An Irish priest has said the Belfast Film Festival’s decision to screen two horror films in a former Catholic church is “cynical and crass.”
The Belfast Film Festival plans to show The Exorcist and The Omen at Holy Rosary Church in Belfast, a landmark church that has been abandoned since 1980 and is no longer owned by the Catholic Church.
“I think that showing these films in what was once a sacred place, that holds many memories for parishioners, is a really childish stunt,” Father McCafferty told the Times, Ireland.
“You wonder what the motives of the people at the film festival is and why they would choose a church in which to air these films. There’s a basic lack of sensitivity towards people who would have memories of everything from baptisms to weddings and funerals from inside that building,” he continued.
The old church is currently set to be renovated into an Italian restaurant, with with Fr. McCafferty said he has “no problem.”
“But the screening of horror films in there is another matter entirely,” he said.
A spokesman for the festival defended their decision, saying the Belfast Film Festival is well known for its site-specific special events.
"The locations chosen add an extra dimension to the screening, and we think the stone cold surroundings of an abandoned church will make for a suitably chilling viewing experience for The Exorcist,” he said.
The Exorcist will be shown on 19 August. All 180 tickets to the screening have been sold.
The Holy Rosary church opened in 1898 to cater for a growing Catholic population in the area, but by 1980 it was judged to be too small and parishioners moved across the road to the larger Good Shepherd church.
PICTURE: Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, on-set of the Film, The Exorcist, 1973 (Image: © Jt Vintage/Glasshouse via ZUMA Wire)
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