The Exorcism – Movie Review (3/5)

THE EXORCISM (2024) is a new horror drama starring Russell Crowe. The story is very meta and surprising in its approach but starts very slow. Read our full The Exorcism movie review here!

THE EXORCISM is a movie that mixes genres in a way that is actually described by the director in the movie. He says his movie is actually a “psychological drama” wrapped up in a horror movie. Something to that effect, which could also be called elevated horror.

However, for this movie, we really are getting a slow-burn psychological drama (or thriller) that ultimately becomes a full-blown horror movie. Basically, you shouldn’t expect the typical horror movie, but it is very meta, which I loved!

Continue reading our The Exorcism (2024) movie review below. Find it in US and UK theaters from June 21, 2024.

The dark forces

In this new movie, we meet Anthony Miller (Academy Award-winner Russell Crowe). He is a very troubled actor – to say the least – who is trying to get back to acting after a rehab stint. His addiction took years of his life, and rehab is turning out to take longer as well.

When he’s getting ready to start shooting a supernatural horror film, his estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins) moves in with him. She was kicked out of school, and after the death of her mother, the two have not been good together.

Also, as the pressure of shooting a new big movie increases, Lee is nervous that her dad is slipping back into his past addictions. Then again, some things cannot be explained by any kind of substance abuse. Could something much more sinister be happening?

Along with Russell Crowe (The Pope’s Exorcist) and Ryan Simpkins (Netflix’s Fear Street trilogy), the film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey (Swarm), Adam Goldberg (Rebirth), and David Hyde Pierce (Frasier). Everyone is really good in The Exorcism.

The true stories behind The Exorcism

The director of The Exorcism is the son of Jason Miller. In case that name doesn’t ring a bell, Jason Miller was the actor who played Father Damien Karras in The Exorcist (1973).

In the setting of this movie, he would be the actor portrayed by Sam Worthington. It’s a fairly small role, but one that has great meaning to the filmmaker. This explains why such a familiar actor portrays the smaller key character.

Also, the events of this movie are taken from what happened during The Exorcist. It all played out in Georgetown, Washington DC. This is why the movie being made in The Exorcism is titled “The Georgetown Project”.

MORE MOVIES WITH EXORCISM OR DEMONS

Be sure to check out our “Demons”-tag here >

In fact, The Georgetown Project was also the working title of The Exorcism. In Spain, it was titled “El Exorcismo de Georgetown”. Everything that takes place in this movie feels very meta, and it’s acknowledged throughout the movie.

This story does play out in the present day, but they mention movies such as Poltergeist, The Omen, and (obviously!) The Exorcist when the filmmakers speak of the accidents and lore connected with the making of those movies.

In that sense, The Exorcism is very much based on a true story. Or true stories, rather. Whether you believe them to be true and not just superstition – or cast and crew collectively convincing themselves of something – is another thing.

Watch The Exorcism in US & UK Theaters

The director is Joshua John Miller – as mentioned earlier, his father is Jason Miller who starred in The Exorcist (1973). The screenplay was written by Joshua John Miller and M.A. Fortin. They co-wrote the horror-comedy The Final Girls (2015) and created the Queen of the South series.

This movie has been a long time coming and while that can be a bad sign, it wasn’t for this one. Principal photography took place in Wilmington, North Carolina in November and December of 2019. Then the pandemic happened and the world stopped for a while.

It wasn’t until 2023 in New York City, Los Angeles, and Australia that additional photography finally happened. Post-production finished in January 2024. By April 2024, the film had been retitled from The Georgetown Project to The Exorcism.

I had no great expectations for this movie. Quite the opposite, which is also due to not being impressed with The Pope’s Exorcism – the previous movie starring Russell Crowe which also involved exorcism. Fortunately, this is much better.

However, you should go in with no expectations for a horror movie. Yet be ready for one as the end of the third act is pure horror. Just know that while you’ll get some good scares and creepy moments, we’re in psychological drama/thriller until the horror kicks in.

The Exorcism is out in US theaters (and in UK cinemas) from June 21, 2024.

Details

Director: Joshua John Miller
Writers: M.A. Fortin, Joshua John Miller
Stars: Russell Crowe, Ryan Simpkins, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg, David Hyde Pierce, Sam Worthington, Samantha Mathis