The Exorcist is back, but not the one you remember.
Universal has confirmed the title of Mike Flanagan’s new film,
The Exorcist: Martyrs and
released a short teaser ahead of the full trailer, which was released Friday, October 9.
The movie’s teaser is brief and unsettling, which is quite the usual for a horror movie. There’s a flash of Scarlett Johansson in character, a priest standing inside a massive church, and John Leguizamo strapped to an execution table. Then comes a sight horror fans know by heart: those stairs.
After that, an eerie score runs over the montage. Some viewers say it feels like the trailer for Alien. That
is not a bad place to start.
What The Exorcist is about
Johansson plays Julie Miller, an NYPD homicide detective and single mother raising a
12-year-old son. He’s played by Jacobi Jupe, the young actor from Hamnet.
Julie witnesses the execution of Father Sunday, a serial killer played by Leguizamo. His crimes
were staged to echo the martyrdom of Catholic saints. But the killing doesn’t end with him. New
murders begin, and they creep closer to her personal life. Her mother, played by Diane Lane,
and her son are now in danger.
Priests join the investigation. Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Father William. Laurence Fishburne plays a
mysterious priest brought in as the case turns personal. Sasha Calle plays fellow detective Gina
Restrepo.
This is definitely not a reboot
Flanagan has been direct about what this film is not. His first job, he says, is to tell audiences
they are not getting a repeat of the original. This is a story that hasn’t been told in the Exorcist
universe, and it takes the franchise in a very different direction.
It’s also not a follow-up to 2023’s The Exorcist: Believer. That film earned about $136 million
worldwide on a budget of roughly $30 million. Even so, the franchise is getting a fresh start.
Reports say Flanagan was given the freedom to take it wherever he wanted.
Early reactions point to a serial-killer thriller fused with demonic horror. Comparisons to Se7en
are everywhere. Others see a nod to The Exorcist III, the franchise’s own detective-led
chapter. That mix could be the smartest move here. Possession stories have been done many times. A
cop chasing a killer whose work refuses to stay buried is a different kind of fear.
A familiar team behind the camera
Flanagan wrote and directed the film, with Michael Fimognari as director of photography. The
director comes with a strong record in horror, from Doctor Sleep to Midnight Mass, and his
Carrie reinvention arrives on Amazon Prime Video this week.
He’s also bringing along many of his regulars from his limited series. Rahul Kohli, Carla Gugino,
Kate Siegel, Samantha Sloyan, Hamish Linklater and Carl Lumbly are all set to appear.
Reboots usually promise a new direction and deliver the old one. Flanagan is saying the
opposite out loud: this is not what you’ve seen before. With a lead like Johansson and a cast
this deep, the confidence feels earned. Whether it pays off is a question for March.
