The infamous 1973 film, The Exorcist, directed by William Friedkin, gained quite a reputation for its real-life controversies and unnerving events that spurred a myriad of rumours. Like The Omen, Rosemary’s Baby, and Poltergeist, stories of unnatural incidents and accidents surrounded the film, including a mystifying fire and four fatalities, and an actor suffering a life-changing spinal injury.
Such tales have been revisited for a new supernatural horror piece, with Joshua John Miller, son of Jason Miller (the actor who portrayed the tormented Fr Karras in the original) at the helm. Cast in the central role as the ironically named Anthony Miller is Russell Crowe, an actor fighting his career decline and personal demons.
He is aided in his role by his estranged daughter Lee, portrayed by Ryan Simpkins, who he employs to rehearse his lines. They find themselves under the watchful eye of a relentless, demanding director (Adam Goldberg), determined to challenge his dwindling star.
Personal struggles of addiction, past traumas, and remorse plague Anthony, augmented by paranormal interference. The responsibility of saving his distressed soul lies with Lee and their film’s spiritual advisor, brilliantly played by David Hyde Pierce, who bears a striking resemblance to Friedkin’s religious consultant, Thomas Bermingham.
Miller creatively crafts a narrative marinated in the genre’s profound melancholy, using Michael Perry’s intricate production design to blur the boundaries between Anthony’s outer predicaments and inner suffering.
The film, somewhat reminiscent of Godard’s Tout Va Bien, places the viewer in an intimate position with its figurative and literally layered set. Although the film proceeds at a deliberate pace, the ensemble’s notable performances and abundance of creative ideas make up for any shortfall in heart-stopping moments.
This new addition underlines the inferiority of the recent reboot, The Exorcist: Believer, which appears genuinely doomed by comparison. The Exorcism will be gracing cinemas come Friday, June 21st.