/10 · 1 August 2018]

I like how it was documentary style. I also liked that they showed both sides of the argument. Her voice when she was possessed sounded like the nazi zombies from call of duty. The ending was a bit ridiculous

Don't even bother

[kankrillo-50277 · 1/10 · 26 July 2018]

What a fraud. This is the worst thing I've ever seen. It's badly done. All based in a poor voice effect. Only Ignorant people would say this is real.

Intriguing. Don't listen to the bad hype

[destiny_west · 8/10 · 27 February 2023]

First I have to say that I am not a religious person, so this doesn't come from that point of view.

I struggle to understand why so many bad reviews for this documentary.

The Devil and Father Amorth is an amazing documentary that delves into exorcisms still performed to this day by Vatican appointed Exorcists.

William Friedkin is fantastic in this documentary as he explores exorcisms and what made him famous via directing the greatest devil possession film of all time The Exorcist.

This documentary is genuinely disturbing and it does have you questioning is there something more out there and maybe I should visit church.

It is creepy, intriguing and had me on the edge of my seat all the way through.

I would highly recommend this film. I am sure with the coming release of The Pope's Exorcist staring Russell Crowe and based on some of Father Amorth's files, This documentary will get more viewing time and perhaps get the respect it deserves.

You don't have to believe. I personally don't believe in Satan. However, this film made me question and if it can do that, then its a good film.

Informative point of view about an exorcisim

[marvinxuya · 7/10 · 26 August 2018]

The film is kind of informative from the point of view of specialists and priests.

Rated 1 just because it wouldn't let me do a zero

[kitcatnc · 1/10 · 12 August 2018]

I used to believe in things like this but after watching this "joke-umentary" I can't say that I do. I put up more of a fight at the age of 5 when the nurses tried to give me a shot to knock me out for surgery and I am sure the language and grunts coming out of my mouth were a lot scarier than this womans. If she was possessed then why didn't she head but Father Amorth and bite those holding her down. She was compared to a caged animal? Try this tactic with a monkey. William you should be ashamed for putting this thing together. I love how you were only allowed to use your camera yet there was one in the room showing you filming it. Wasn't it convenient that you didn't have it at the end? You must have learned that trick from the Bigfooters. I also love all the extra people in the room after stating that the devil (demon) sometimes transfers to the next person, If it was a true demon no exorcist would allow that many people in the same room during the exorcism in the fear of containment. This is the worst documentary that I have ever seen.

Leaves more questions than answers

[roverite1970-682-875506 · 2/10 · 14 May 2021]

I went into this film with an open mind. The premise was excellent, and Father Amorth himself seemed to be a genuine, affable chap and having the director of The Exorcist himself direct this I was hoping for an awful lot more than what we got.

The story follows an Italian lady called 'Christina' who is allegedly possessed, and has had multiple exorcisms over the years by Father Amorth. We follow him as he performs an exorcism on Christina, but what we get is about as clear as mud.

Firstly, the room is full of family members, which in the case of an exorcism, would never happen as once the evil is excised, it would simply go onto another person. When she start getting possessed, all we get is a manic grin, where she is rocking back and forth and when the 'voice' manifests, I am afraid that I didn't believe it one bit. Music over the background allows manipulation to occur of other sounds, and to be honest, it looked like someone having a manic moment, maybe even hysteria. Not once did I ever think possession. Once this has all occurred, the multitude of family members are blessed before leaving. After all this, you get another 'story' from the director on how he had a further encounter with Christine and her husband in a church, but very conveniently, he didn't have a camera or any form of recording device with him. The story he told was so fantastical and out there, and basing my views on what I previously watched, I don't believe a word of it.

This had the scope to be very thought provoking, to be something to maybe align faith, but in the end all it did was create disbelief and cynicism and actually makes the director a bit of a laughing stock.

Beautiful landscapes

[fbustamp · 1/10 · 11 May 2019]

That´s the best thing that I have to say about this sad attempt of documentary. And being a lover of William Friedkin´s movies, ( Cruising, To Live and Die in L.A, The French Connection, 12 Angry Men and The Exorcist, of course), I just don´t get how he could fall so low to make this. The "exorcism" shown here looks so fake. Really disappointed. I really hope this is not his last work. I give this a 1.

Poor

[itenkroode · 3/10 · 2 February 2021]

This documentary looked promising, and although I am not religious myself I like to keep an open mind about these things. So let's put my opinion about religion aside.

I liked that he asked people's opinions and it wasn't just shut down by everyone, it seems everyone had a really open mind and was willing to really think about all the possible causes.

That being said, everything else was a flop. The director interrupts everyone all the time, what is the point in asking someone a question if you're not going to let them answer it?!

Also, they're saying the possessed woman would have an impossible strength but she is easily held down by 2 men (and one of them isnt even trying).

I didn't even finish it..

An interesting documentary

[mjsreg · 6/10 · 20 August 2018]

This documentary is an interesting insight into the most prominent exorcist in Rome, and Italy.

It shows the reality of exorcisms and the process - which is different to portrayals in feature films.

There are also interesting perspectives from medical science on the phenomenon.

Your don't have to believe in anything to find this documentary interesting.

Worth a watch if you are in the mood for some education and a wider perspective on the world

I'd give it zero stars if I could.

[queenlightningmcqueen · 1/10 · 30 July 2018]

Only 20 minutes into this "documentary" and let me say... what a giant load of donkey doo doo.

Using some kind of "demon" voice that should only be used by Hollywood for the average run of the mill horror film.

Seriously people, don't waste your precious time on this piece of garbage. It will make you cringe so badly.

The Devil Made me do it!

[chrislawuk · 7/10 · 8 May 2023]

Firstly the Exorcist was an excellent movie. But, you know, it was a movie.

Well, it's a heck of an alibi. Certainly nailed the voice. She looked half way between coming up on an ecstasy, and half coming down off heroin.

Hocus Pocus, mumbo Jumbo. Call it whatever, the evil that men (and women) do, is done by men: not gods! Just my opinion, but seems a reasonable assumption.

Maybe her father had something to do with it. I notice when it was his turn to get blessed her head nearly turned backwards. Some sort of personality split.

Father Amorth is still an interesting figure, and although brought up a Catholic, I had no idea real Exorcists existed.

The fact that William Friedkin was in it and gets some screen time, makes it worth watching for fans.

Additionally, fact or fiction, its an interesting phenomena, and I am not aware of an exorcism being allowed to be filmed before. Whether its an African Voodoo ceremony, or an Italian Catholic ritual, they are anthropological studies which are well worth documenting.

They never state who is taking over the position Father Amorth held-it would be interesting to see who succeeded him.

Devil Voice #3

[louhobbs · 2/10 · 24 September 2020]

This was an interesting, but disappointing film. The various interviews were informative. The main draw was obviously the exorcism. It was so not scary. It was ridiculous. The voice was clearly manipulated in post production. It was the same voice effect used in dozens of movies. It's probably labeled "Devil Voice #3" in the drop down list of audio filters in their editing software. You need only look at the reactions of the numerous family members in the room. As the harsh demonic voice screams at the priest, they are not startled in the least. They calmly look on, smiling and nodding like they're gathered around the table for Sunday dinner. No fear, no drama... Just silliness.

Respect the Truth more than the Lie(r)

[Vlad_Imirivan · 10/10 · 24 June 2018]

Easy to spot some of the from some of the 'possessed' critics on this page bagging this doco, giving it a low score for no point at all but belligerence.

According to William Friedkin, however, his brief, mostly straightforward documentary includes just such a novelty: the first authorized footage of a Catholic exorcism.

That claim will serve as a selling point for some, a red flag for others. Safe to say, this is unsettling fare ill-suited to the very young or the faint of heart.

He also includes an incomplete portrait of Father Amorth that asserts but does not explore the priest's sanctity. This will be a source of disappointment for Catholics in the audience since the jaunty, compassionate clergyman -- whose sense of humor extended to constant mockery of the Evil One -- appears to warrant a more penetrating study of his personality and work.

More attention devoted to Father Amorth, moreover, would have helped to offset the inevitable grimness of the rite at the heart of the proceedings.

"The devil's power is supernatural."

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 24 July 2023]

I called up this film from my local library after watching "The Pope's Exorcist" with Russell Crowe in the role of Father Gabriel Amorth, exorcist to the Vatican for thirty years from 1986 to 2016. This one is decidedly better than "Amorth, the Exorcist", also from the same year. I'm trying to balance my experience of the film with all the negative reviews on this site and it's difficult to decide. I didn't question whether the voice of Cristina was real or not. Director William Friedkin himself answered the question of whether the voice was altered or not in a taped interview - "I wouldn't f... around with that! That's ridiculous!"

Be that as it may, I'll take the documentary at face value. That Friedkin was allowed to record the exorcism with friends and family of the distressed woman present was something I didn't expect. No additional crew or lighting equipment was allowed by Father Gabriel Amorth. The woman in question was in her Forties, her head bobbed up and down and her body heaved uncontrollably while being held in place by three men. Among facial grimaces and yelling out, the devil revealed himself by stating "I am Satan. Stop this!" When this, her ninth exorcism by Amorth was over, it appeared that she might have been cured, but later she became even more hysterical when the priest prayed with her father and mother.

Friedkin followed up his filming of the experience by interviewing a handful of neurosurgeons and psychiatrists, all of whom shied away from the idea of demonic possession without actually denying it, allowing for that inscrutable unknown that's often a part of the human experience. If one goes into this with an open mind, I think it can be instructive, even for the nay-sayers. Friedkin finished the film by offering a positive spin on his experience with Father Amorth by stating, "If there are demons, there must be angels".

A good director in his prime, not so good by today's standards

[bozstrew · 1/10 · 4 August 2018]

Friedkin does try his best to make this somewhat credible, I'm not religious in the slightest but went into this with an open mind.

The build up was fun, hearing these accounts from Christina's family about the horrific things that had happened, oh boy, I'm very interested in when we get to the 'real' exorcism, then we find out this is Christina's 9th lap around the holy field and at that point is where any optimism left me, this is simply religious propaganda. Go to mass and holy ceremonies because this is how you'll get the devil anGerY, then you'll know you're possessed.

The 'fact' that Christina has been exorcised 8 times prior to this recording is just an easy way to dismiss the far more extreme symptoms she allegedly had in the previous exorcisms; which leads me to the damn voice. The. Damn. Voice. It's just post production magic, synthesising the voice, and its blindingly obvious, take a listen back at it and notice how every time Christina's demonic voice is projected, the room goes silent and even when Amorth is speaking, his voice disappears, but his mouth keeps going. I have a lot of respect for Friedkin and his contribution to modern film, but he was in over his head here, couldn't even isolate a track in order to keep background noise over the voice.

The documentary is a sham, watch for a few laughs.

I just have a few questions

[kimmeah · 3/10 · 9 August 2018]

Spoilers ahead

When Christina's parents were blessed by Father Amorth, she became violent with possession again. Why didn't Father Amorth focus on her again? Why did he just continue to bless her parents? If the case of possession is so unique, devastating and devastating to her, why just leave her with it while blessing other people? The narrator even mentions that she is more violent than before, but no one does anything about it?

How did Father Amorth, a very holy Father, just die from pneumonia?

Why was the extremely dramatic meeting in Alatri not even filmed or recorded? When you call Christina and she sounds angry on the phone, you can assume that you might have a chance to film something that is exactly what the documentary is all about. Wait, what was the documentary about again?

This confirmed for me that the whole documentary is fake.