The movie opens with the words of Father Gabriele Amorth, the chief exorcist of the Vatican,
warning us that when we jeer at the devil and tell ourselves that it doesn't exist,
that is when he is the happiest.
In June 1987, Father Gabriele receives a summons to Tropea, Italy, where a man has fallen victim
to an evil entity.
Father Gabriele learns about the man's condition that he speaks fluent English despite never
knowing the language before.
As Father Gabriele enters the room to investigate, the man identifies himself as Satan, so Father
says that if he is a devil, then he should tell his name, and why did he choose this
man instead of some powerful person?
Satan boasts that he can possess anyone, so the Father challenges Satan to possess another
being, a pig.
Father Gabriele tells the devil that he doesn't believe him if he can't even possess this
pig, and by provoking the entity, he successfully compels it to abandon the man's body and possess
the pig instead.
The pig is killed with a single gunshot, ending the possession and recovering the man.
The movie then switches to Julia, who, along with her daughter Amy and son Henry, has relocated
from America to Spain, following her husband's tragic death in a car accident a year ago.
They inherit an abbey in Spain, and we learn that this church has been the ancestral property
of Julia's husband's family for many generations.
Julia plans to renovate it and sell it at a good price before returning to America.
Upon arrival, they are greeted by Carlos, the contractor overseeing the renovation project,
and Father Esquibel, the local priest.
Strangeness ensues when Henry explores the basement and discovers a hole in the wall,
that leads to a door with the Vatican symbol on it that starts to break.
On the other hand, Julia is looking for Henry, but being a careless ignorant teenage daughter,
Amy doesn't care about her brother, and she remains resentful of her mother's decision
to move to Spain.
Back in Italy, a month after Father Gabriele's recent encounter with the devil, he is called
to Rome by the council of bishops to address the case.
The panel, led by Cardinal Sullivan, expresses anger towards Father Gabriele for performing
an exorcism without the bishop's permission.
Father Gabriele explains that he did not perform an exorcism in Tropea, but rather, some psychological
theater to help the mentally-disturbed man.
Bishop Lumumba supports Father Gabriele's approach, citing that he refers ninety-eight
per cent of his cases to medical professionals and psychologists.
According to Father Gabriele, the remaining two per cent of cases are real and need an
exorcism to get rid of the evil.
Dismissing his beliefs about evil as outdated, Cardinal Sullivan informs Father Gabriele
that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has recommended removing the position
of chief exorcist.
Frustrated that the church now doesn't believe in evil, Father Gabriele questions if their
strong reaction is because of Rosaria Velendez, a dead girl he wrote about in his magazine.
Father Gabriele then states that his bishop appointed him to his position as chief exorcist
of the Vatican, so if anyone has a problem with him, they should take it up with the pope.
The next day, a worker in Julia's basement hears a noise coming from the same opening
that Henry discovered the day before.
But as they illuminate the area with a flare, a sudden burst of fire erupts, indicating
that they have inadvertently struck a gas deposit.
The incident led Carlos to refuse to proceed with the work, recognizing the life-threatening
danger posed by the gas deposit.
The cracks on the door become more apparent, while at the same time, Henry starts having seizures.
The boy suddenly rises, forewarning his mother that they are all going to die tonight, before
scratching his own face.
Henry is rushed to the hospital, where Julia receives the news that his medical reports
show no signs of physical illness, and the doctor suggests that Henry's condition may
be linked to trauma.
During their conversation, Julia reveals that Henry was present with his father on the night
of the fatal accident, and since that traumatic event, he hasn't spoken a single word.
The doctors can't do anything for Henry, except prescribe a sedative that Julia can use if
he tries to hurt himself again.
In the dark of night, as Amy heads to the kitchen for ice, a sudden power outage plunges
the surroundings into darkness, and Henry suddenly gets up.
Troubled, Amy investigates the main switch, while Julia tends to Henry, thinking that
he might get scared.
But the mother is shocked when Henry suddenly grabs her breast, and says he is hungry so
let him breastfeed.
Startled, Julia witnesses the word "Hate" etched onto Henry's stomach, and he instructs
her to bring him the priest.
Father Esquibel is summoned, but as soon as he enters the room, the demon kicks him out,
claiming he is the wrong priest.
Meanwhile, Gabriel meets the pope, who tells him that they've done a good job up to this
point, but that Cardinal Sullivan and the youth of today do not believe in Satan.
The pope then tells Gabriel about Henry's case at the San Sebastian Abbey that he has
to solve, and how he can sense a great evil coming from there.
He also claims that the San Sebastian Abbey has given the church problems before.
Receiving guidance from his senior, Father Gabriele wastes no time and swiftly makes
his way to the abbey to aid Henry.
When Father Gabriel eventually makes it to Spain, he is greeted by Father Esquibel.
Esquibel welcomes him warmly and informs him that he has read all of his articles.
Father Esquibel then introduces him to Julia, but Julia reluctantly agrees to involve the
church, and gives Father Gabriele permission to visit Henry in his room.
As Father Gabriele begins his prayers, Henry abruptly rises and dismisses them as useless
within these walls.
Using a holy metal circle, the demon's eyes detach from Henry's eyes in no time, and this
prompts Father Gabriele to interrogate the demon about its name, and the reason for his
presence here.
The demon claims knowledge of Father Gabriele's soul, and every sin he committed throughout
his life.
Father Gabriel asks the devil to tell his name if he is not afraid of him, and the devil
says that he is not the type of fool who will enter into a pig.
In a chilling twist, the devil addresses Father Gabriele by name, reminding him of incidents from his past,
including his worst nightmare as a soldier.
Now, a flashback shows that all of Gabriel's fellow soldiers died during the Second World
War, and instead of fighting the enemy, he laid down among the dead soldiers like a coward.
The possession takes a more ominous turn as a lifeless red bird emerges from Henry's mouth,
and seeing this Gabriel gets scared.
The father is now fully aware that he faces a far more dangerous demon than he typically encounters.
After informing Father Esquibel about the situation, he engages in a conversation with
Julia to understand why this powerful demon has targeted Henry.
Discovering Henry's past trauma, Father recognizes it as a potential vulnerability for the devil,
as suffering can make a soul desperate for connection.
While they converse, Amy hears some noises from outside, and she comes outside to check
thinking it might be Henry.
And then all of a sudden,
The girl then receives a call from her deceased
father, who tells her that they are all going to die tonight.
Filled with dread, she rushes to her mother and shares her harrowing experience, prompting
Father Gabriele to realize the demon's ability to access their past.
With a sense of urgency, he prepares for another encounter with Henry, aiming to unveil the
entity's name, because knowing the demon's name weakens its power and facilitates the priests
to defeat it.
He tells Father Esquibel to confess because he knows that demons can use his unconfessed
sins against him, but when Father Gabriele finds out that it has been eight months since
his last confession, he seeks forgiveness for all his sins through prayer rather than
listening to them individually.
Throughout the confrontation with the demon, Father Esquibel's role is to maintain constant
prayer and refrain from responding to the demon's provocation.
During their interaction to find out the devil’s name, the devil continues to fight, causing
Henry to convulse once more, followed by a sudden power outage.
Father Gabriele uses his lighter to illuminate the scene, and to his astonishment, he witnesses
Rosaria's spirit, the person he had written about in the magazine.
She accuses him of abandoning her and letting her die when he had the power to save her life.
After this display of its power, the demon redirects its attention towards Father Esquibel.
He reveals Esquibel's sin about Adela, and how much her family used to respect him, but
he had sex with their daughter, despite his religious commitment.
Father Esquibel tries to choke the demon, but Father Gabriele steps in to stop him.
Gabriele leads him out of the room while the demon taunts him by saying that he has taken the bait.
Overwhelmed with emotions, Father Esquibel breaks down in tears and tells Gabriel that
Adella had wanted him to abandon his priesthood for her, but he had no intention of doing
so, so he had to lie to her.
Since he regrets what he has done, Gabriel prays to God to forgive his sins.
When Father Gabriele recalls the demon's earlier words, "You have taken the bait,"
he suddenly understands that the devil is up to something much bigger than just possessing
a boy.
After instructing Esquibel to stand guard outside Henry's door, Father Gabriele immediately
makes his way to the garden to see something he had observed earlier, and here a symbol
of the Vatican is revealed.
Now he recalls the Pope warning him about previous problems for the church here.
When he pulls the concrete lid, the demon's power intensifies, causing the cross in Julia's
room turns upside down.
The evil entity targets Julia, and we see that someone is with her on her bed, and as
soon as she wakes up, he attacks her, and starts pulling her inside the bed.
On the other hand, Amy is violently thrown against a wall, and so she locks herself in
her closet.
Meanwhile, Father Esquibel hears Henry's desperate cries for help, and rushes inside to aid him.
But as he goes close to him, Henry wakes up and bites his ear, and says that no one will
escape from here alive.
Father Gabriel finds the well under the Vatican seal, and when he drops a burning paper inside
to check what's inside, there is a huge explosion.
Long story short, Father Gabriele manages to temporarily banish the demon through the
power of his prayers, ensuring everyone's rescue.
They then decide that Julia's home is too dangerous and move them to the church space.
Afterwards, Gabriele brings Father Esquibel to the well, where they uncover the seal of
the Spanish Inquisition, a dark chapter in the history of the Church.
During that time, those who refused to convert faced torturous deaths.
To uncover the secrets hidden beneath the abbey, Gabriele and Esquibel venture into
the basement, and encounter the same hole in one of the walls.
Noticing the crossed keys symbol, Father Gabriele uses a hammer to dismantle the walls, and
the devil is awakened.
Gabriel and Esquibel then find a secret underground cemetery, and he tells Esquibel that this
is the tunnel of sin.
At the centre of the catacomb lies a cage containing the skeletal remains of the cardinal
protector, who was the last protector of the Church.
Gabriele tells Esquibel that he is not imprisoned in the cage, but it is for his protection,
and it is done when the exorcism fails, so that he can be safe from the absconding devils,
and bury this secret forever.
Meanwhile in Rome, as the Pope delves deeper into his investigation of San Sebastian Abbey,
he discovers a letter within the book.
The letter, penned by the cardinal protector, reveals the presence of a strong evil gripping
the abbey.
It laments the failures of all attempted exorcisms, and states that a powerful demon now claims
dominion over the grounds.
Concerned for Father Gabriele's safety amidst this impending danger, the Pope succumbs to
a heart stroke and he is taken to the hospital.
Upon regaining consciousness, he tries to communicate with Bishop Lumumba, intending
to warn Father Gabriele.
But his physical condition renders him unable to speak, leaving him vomiting blood
on Sullivan.
As the priests continue their exploration, they encounter a locked door at the far end
of the catacomb, and Father Gabriele discovers the key hidden within the stomach of the cardinal protector.
Pressing forward, they venture deeper into the cave, where the fumes of gas and sulfur
grow increasingly stronger, to which Gabriel says they are very close to hell.
Their path leads them to the skeletal remains of Ojada, renowned as one of the greatest
exorcists in history.
Alongside his body, they find a journal recounting his tragic journey in 1475, and they learn
from that book that the devil who possessed Henry has been possessing people for many
centuries, including Ojada.
The realization dawns upon the priests that everything that happened since Ohada's possession
in 1475 was the sinister work of the devil.
The Vatican became aware of this truth but chose to bury it, keeping it hidden from the world.
The devil was imprisoned in the underworld, and his 200 angels were also with him.
Here Gabriele also retrieves a map from the journal, realizing that San Sebastian Abbey
is one of the 200 locations where the fallen angels are believed to be buried.
The demon that possessed Ojada wanted to locate all these places in order to create an army,
and bring about the destruction of the Church.
Father Esquibel speculates that the recent construction work may have inadvertently unleashed
the demon upon the abbey.
Amid these alarming revelations, Julia awakens in the church and discovers that Amy is not
there, so she leaves to check on her at home.
There, she finds Amy sitting with Henry in his room, and both Amy and Henry say that
Henry is fine.
When Julia attempts to take Amy away, she is violently thrown against the wall by the demon.
He also takes Amy's body under his control, and twists her head.
Meanwhile, the priests finally uncover the demon's name: Asmodeus, and this is when the
demon screams out loud, and the Pope's health deteriorates.
In a moment of relief, they succeed in sedating Henry.
Father Esquibel then states that the devil feeds on exorcists; the Devil has done evil
things through Ojada, and he wants to do the same thing again by possessing the Pope's
exorcist, Father Gabriele.
But now they finally uncover the demon's name, a vital piece of information needed to defeat it.
Gabriele then decides to confess his sins again; during the war he became a rebel, and
many of his friends became victims of German bullets, but he survived.
This prompts him to seek purpose in his spared life by dedicating himself to serving God.
Now, burdened by regret, Father Gabriele believes he fell short of fulfilling his responsibility
when he failed to protect Rosaria, despite her plea for help in the face of sexual abuse.
She was not possessed, but mentally disturbed, so he gave her case to someone else because
he was arrogant, so she committed suicide in front of him.
But after her death, Gabriele heard the rumors of sexual abuse that were covered by Vatican
City, and because of this, he still repented for not helping her and handing her case to
someone else.
Following a brief session of sin absolution, the priests make their way into the abbey,
and gather for a collective prayer before commencing the exorcism.
Henry's face bears the disfigurement inflicted by the evil demon's influence.
As Father Esquibel, Julia, and Amy engage in prayer, Father Gabriele boldly invokes
the name of Asmodeus to weaken its power.
Asmodeus reveals to Father Gabriel and Esquibel visions of their own sins, yet they persist
in their prayer.
When Henry closes his eyes, Gabriel sees God is not here getting scratched on his abdomen.
Eventually, the demon seizes control of Amy, leading her to viciously attack her own mother.
As the demon seeks to end Father Esquibel's life by strangulation using his own scarf,
Father Gabriele makes the fateful decision to allow the devil to possess his own body,
sacrificing himself to safeguard the others.
As Asmodeus takes hold of Father Gabriele's body, the Pope becomes aware of Gabriele's
selfless act.
In parallel, Cardinal Sullivan encounters a sinister presence, witnessing blood seep
from the church crucifix, followed by a sudden head pain.
Meanwhile, as Henry and Amy reclaim control of their bodies, Father Gabriele instructs
Father Esquibel to escort the family to safety.
With everyone safely departing for the city, Father Gabriele remains alone with Asmodeus,
the demon gradually consuming him.
As darkness engulfs his eyes, Father Gabriele attempts to end his own life, desperate to
prevent the evil entity from exploiting his body.
However, his efforts prove futile.
Determined to thwart the demon, he makes his way to the catacombs, intent on burning himself
to death using the gas reserves.
Yet, before he can act, the demon materializes from the shadows, launching a vicious attack
upon him.
Once Father Esquibel returns, he is confronted with the sight of Father Gabriele, now entirely
under Asmodeus's possession.
Without losing hope, he begins praying and urges Gabriele to join him.
As the demon bears the effect of their combined spiritual strength, it gives up control over
Father Gabriele's body, yet continues to haunt them through the weight of their own sins.
Armed with a Holy medal, Father Esquibel confronts Adella, while Father Gabriele uses crucifix
as a weapon against the lingering presence of Rosaria, forcefully casting the demon into
the water.
United in purpose, they commence reciting the final rites, finally ending the wickedness
of Asmodeus once and for all.
Following their courageous battle against evil in Spain, Father Gabriele and Father
Esquibel receive praise from the Pope, who recognizes their success in defeating the
demon and dealing a significant blow against darkness.
Father Gabriele learns that cardinal Sullivan has taken a sabbatical on the isle of Guam.
Moving forward, Father Gabriele and Father Esquibel find themselves under the guidance
of cardinal Lumumba now.
They discover that the Vatican bought the abbey previously owned by Julia's family,
with the soil deconsecrated.
The family made it back to America safely, and Henry is all right now.
Although Asmodeus has been defeated, the quest to locate the remaining 199 sites mentioned
in the Ojada's diary still lies ahead.
Gabriele and Esquibel willingly accept the responsibility of eradicating the demons residing
in the remaining 199 sites on Earth, driven by their unwavering commitment.
While this story is fictional, it is worth noting that Father Gabriele Amorth, upon whom
the character is loosely based, was a real person who dedicated his life to aiding those affected.
His service continued until his passing in Rome in 2016, leaving a legacy of compassion
and faithfulness.