Anthony Hopkins’ Answer To The Exorcist Quietly Appeared On Netflix Without You Realizing

Published Sep 20, 2026, 9:15 AM EDT

Zoë Miskelly is an editor and second in command for Screen Rant's Movies team, having covered the entertainment industry for almost 10 years now. Zoë's love of superheroes and all things Marvel & DC started out in childhood, and has blossomed into a career getting to talk about some of the biggest and best movies and shows of all time, having previously focused on comics while working at WhatCulture.

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The Anthony Hopkins movie that mirrors The Exorcist in terms of being a film that explores the concept of demonic possession was quietly added to Netflix this month, though plenty of people who would find the movie fascinating may have missed it arriving on the platform. As one of the most famous horror movies of all time, The Exorcist has defined the subgenre of films that are about possession ever since the original release debuted back in 1973.

The concept of people being controlled and possessed by demons or supernatural specters generally speaking is one that has proved endlessly fascinating to filmgoers effectively ever since these earlier days for the film category, with The Exorcist remaining the benchmark for many in terms of how effectively and terrifyingly this concept can be displayed on the big screen.

Though Anthony Hopkins' possession movie takes a different overall approach to its story and tone for some clear reasons, the way in which the 2011 film delves into this territory is similarly fascinating on several levels, especially for those who have seen The Exorcist and are aware of the conventional ways in which this subgenre of horror is often depicted when it comes to the world of film.

The Rite Was Added To Netflix At The Start Of September 2026

September 2026 has already brought many releases to Netflix's roster, with plenty of them being more horror-related, in part because the genre does consistently well on the streaming platform, and no doubt also to help set up the service for October and Halloween time, wherein many viewers will search for something suitably harrowing to enjoy.

The Rite is one such addition, with the 2011 supernatural horror movie having been added to Netflix on September 1 (as per Netflix's own records), kicking off the month with a film that loosely adapts the events of The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist.

As the name suggests, the movie follows the life of reluctant priest Father Lucas Trevant - played by Anthony Hopkins, who is best known for his role as Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, and Red Dragon - as he deals with his faith during a series of events that lead to more than one exorcism of those believed to be possessed by demons.

Though The Rite has been criticized for its slower pace and less intensive action than other similar movies, it does work as an interesting peer to The Exorcist arguably because of these factors.

Why The Rite Is A Perfect Film For Fans Of The Exorcist

Where many horror movies that are centered around demonic possessions and exorcisms lean into the spooks and scares this can provide, The Rite is far more toned-down with this aspect of its story, providing a more existential and atmospheric tone rather than being an out-and-out horror film.

Given The Rite adapts Father Gary Thomas' real-life reports of his life, this makes a lot of sense, and allows the film to avoid rehashing the kind of territory that many other possession movies tend to focus heavily on, instead replacing this with a more in-depth look at the lives of the clergy and how someone might go from questioning their own faith to eventually carrying out an exorcism themselves.

As such, while The Rite may not be the biggest scarefest on Netflix's horror roster, it is a fascinating movie, especially for those who are already fans of The Exorcist, and thus may find themselves particularly interested in how the film depicts the concept of exorcisms in a different manner that still has some compelling and terrifying moments.