Netflix's new #1 movie is one of 2023's most divisive horror films
The Pope's Exorcist, one the year's most divisive horror releases, is the new number one movie on Netflix in the US.
The supernatural flick stars Russell Crowe as Father Gabriele Amorth, the Pope's personal exorcist, as he investigates the possession of a child, uncovers a conspiracy in the Vatican, and rides his Vespa around Italy. In the platform's top 10, the movie is ahead of new Netflix original Heart of Stone, starring Gal Gadot, and the streamer's new animated family movie The Monkey King.
The Pope's Exorcist divided critics and viewers when it was released in April, scoring 47% on Rotten Tomatoes with a mixed batch of reviews. Rolling Stone wrote that "The Pope’s Exorcist will certainly never go down as a classic of the genre, but it’s better than it has any reason to be," but Screen Daily remarked that "the fact that everyone involved thought this was a good idea... is somehow far more terrifying than anything onscreen."
However, the audience score on the review aggregator site is a much healthier 81%, and viewers have also taken to Twitter to share their enjoyment of the movie. "Watching the Pope’s Exorcist. Good flick. I’ll nod towards a good tale of demonic possession, however impossible to suspend disbelief that Russell Crowe rode a Vespa 20 hours from Rome to Castile," wrote one Twitter user. "All this time, I thought THE POPE’S EXORCIST was a horror-comedy. Was not expecting an actually serious possession movie," commented another.
The Pope's Exorcist is streaming now on Netflix in the US. For more viewing inspiration, fill out your watch list with our picks of the other best Netflix horror movies to add to your watch list.
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