Russell Crowe hasn’t often appeared in horror movies, yet after the failure of his 2017 remake,The Mummy, his recent exorcism movies have partly made up for his horror losses. Crowe’s acting career first began in 1990 when he featured in the Australian drama,Prisoners of the Sun.In the intervening years,Crowe has led some truly iconic films, fromGladiatorandA Beautiful MindtoRobin HoodandLes Misérables.ThoughCrowe has certainly proved his chops as a dramatic actor, one genre he has not yet mastered is the horror movie, though this may be changing.
The most notable horror entry in Crowe’s career isThe Mummy.This 2017 movie is a reboot of the original 1932Mummyfranchise,and was meant to be a part of Universal’s Dark Universe, which included remakes of Universal’s classic monster movies. However,The Mummydid not perform nearly as wellas hoped. Though the movie grossed around $410 million, critics agreed that the film lacked any sense of fun, and merely borrowed from better horror movies. Fortunately though, Crowe’s horror journey has not ended there.
Russell Crowe Has Starred In Two Proper Horror Movies Since The Mummy’s Failure
Crowe’s Exorcist Movies Are A Solid Start
After the failure ofThe Mummy,it would have made sense for Crowe to abandon horror completely, yet the actor has made a surprising turn in the past few years by starring in two more horror movies.In 2023, he starred inThe Pope’s Exorcistand just one year later, he appeared inThe Exorcism.AlthoughThe Exorcismwas panned, with a 28% onRotten Tomatoes,The Pope’s Exorcistshowed a glimmer of hope. With a smattering of good reviews, many of which surrounded Crowe’s performance, these exorcism movies have opened a door for the actor.
2017
2023
The Exorcism
2024
Despite the fact that Crowe’s recent exorcism movies haven’t exactly been hits, they have definitely changed the relationship between the actor and the horror genre.The Mummywas such a difficult failure considering that an entirely new franchise relied on it, and any other actor might have cut his losses and never returned to horror. Yet, Crowe has shown a marked interest in scary movies, and at the very least,The Pope’s Exorcisthas proven that he could have a real knack for horror if he found the right script.
Russell Crowe’s Exorcism Movies Were Very Different From His Dark Universe Role
What Horror Crowe Should Try Next
Perhaps one reason whythese exorcism movieshave done better thanThe Mummyis that Crowe plays completely different characters. InThe Mummy,Crowe plays a somewhat bland version of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, who must fight against his dark urges. Meanwhile, Crowe plays a rebellious exorcist and a traumatized actor inThe Pope’s ExorcistandThe Exorcismrespectively. Some might argue thatCrowe’s newer roles give him much more room to play than inThe Mummy,which was criticized for its lack of originality.
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Ultimately, it could be a good thing for Crowe to dive even deeper into the horror genre.The Pope’s Exorcistis just a hint at what Crowe could be capable ofif given a properly good movie. At this point, Crowe has a number of new movies in the works, from Marvel’sKraven the Hunterto a historical film calledNuremberg.Yet, perhaps in the future, Crowe can continue making up for the failure ofThe Mummyby taking on better and better horror movie roles.
The Mummy
Cast
Directed by Alex Kurtzman and starring Tom Cruise, The Mummy is a 2017 reboot of the cult classic Mummy franchise that originally starred Brenden Frasier. This time, the plot follows a U.S. Army Sergeant as he attempts to stop the mummy of Princess Ahmanet from summoning the Egyptian diety Set.
