Boys) was given the outline of a nonfiction
book about Gary Thomas, a priest who at-
tended an exorcism course offered by the
Vatican. "It's probably my own fault," he
jokes. "I do feel like I've been branded the
Catholic kid on the block. My upbringing is
Catholic and to me there's a lot of rich im-
agery and stories in the Catholic world that
I'm probably still writing out of my system."
The project was set up with producers Beau
Flynn and Tripp Vinson at Contrafilm, who
wanted Petroni to start working on an adap-
tation before Matt Baglio had even finished
writing his book. "So the book was being
written in tandem with the script," Petroni
explains, "or the screenplay was being writ-
ten in tandem with the book."
pening. The author would send new chap-
ters to Petroni as they were finished. "Then
I'd call him up and kind of interview on his
interviews," explains the screenwriter. "So he
was a great resource for me." Baglio was very
open to Petroni's questions and was also will-
ing to give his own opinions about some of
the interviews he conducted. Did he believe
this person? Did this person seem like a bit of
swer," Petroni says, "which was also really
helpful in characterizing these clergymen."
ested in some of the side interviews as he was
in the main story Baglio was telling. "As I was
writing it in tandem with Matt's research I
was like, `Gee, I love that story,'" explains the
screenwriter. "Then I would discuss it with
the producers, and they'd say, `Yeah, use
that.'" What Petroni ultimately decided was
to weave the experiences of several priests to-
gether into one story that centers on a single
character. "As the movie will warn everybody
in the very beginning -- it's inspired by these
true stories, which is why, in the end, we
couldn't say it's based on the life of Father
such-and-such," Petroni says.
been selected to attend an instructional
course on exorcism held at the Vatican.
Kovak is skeptical, to say the least, viewing
exorcism as an antiquated ceremony once
used to explain mental illness and for politi-
cal manipulation. But as the course and vet-
eran exorcist Father Lucas (Anthony
Hopkins) show him more and more evidence
about this ancient ritual, the young priest be-
than he initially believed.
"Evil is one thing, but to actually have the
devil as a character, in one sense or another,
is tantalizing." It's the idea of dealing with
the personality of the devil, in Petroni's opin-
ion, that makes such stories more fascinat-
ing than the random creeps and scares
usually found in horror films.
ous subplots, twists and reveals. "It's like I'm
playing a very complicated game of chess,"
he says. The Rite, however, was much more
straightforward. "It's pretty much a straight
drama with a lot of tension," the screenwriter
says. "It's all about building the tension in the
story. So I just wrote that almost from page
one all the way through -- which is a very
pleasurable experience." In about eight
weeks, he had a draft he was happy with. He
showed it to the producers, who also liked it,
and after a few minor tweaks, the script went
to the studio. "It's been a really sweet
process," Petroni says. "Everything I've done
on The Rite -- from beginning through pro-
duction to post-production and up to where
we are now -- it's been a very smooth ride,
which is not my usual experience."
There were a few minor notes from director
Mikael Håfström and the usual small revi-
sions on set, but the central story remained
largely unchanged, with the script going
through maybe 10 drafts, many of which
were minor tweaks to the locked production
draft. He also praises Hopkins for suggestions
that helped deepen his character. "When
you're writing lines you can only imagine
Anthony Hopkins saying them and when he
is, it's fantastic," Petroni says. "It was just a
great experience."
ing Petroni's own one-season TV wonder, Mir-
acles), the writer thinks this movie stands out
because of its unique approach to the subject
matter. "It's surprisingly realistic," Petroni
says. "When you see the film, you won't have
that feeling of, `Oh, I'm watching a horror
film.' I'd call it an `elevated' horror film. I like
that, but it sounds kind of boastful." He
chuckles and adds, "It's certainly not low
brow -- let's put it that way."