FILM · 2011 · ITALY
The Rite
17 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
17 Interesting Facts About The Rite
Interesting Facts (14)
- #001
The demon Baal is usually depicted as a man, a cat, a frog or a mix of these, and Father Lucas Trevant's (Sir Anthony Hopkins) house is overrun with cats, with frogs in the fountain.
- #002
When Father Lucas Trevant (Sir Anthony Hopkins) hands Michael Kovak (Colin O'Donoghue) an umbrella on a clear day and says "it's going to rain," it foreshadows that Lucas is possessed; he'd earlier told Michael that the easiest way to tell is that the possessed know what they can't possibly know.
- #003
The demon Ba'al indirectly reveals its name to Michael through the creatures associated with it: cats, frogs, humans and red-eyed donkeys. There are the cats around Fr. Lucas's house, the yellow-bellied frogs swarming the fountain, the frog on the pillow, the two possessed people (Rosaria and Father Lucas), and the donkey in the dreams of both the child and Michael, along with the hoof-shaped bruises on the child. All of which suggests Michael was probably meant to be Ba'al's fourth victim, after Rosaria, Father Lucas and the child, since he was in a crisis of faith and having terrible visions.
- #004
It was shipped to cinemas under the code name "Denial."
- #005
Michael keeps saying Rosaria needs a psychiatrist rather than a priest. In real exorcisms, the rite can't go ahead until every reasonable doubt has been ruled out, starting with medical causes, then mental and finally spiritual ones (family history of mental illness, medication or drug use, etc.). It was probably meant to deepen Michael's doubts about God, but it backfired when he faced Ba'al through Rosaria in the hospital: if Ba'al didn't exist, as Michael insisted, then Rosaria wasn't really possessed, which infuriated the demon.
- #006
Three of Ba'al's victims know things they couldn't know, the sign of possession: Rosaria knows about the dollar and details of Michael's private life; Fr. Lucas knows it will rain, about the frog on the pillow and about Michael's feelings for Angeline; and the child knows ahead of time that Michael's father has died.
- #007
The first trailer used Wojciech Kilar's music from Dracula (1992), which also starred Sir Anthony Hopkins.
- #008
The film is based on a book about a real priest, Father Gary Thomas, whose bishop appointed him diocesan exorcist and sent him to Rome to learn the rite.
- #009
The "Redemption Theatre" seen early in the film is the Lyric Theatre at 12952 Western Avenue in Blue Island, Illinois.
- #010
It draws on the real experiences of Father Gary Thomas, a California priest and Vatican-approved exorcist whose bishop sent him to Rome to study exorcism.
- #011
Promoting the film, Ciarán Hinds stressed: "This film ('The Rite') is not a horror film in itself. I mean, there are genuinely dark, frightening events, but it doesn't specifically mean 'Boo', horror-style film tension and shocks, but it tries to deal with a real, practical possibility of how you deal with it."
- #012
At the climax, Michael Kovak, a seminarian, performs an exorcism on Father Lucas, which couldn't happen in reality. An exorcism must be carried out by an appointed priest with his bishop's explicit permission and delegated authority, since bishops, as successors of the apostles, hold the authority to exorcise that Christ gave them. Doing one without ordination and permission is forbidden under canon law and extremely dangerous, because the demon is free to strike back and seriously harm the exorcist; there are many documented cases of this.
- #013
The main characters are fictional but loosely based on real people: Michael Kovak (O'Donoghue) on Father Gary Thomas and Lucas Trevant (Hopkins) on Father Carmine De Filippis, both born in 1953, while Angeline (Braga) draws on Matt Baglio, author of the book of the same name.
- #014
The book's author is credited on screen before the screenwriter.
Behind the Scenes (1)
- #015
Marta Gastini, who plays Rosaria, got on very well with Anthony Hopkins and later said: "He is not only the best actor alive, he is also a wonderful person. He is so humble… Even when he is off camera he works with the same energy to help you, and that is why I admire him so much."
Characters & Cast (1)
- #016
Most critics panned the film, but Roger Ebert stood up for it, praising in particular the casting of Alice Braga as the female lead: "In a true casting coup, Braga is attractive but not a sexpot. This film was shot largely in Hungary. In Hollywood, Megan Fox would have been written all over the role."
Easter Eggs & References (1)
- #017
According to the letter from Italy that Michael receives at the end, Kovak & Son Funeral Home is in Dixon, IL 61021, yet the phone number on the funeral home sign shown just before starts with "312," Chicago's North Loop area code, more than 160 miles and nearly two hours away.
Related pages
- The Pope's Exorcist — The Rite comes up in the facts on that page
- Star Wars — The Rite comes up in the facts on that page
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- IMDb
Information from external sources is independently selected, consolidated and edited by Arka Evren. Sources are listed for verification and further reading. Encyclopedia text is used under its licence (CC BY-SA). How we work