If you're a fan of satanic possession horror films with a religious and/or spiritual message, and you're a fan of Anthony Hopkins, this one is a goodie.
The Rite is based on a novel by Matt Baglio called "The Rite: The Making of an Exorcist", which claims to be based on actual events.
It is the story of a young man raised as the son of an eccentric funeral home director who enters the seminary to become a priest, only to offer his resignation before ordination because of lack of faith. As a last measure in an effort to challenge the young man's lack of faith, his mentor at seminary school sends him to Rome to study exorcism. Anthony Hopkins plays the exorcist to whom he's assigned, and the creepiness unfolds from there.
You watch the young man work through his doubt, even when as the viewer, all thoughts of coincidence are almost immediately erased by what unfolds in the film. The film takes the existence of Satan and God for granted, and places the character in the position of unbeliever. So I think it's not too much of a spoiler to reveal an aspect of the film's refreshing conclusion: When finally confronted with the reality of the devil's demon incarnate, this young man has an epiphany - that only through faith in the salvation offered him through Jesus Christ can this demon be defeated. He essentially accepts Christ as his Lord in the midst of an exorcism.
If you still shudder when you watch "The Exorcist", this is one of the better reboots of the genre I've seen. Another is
The Exorcism of Emily Rose, also said to be based on actual events.
'The Rite' Trailer
