Russell Crowe stars in this new exorcism-themed thriller. Wait, what year is it? You could be forgiven for thinking this is related to Big Russ’s recent and hugely enjoyable Catholic horror romp, The Pope’s Exorcist, but that’s where you’re wrong, kiddo.
How to watch The Exorcism in New Zealand
The Exorcism is now playing in New Zealand cinemas.
The Exorcism (2024)
What is The Exorcism about?
Rusty’s new adventure in good old fashioned exorcisms sees the former Gladiator as actor Anthony Miller, who begins to start acting erratically when he takes on the role of a priest in a horror movie. His daughter, Lee, suspects that his old issues with addiction have come to the fore again, but things start to get more than a bit spooky and it seems that something far more demonic is going on.
Or is it? Well, maybe, but here’s the thing: The Exorcism comes to us from director Joshua John Miller, who co-wrote the script with his partner in art and life, M.A. Fortin. Miller was a child actor back in the day, and you might recognise him from stuff like Near Dark and River’s Edge. But his father, Jason Miller, was an actor too, most famous for his turn as Father Karras in The Exorcist. The younger Miller has said that the film is inspired by his father’s stories about the supposedly cursed production, but it’s worth noting that Miller senior struggled with alcoholism until his death in 2001 at the age of 62. So, it’s not a stretch to hypothesise that there’s an element of autobiography here among all the horror tropes.
The cast of The Exorcism
Russell Crowe is, as we mentioned, Anthony Miller; Ryan Simpkins is his daughter, Lee; Avatar‘s Sam Worthington is Joe; Frasier‘s David Hyde Pierce is Father Conor; Adrian Pasdar, who once played a priest investigating miraculous phenomena in the short-lived series Mysterious Ways, is Tom; and Chloe Bailey, Marcenae Lynette, Tracey Bonner, Samantha Mathis, and Adam Goldberg round out the cast.
The Exorcism trailer
Why we’re excited about The Exorcism
With Crowe in fine form as the troubled lead, and Miller’s personal connection to the material, how could we not be? Let the cruxifix waving and demon-exorcising begin!
