Possession films are a dime a dozen with tons of motion pictures about people spewing pea soup when those pesky demons occupy and live rent free in their bodies, but Joshua John Miller’s The Exorcism promised a different experience. For one, Russell Crowe (one of the best actors of all time), who seems to be making a quiet transition into this subgenre of horror, starring here. And two, a compelling story crafted by Miller and M. A. Fortin who penned the highly underrated 2015 film The Final Girls. Unquestionably, there are bright sparks, but the film spins its head too far around by the final act that it forgets where it’s at.
The Premise For The Exorcism Is A Horror Movie Fan’s Dream
Actor Anthony “Tony” Miller (Crowe) joins the cast of the supernatural horror film The Georgetown Project after the previous actor suffered an on-set “accident” that claimed his life. Anyone who is familiar with the behind-the-scenes stories of The Exorcist and Poltergeist will be aware of the superstition associated with these types of films and the mishaps and bad luck that befell many of the people involved in the projects.
The Exorcism leans into this, with even actor Blake Holloway (Chloe Bailey) spraying sage all around her before going on set and the story creating a familial connection between Tony and actor Jason Miller who played Father Karras in The Exorcist. The film, though, is all about Tony, who not only starts to behave strangely while filming the movie but is also forced to deal with the demons of his past.
An Unscary Horror Movie Saved Only By Russell Crowe
The concept for The Exorcism works better than the overall execution, though. Russell Crowe puts in a powerful performance (as always), ensuring that Tony remains mesmerizing on screen and the audience feels the unraveling nature of his fragile character. However, there’s a version of this story that connects the subliminal and explicit better than this. While the filmmakers intentionally lean into the possession tropes as a form of homage, the more interesting parts of the story are Tony’s exploration of his own experienced trauma and the ambiguity. One has to wonder if the film might have worked better if they blurred the lines between if he was actually possessed or processing everything that happened to him before. At times, the possession scenes feel too on the nose and generic.
This leads to the topic of the scares, which prove to be the weakest sauce here. The trailer’s cut terrifies far more than the film ever does as it overly relies on predictable jump scares. More disappointingly, the third act generates into cartoonish Buffy the Vampire Slayer territory in terms of it looking and feeling far too goofy to be taken seriously. Part of this is due to David Hyde Pierce’s performance as Father Conor. While Pierce is an excellent actor in his own right, he’s horribly miscast in this instance. It’s tough to tell if he’s in a comedy or horror because his approach saddles the line when this shouldn’t even be a question.
Is The Exorcism A Good Movie?
Ironically, as a drama-driven character study, The Exorcism captivates and leaves a mark, largely thanks to Russell Crowe who carries the movie. However, that isn’t the path chosen in the end here. Instead, it’s a middle-of-the-road horror that occasionally shows signs of what could have been a phenomenal movie. It’s disappointing, really, especially considering the immense potential of its premise that doesn’t feel like it was fully capitalized on and explored.
Check out our list of the 25 best jump scare horror movies of all time.
The Exorcism |
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A troubled actor begins to exhibit a disruptive behavior while shooting a horror film. His estranged daughter wonders if he's slipping back into his past addictions or if there's something more sinister at play. |
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| Studio: TBA |
| Running Time: Miramax, Outerbanks Entertainment |
| Release Date: June 21, 2024 |
| Cast: Russell Crowe, Sam Worthington, Ryan Simpkins, Chloe Bailey, Adrian Pasdar, Adam Goldberg, David Hyde Pierce, Tracey Bonner |
| Director: Joshua John Miller |
| Writers: M.A. Fortin, Joshua John Miller |
| Genre: Horror, Thriller |
| Box Office: N/A |
The Review
The Exorcism
The Exorcism's premise proves to be more exciting than this average horror film
Review Breakdown
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Verdict
