Father Gary Thomas, whose real life experience as an
exorcist-in-training is chronicled in the highly anticipated movie “The
Rite,” praised the film for its positive portrayal of the Church and for
its witness to the power of faith.
The movie, starring Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins and newcomer Colin
O’Donoghue, is loosely based on Fr. Thomas' experience traveling to Rome
and studying under an Italian exorcist in 2005.
Set to hit screens on Jan 28., “The Rite” follows skeptical seminary
student Michael Kovak (O’Donoghue), who is sent to study exorcism at the
Vatican in spite of his own doubts.
Anthony Hopkins plays a character
by the name of Fr. Lucas – an Italian priest and veteran exorcist – who
befriends Michael and helps open his eyes to reality of demon possession
and the need for rite in the modern world.
The movie is based off of journalist Matt Broglio's 2009 book, “The
Rite: The making of a modern exorcist.” Baglio befriended Fr. Gary
Thomas while in Rome and chronicled the priest's studies at the
Pontifical North American College and his eventual apprenticeship with a
local exorcist.
In an interview with CNA on Jan. 19, Fr. Thomas – who currently
serves as pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Saratoga, California –
explained that he served as a consultant for the film, particularly the
scenes featuring exorcisms.
For a week in June last year, he said he was on the movie set working
with cast members and producers. The priest added that “to their
credit,” the directors and producers wanted the exorcism scenes to be as
accurate at possible.
“The environment of that movie set was very reverential towards the
Church,” Fr. Thomas said. “The producer and the director and the cast
whom I worked with at the time were very open.”
Fr. Thomas said he recently saw a screening of the film alongside
Anthony Hopkins at a New Line Cinema studio in Los Angeles. In his
words, the movie has a “loose” basis in Baglio's book.
One discrepancy Fr. Thomas pointed out was that he went to Rome as a
50-year-old seasoned priest with a desire to learn more about the rite
of exorcism – hardly a cynical seminarian in the midst of a faith
crisis.
Despite the differences, however, he called the film “very good.”
“The human side of the priesthood is very well developed,” he said,
adding that the portrayal of “the institutional Church comes out very
positively.”
Fr. Thomas said that given the reality of the subject matter, the
experience was very powerful and even frightening for many involved in
the movie.
He said that Hopkins, a professed Christian, and O'Donohugh – a
practicing Catholic who serves as a lector at his parish in Dublin –
“very much” believe in the existence of evil and feared possible demonic
attacks as a result of working on the film.
“The producer and the two key actors all asked me privately if they
could be attacked by doing this movie,” he said. “I said, I can't
absolutely say yes or no – which lead me to say 'possibly.'”
“I do think that a person can get attacked, and I don't know if they
did but they were afraid,” he said. “I just tried to reassure them.”
Fr. Thomas also said that the intensely eery trailers for the film
are “deceptive” in the sense that they make it look like a “horror
movie,” which he says is inaccurate.
“There's some very riveting scenes – I wouldn't say they're scary, but they're a little startling.”
Ultimately, however, “this is a movie about faith,” said Fr. Thomas. “People are going to be very surprised.”
SIC: CNA/INT'L