Russell Crowe Recalls Terrifying 1st Time He Saw ‘The Exorcist’

Russell Crowe’s dark new thriller “The Pope’s Exorcist” is gonna make you sleep with the lights on!

“Extra’s” Rachel Lindsay spoke with Crowe about the film, as well as the first time he saw the demon-possession movie classic “The Exorcist.”

Of the 1973 movie, Crowe said, “I have clear memories of it. Extreme experience… I was 14.”

He elaborated, “The usher thought it was a jovial idea to get a broom and bang the roof of the cinema. It was 500 people in that room just, like, lifting out of their seats, and we did not share that guy’s sense of humor in that moment.”

Russell is hoping “The Pope’s Exorcist” will do the same for today’s audiences.

He commented, “It’s built to entertain you and maybe give you a bit of a shock… a gasp and reach for the person sitting next to you… You do have to, in a way, talk yourself through this stuff, just make sure you retain your objectivity.”

The movie is inspired by the actual files of Father Gabriele Amorth.

Crowe admitted, “I personally don’t lean into horror films, but there’s so many different other elements in this film, which make it a little bit broader.”

Russell plays Gabriele as he investigates a young boy’s terrifying possession and uncovers a centuries-old conspiracy.

Crowe noted the real-life exorcist turned away “98%” of the cases brought to him, sayin, “He very much, you know, was distilling his efforts into areas that he himself had no explanation for.”