Russell Crowe's horror The Exorcism hasn't been a hit with the critics.
Now on the big screen, it stars Crowe as a troubled actor named Anthony Miller who begins to unravel while working on his latest project.
His daughter Lee (played by Fear Street star Ryan Simpkins) ponders whether Anthony has relapsed into addiction – or whether something much darker is at play. The cast also includes Sam Worthington, David Hyde Pierce and Swarm's Chloe Bailey.
At the time of writing, review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes has given The Exorcism a score of 32%.
Related: Russell Crowe's horror hit is officially getting a sequel
In case you're thinking of checking out The Exorcism this weekend, here's a round-up of critics' reviews so far:
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"This is masturbatory pseudo-horror, with about 20 scattered minutes of even attempted scares. It remains stubbornly confounding – a rough draft with hints of winking wit."
"There's a wobble about how committed this is to being a scary movie rather than an inside Hollywood drama, but – like Exorcist III – it springs one great lunge-out-of-an-unexpected-corner-of-the-frame jump scare."
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"Crowe is playing an actor playing an exorcist, and the way The Exorcism is structured what he needs to be is the therapeutic Father Merrin of his own soul.
"But the darker the movie gets, the less there is at stake, and the more that Crowe seems to be going through the motions of trying to save not his soul but his career. The power of residuals compels you."
"When The Exorcism eventually embraces horror fully, it is simultaneously darkly entertaining and conventionally disappointing... However, anything compelling or substantial narratively that the film could have been building towards is shoved aside."
The Exorcism is out now in cinemas.
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Reporter, Digital Spy
Dan is a freelance entertainment journalist. Beginning his writing career in 2014, Dan's work first graced the pages of cult publications Starburst magazine and Little White Lies before moving onto Total Film, Digital Spy, NME and Yahoo Entertainment.
In the film and TV universe, he kneels at the altar of Jim Carrey, Daniel Plainview, Mike Ehrmantraut and Paulie Walnuts.
