The Rite

What’s more terrifying than the Devil? Nothing? The dark? The haunted face of Andrew Lloyd Webber? Or perhaps for film fans a particularly intense Sir Anthony Hopkins, fava beans in hand. Well ‘The Rite’ scores big on horror favourites as it features both the prince of darkness and the Silence of the Lambs star, beans notwithstanding. However Lecter and Lucifer have not joined forces, to the relief of human kind, but in fact line up against each other as Hopkins, along with Tudors bit player Colin O’Donoghue, don cassocks to play Priests embroiled in the business of exorcism.

Mix in a crisis of faith and as far as plot goes that’s all you want to know as The Rite’s strongest moments come from the unexpected and the indescribable as the horror of the demonic possessions at its core seeps out with increasing intensity. Intensity, in fact, may be the key word in any critique of ‘The Rite’ particularly in relation to Hopkins presence. You might expect a big, unnerving, scene stealing turn from the Academy award winner and no one will be disappointed. At times he reaches pitches of performance that could blow the horns off the most under garment ruining of demons.

Coming from veteran horror / thriller Director Mikael Håfström The Rite rejects the current horror trends of low budget fright fests and wince inducing ‘torture porn’ to hark back the high concept horror of the past. It recalls most obviously 1973’s The Exorcist, but also The Omen, The Omen 2 and even The Omen 3! As well as many other classics and sequels too numerous (and numbered) to mention. A must see for all horror fans and those who oppose the forces of evil.

Theodore J. Ingham