The Rite

There have been a lot of movies about demon possessions and exorcisms over the years, including a rash of low budget, silly genre attempts. Of the recent efforts, The Rite might very well qualify as the best exorcism movie. That doesn’t mean the movie is all that good. It can’t hold an altar candle to the likes of The Exorcist or Evil Dead. But it is better than trash like The Last Exorcism, The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Paranormal Activity 2. Colin O’Donoghue is rather dull as a faith-challenged priest who trains as an exorcist with a weathered and eccentric tutor stationed in Italy (Anthony Hopkins). Hopkins has some nice crazy moments, especially when his character begins to exhibit symptoms of demon possession. But the final scenes cloaking Hopkins in typical demon possession makeup and special effects do the movie in.