"The Exorcist" movie director William Friedkin has dabbled with the supernatural throughout his career in the movies, and he has chosen to do so again in his latest work, "The Devil and Father Amorth."
Through his work and what he has learned about the supernatural, Friedkin has told Vulture that he has developed a keen interest in Jesus Christ and a deep respect for His life on Earth and His teachings.
"I'm interested in Jesus. I'm not a Catholic, but I'm interested in Jesus, yes. I strongly believe in the teachings of Jesus as expressed in the New Testament, by the people who wrote the gospels and Paul," he said.
Even though he does not know much about the afterlife, Friedkin claimed that "neither does anyone else." He maintained that "no one knows anything about the eternal mysteries, how we got here, why we're here, is there an afterlife."
The director said that the pope was quoted recently as saying there's no hell. When he didn't backtrack his statement, Friedkin contemplated: "Is there a heaven and a hell? Who knows? I don't know if there's a hell. Neither does he!"
On the other hand, Friedkin remains ambivalent about his thoughts about the Devil. "I'm not saying that I believe there is a Devil. I certainly believe there is evil, and that bad things happen to good people," he acknowledged.
"The Devil and Father Amorth" is a documentary that explores real-life exorcisms, according to Variety. Friedkin went to Italy back in 2016 to witness and film exorcisms. In one, a young Italian woman named Christina claimed to be possessed.
Friedkin said the documentary is quite different from his original film, "The Exorcist," but he added that it was nonetheless chilling. He was accompanied by Father Gabriele Amorth, who is hailed as the Catholic authority on exorcisms.
Amorth agreed to let Friedkin tag along with the exorcisms, provided that it be shot with just a small camera and no lighting. For the director, being able to witness these things first-hand is a feat. "I doubt that there's one percent of people on Earth who have seen an exorcism - a real Roman Catholic exorcism. Most of the priests had never seen it," he said.
The documentary was released on April 20, 2018.
