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New trailer for William Friedkin’s “THE DEVIL AND FATHER AMORTH” will possess you

Tuesday, March 20, 2018 | News

By MICHAEL GINGOLD

More than 40 years after changing the face of screen horror with THE EXORCIST, director William Friedkin returns to its subject matter—for real this time—with THE DEVIL AND FATHER AMORTH. Check out the new trailer after the jump.

Coming to theaters in New York and Los Angeles April 20 courtesy of The Orchard, THE DEVIL AND FATHER AMORTH combines Friedkin’s memories of crafting THE EXORCIST with a contemporary study of possession and exorcism. The synopsis: “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.”

Michael Gingold
Michael Gingold (RUE MORGUE's Head Writer) has been covering the world of horror cinema for over three decades, and in addition to his work for RUE MORGUE, he has been a longtime writer and editor for FANGORIA magazine and its website. He has also written for BIRTH.MOVIES.DEATH, SCREAM, IndieWire.com, TIME OUT, DELIRIUM, MOVIEMAKER and others. He is the author of the AD NAUSEAM books (1984 Publishing) and THE FRIGHTFEST GUIDE TO MONSTER MOVIES (FAB Press), and he has contributed documentaries, featurettes and liner notes to numerous Blu-rays, including the award-winning feature-length doc TWISTED TALE: THE UNMAKING OF "SPOOKIES" (Vinegar Syndrome).