Is The Pope’s Exorcist based on a true story?

Although the storyline may appear unbelievable as a factual account, surprisingly, the movie is grounded in some degree of reality.

As a devoted cinephile, I found myself captivated by this movie that weaves its storyline from the true-life experiences of Father Gabriel Amorth, a man who served as the Vatican’s official exorcist for several decades.

However, where does reality end and fantasy begin in the film? Here’s a comprehensive look into the real-life events that inspired “The Pope’s Exorcist.

The Pope’s Exorcist true story: Who was the real Father Gabriele Amorth?

Father Gabriele Amorth, a Roman Catholic priest, was commissioned as an exorcist for the Diocese of Rome in June of 1986, and he rose to become the Chief Exorcist six years afterward.

The work in question was once featured in the 2017 documentary titled “The Devil and Father Amorth.” In this film, director William Friedkin ventured to the Italian village of Alatri to witness Father Amorth conducting an exorcism. The recently released movie is based on his two memoirs: “An Exorcist Tells His Story” and “An Exorcist: More Stories.

Amorth boasts about conducting up to 160,000 exorcisms during his professional life; however, this figure is challenged by certain individuals – such as Edward Peters, a scholar in the field of church law.

In 2016, at the age of 91, he sadly passed away. However, before his demise, he consented to hand over the rights to his books to producer Michael Patrick Kaczmarek. Earlier, several film production companies had presented him with offers, but he declined them all previously.

In the production notes for the film, Kaczmarek stated that he felt he managed to achieve success when others had not, by effectively demonstrating his deep-rooted spiritual commitment to Father Amorth.

In our conversations, I managed to persuade him that collaborating with me would provide an opportunity to maintain the Catholic essence in the production, and ensure respect for both him personally, the Church, and his religious institution.

The movie draws inspiration from Amorth’s books instead of being a literal adaptation, and screenwriter Michael Petroni was enlisted to craft an original tale. As Kaczmarek stated: “He skillfully integrated genuine Latin prayers, as found in the book used by Catholic exorcists, lending a high degree of authenticity to the script.

Essentially, the movie is built around the memoirs of a genuine individual, but whether you find some fantastical aspects believable will hinge solely on your personal beliefs.

Is San Sebastian Abbey a real place?

Indeed, contrary to what the movie suggests, there’s no actual Gothic abbey as depicted in it. Instead, the filming was carried out at Dromore Castle located in Ireland.