The Rite's Mikael Hafstrom on His Exorcism Thriller and the Still-Shelved Shanghai

Director Mikael Hafstrom (1408, Derailed) was initially skeptical of taking on the exorcism thriller The Rite, about a young priest (Colin O'Donoghue) who learns the craft of ghost -- okay, demon -- busting from Sir Anthony Hopkins in Rome. Then he read the non-fiction book which provided the basis for its story based from American priest (and guest Movieline critic) Father Gary Thomas, and found that he could bring more to the table than the schlocky thrills found in most other genre offerings.

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