There is a genuinely interesting film buried somewhere inside The Pope's Exorcist — and it surfaces just often enough to make the rest of it frustrating.

The practical effects work is the clear highlight. When the film commits to doing something real and physical on screen it lands well — visceral, visually strong, and effective in the moments it's deployed. Russell Crowe is fully committed throughout and brings more to the role than the material probably warrants.

But as a horror film, it doesn't deliver. The scares aren't there. The tension doesn't build in any meaningful way. And every time the practical work gives way to CGI the film loses whatever ground it had gained — pulled back into territory that feels generic and unconvincing.

As an entry point into horror for newer viewers, it just about functions as something mild and accessible. For anyone with a broader frame of reference, the limitations are obvious.

Missed opportunity.