Horror movies are crafted to send shivers down your spine, and it's not uncommon for eerie occurrences to happen on set during filming.

From unexplained claw marks appearing on Vera Farmiga's computer screen during the filming of The Conjuring, to a fire that burnt down The Exorcist set, leaving only Regan's room unscathed, these incidents seem even more chilling than the films themselves.

Now, another strange experience has been reported on set, this time by Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe during the filming of his first horror movie, The Pope's Exorcist. Crowe takes on the role of the late Italian Catholic priest and exorcist Gabriele Amorth in this bone-chilling film.

In the upcoming horror film The Pope's Exorcist, which has been described as a cross between The Exorcist and The Da Vinci Code, Russell Crowe portrays the character of Amorth, a renowned exorcist who is likened to the "James Bond of exorcists" by producer Michael Patrick Kaczmarek.

In the film, Amorth investigates a young boy's terrifying possession, only to unravel a conspiracy that the Vatican has kept hidden for centuries.

In a recent interview with UNILAD, Crowe shared that he experienced something incredibly peculiar during the filming of the movie.

"I think we were all aware of keeping ourselves sane throughout the course of the shoot," he said. "There were certainly little strange coincidental things happening but you've got to keep your balance with that."

"I arrived home once and there was a dead bird in the center of the doorway of the house I was staying in and birds are quite symbolic within the movie."

With a chuckle, the 59-year-old Hollywood actor concluded: "But I rationalized that a different way in my head - that there must be some creature in the woods around where I was living that had realized I had gone away for a few days and was leaving me a welcome home gift..."

Fingers crossed!

Russell Crowe, best known for his role in Gladiator, has admitted to being "superstitious" and not a fan of horror films. "I'm not a horror fan at all," he revealed. "I don't like scary movies. I like movies like The Princess Bride and things like that. So, I'm not a horror fan."

So, you might be wondering why Crowe decided to take on the role in The Pope's Exorcist. Well, it's all because of Amorth's incredible real-life story.

Born in Modena, Italy in 1925, the same town known for being the home of Ferrari, Amorth felt a religious calling from a young age. However, when he was 17, a senior priest told him he was too young to become a priest and sent him away.

During World War II, Amorth joined the Italian Army, but later switched sides and became a partisan fighting against the fascists and Nazis.

After the war, he pursued law school, but his calling to the priesthood persisted. In 1951, Amorth was ordained as a priest, and in 1986, he was assigned by Rome to assist Father Candido Amantini, the Vatican's chief exorcist at the time.

In 1990, Amorth founded the International Association of Exorcists, and two years later, when Father Amantini passed away, Amorth assumed the role of chief exorcist, transitioning from apprentice to leader in the field of exorcism.

"What drew me to this though is the life story of this man," Crowe tells UNILAD. "He had a very interesting life and I was hoping if we could get at least some of that on screen it would be a good piece of entertainment for people."

The Pope's Exorcist will be released in UK cinemas on Friday, April 7th.