The first horror movie starring Hollywood star Russell Crowe, 'The Pope's Exorcist', was screened in America and many other countries last month. Directed by Julius Avery, the film was a huge success, grossing $55 million worldwide in as little as one month.
Russell Crowe plays Father Gabriel Amorth, the Vatican's chief exorcist. In the film, Amorth's attempt to exorcise the demon that haunts a young boy is also about the emergence of the Vatican's century-old conspiracy.
The film, which received both good and bad reviews from critics, was criticized by The International Association of Exorcists (IAE), founded by Gabriel Amorth.
In a statement on the association's website, he stated that the film was beyond imagination and that the exorcisms were distorted.
The association also stated that it was removed from the film "to instill the belief that exorcism is an abnormal, monstrous and frightening phenomenon, that the only main protagonist is the devil, and that his violent reactions are hardly tolerated".