My God, but this is gonna be some absolute bull[expletive deleted]:
Note that I am not immediately saying no to THE POPE’S EXORCIST. It’s a horror flick about the Catholic Church and demons; this is an actual genre, and the genre has conventions. Crises of faith, corruption in the upper levels of Holy Mother Church, far too much of the Manichean heresy — these are all known and expected elements. The question really is: can Russell Crowe pull off the role?
I think that he very well could.
Moe Lane
PS: Say what you like about this particular genre and its treatment of the Catholic Church, but: nobody ever go gets an Episcopalian when there’s a devil on the loose. It’s either us, or the Baptists — and that’s only because their fictional preachers reliably have access to shotguns.
…and now I want to see a horror flick about demons where someone goes to get the local Catholic priest, and he immediately puts in a call to the local Baptist minister… because the two have a good working relationship, and he figures the current situation calls for more hands on deck, and he knows *for a fact* that said minister reliably has access to shotguns. You see at least one back-and-forth cuts preparation scene where the Catholic is doing prayers and refreshing his memory of certain liturgies, and the Baptist is making sure that his guns are clean and in good working order. They meet up to go beard the creature in its lair and the first thing that the Baptist does is hand out guns to the two helpful randos because he owns three, and therefore duh. Why does he own three? Well, after the *first* demonic infestation the two had to deal with (some 10-20 years ago), he decided that he was going to be *prepared*.
I’d watch that movie.
Or, failing that, read that story. Get to it, random internet-friend! 😉
Only 3 guns? What is he, a fresh graduate from seminary?
You’d have a “Tremors” basement armory if he was that far into his career. Plus he’d have several of his deacons on speed dial who would also show up, bandoliers and all.
You also need a rabbi bearing the seal of Solomon.
And at some point, they must walk into a bar.
That’s actually the perfect place for the demon to be lairing, now that you mention it.
I *like* the idea of including the rabbi, but I’m not sure how to fit him in as an interestingly distinct useful member of the clergy. Like, the priest is bringing the ritual work. The minister is bringing the (blessed) buckshot. What is the rabbi bringing that isn’t just more of the same of what the other two guys are showing up with? As far as something like this is concerned, there isn’t really a difference in kind between Qaballah and Catholic ritual.