A Hollywood movie, shot partly on location in County Limerick, will open at Irish cinemas on this Good Friday.
‘The Pope’s Exorcist,’ which features Russell Crowe and follows the life of Fr. Gabriele Amorth, Rome’s former Chief Exorcist, who claims to have performed over 100,000 exorcisms in his lifetime, was partly shot around the 19th century Dromore Castle, close to Kildimo.
Russell Crowe explained he discovered the true Amorth through his research. “He had a certain irreverent take on things that I tried to bring into the film. He’s an individual, not a cookie cutter man of the cloth. He rides a Lambretta motor scooter!”
The movie is largely set in both 1990s Spain and Italy, with locations used here at Dromore Castle and in counties Dublin and Wicklow.
Interestingly, Crowe will turn 59 on Good Friday. He became fond of Limerick after striking up a strong friendship with the late Richard Harris, our most famous acting son. The pair had bonded during their time working on the 2000 adventure/action film ‘Gladiator.’
Directed by Julius Avery, the cast of ‘The Pope’s Exorcist’ also includes Franco Nero as the Pope, and is based on books written by Fr. Amorth while serving as exorcist in the Diocese of Rome from 1986 up until his death at the age of 91 in 2016.
Avery is best-known for his 2018 action horror flick ‘Overlord’.
The real Amorth unsurprisingly said his favourite film was horror classic ‘The Exorcist,’ and said the film helped raise awareness about his job.
Dromore was previously used by Neil Jordan for his 1988 fantasy comedy film ‘High Spirits’. It starred Steve Guttenberg, Daryl Hannah, Beverly D’Angelo, Liam Neeson and Peter O’Toole.
The castle was also included in a trailer for the 1991 movie ‘Fatal Inheritance’.
Should ‘The Pope’s Exorcist’ win over its worldwide audience, there will be huge interest in locations such as Kildimo.