[6.25/10] The Rite (2011)

The Rite (2011)

Brief review: Swedish visionary, Mikael Håfström, known for his stunningly-effective creepfest, "1408", delivers yet another well-crafted supernatural horror flick, that deals with exorcism - one of the most frequent and popular subject matters in the horror genre. Although the film suffers heavily from muddled pacing, and it certainly doesn't rank as one of the most effective exorcism-related movies ever made, "The Rite" is still watchable, thanks to its well-written script, Håfström's solid direction and some truly ominous settings that create a mysterious and often frightening atmosphere. In fact, if you try not to take the film too seriously, you might have a great time with it - it may be a slow-burner and lacking in genuine scares, but "The Rite" is fairly gripping, and it delivers the chills and some truly disturbing images in its final act. Anthony Hopkins is unsurprisingly brilliant as the confident, and devoted Father Lucas, but it's Marta Gastini as the pregnant girl Rosaria, who makes the biggest impression, despite her limited screen time - she's portrays demonic possession to perfection! Colin O'Donoghue, on the other hand, not only looks like a plastic doll, but his performance as the seminary student is unbelievably stiff, dull and emotionless.

Overall summary: Mikael Håfström's "The Rite" won't make you believe the devil really exists, but it will certainly entertain you for a few hours with its chilling atmosphere, dark and creepy visuals, well-written dialogues and Anthony Hopkins' convincingly devilish performance.