by Charles Kirkland, Jr.
An actor returning to work on a horror film finds himself battling his demons and maybe something else in the psychological thriller/horror, The Exorcism.
The Exorcism is written by M.A. Fortin and Joshua John Miller and stars Russell Crowe, Sam Worthington, Ryan Simpkins, Adam Goldberg, Chloe Bailey and David Hyde Pierce. Joshua John Miller directs the film.
The dictionary defines an exorcism as the expulsion or attempted expulsion of a supposed evil spirit from a person or place. If one attended any 12-step group, they would hear participants referring to their addictions as demons they have to face. It is in this context that The Exorcism exists. The duality compels us.
Russell Crowe plays Anthony Miller, an actor who is a recovering addict, thrown into playing a priest in a horror movie named “The Georgetown Project.” As Crowe dives into the role, under horrible and unflinching guidance from the director played by Adam Goldberg, he is forced to confront his “demons.” Yet as strange things begin to occur on set, the question becomes how much is him and how much is from something else at play? During his attempt to exorcise his demons, is Miller forced to confront actual demons plaguing the creation of this film?
Anytime that the word exorcism is used in the cinematic realm, first thoughts go to one of the ultimate horror classics, The Exorcist. This film recognizes its ultimate predecessor and some other horror classics as well. Yet the connection between this film and the iconic original lies far deeper than this casual mention. Joshua John Miller is the son of Jason Miller, who played Father Karras in The Exorcist. Additionally, the title of the film featured in The Exorcism is “The Georgetown Project,” a sly reference to the part of the city in Washington, DC where The Exorcist was filmed.
The extremely cool feature of the film is that it looks like The Exorcist and seems to document the curious nature of the strange happenings that occurred during the actual filming of the classic in which Jason Miller starred. It is not beyond conception that many of the truly strange and well-documented occurrences during the filming in the seventies were re-created in this film. One can hear Jason sharing stories with his son that he has waited until now to share.
For this reason and others, The Exorcism becomes more of a meta, psychological thriller than a true horror film. While there are some creepy and unsettling events in the film, none of them truly rise to a level most would recognize as horror. There are a few minor jump scares but this film lives in a realm of its own.
Rarely does an actor get the opportunity to redeem a work but Crowe’s work in this film is much better in depth and substance than the one he gave in The Pope’s Exorcist. Ryan Simpkins is very good as the rebellious, yet loving daughter concerned for her father’s safety and sobriety. Kudos also go to Adam Goldberg for embodying one of the most dangerous types of directors an actor can face, one who disregards concern for the person and cares only for the work.
Rated R for language, some violent content, sexual references, and brief drug use, The Exorcism is an exercise in story and creative visuals that attempts to create a new type of horror. It may not succeed but the attempt is admirable.
The Exorcism is in theaters nationwide on June 21, 2024.
Grade: C+
