Summary

• The Exorcism trailer hints at a complex father-daughter dynamic within a horror film plot.
• The film references iconic horror movies like The Omen and The Exorcist for added intrigue.
• Positive audience reception of Crowe's previous horror film may boost The Exorcism's success.

A trailer has been released for The Exorcism. The Exorcism is an upcoming horror film that tells the story of a troubled actor who begins to see his sanity unravel when he starts production on a horror film. Directed by Joshua John Miller, the film features a leading cast including Russell Crowe, Chloe Bailey, Sam Worthington, Samantha Mathis, and Adam Goldberg.

Now, Vertical has released a trailer for The Exorcism.

The trailer begins by establishing Crowe’s character, Anthony Miller, saying “forgive me father, for I have sinned.” It is then established that Anthony is working on a horror movie, replacing another actor who had a tragedy happen. As the character goes on to work on the film, the trailer then goes into detail about the relationship between the protagonist and his daughter, who fears that her dad may be hallucinating things. She discovers that he is off his medication and is acting strangely.

How Will The Exorcism Fare In Theaters?

Crowe Recently Starred In Another Exorcism Based Movie

The Exorcism trailer seems like an interesting entry into the religious trauma-informed horror subgenre. The duality of the meaning of “father” — to mean a dad or an authority in the church — is ripe throughout the trailer. Anthony Miller and his daughter represent a literal father-daughter relationship, while both of their involvement in the church shows a spiritual “father.” Another interesting aspect to the trailer is the reference to the horror films The Omen and The Exorcist, which are notorious for having creepy things happen to actors while on set.

The Exorcism will likely gain more traction because of another recent Crowe-featuring horror film, The Pope’s Exorcist. Despite the similar titles for the films, The Exorcism and The Pope’s Exorcist do not have related storylines or shared characters. The Pope’s Exorcist received mixed reviews from critics, getting a 50% at the time of its release. However, it was loved by audiences, who approved it at 81% and gave it love when it hit streaming. Even though a separate story, the positive association with Crowe as a horror lead will likely help The Exorcism at the box office this June.

The Pope's Exorcist is currently available to stream on Netflix.

One thing that could slow the box office traction of The Exorcism is its concurrent release with the supernatural horror film The Watchers. The Watchers stars Dakota Fanning and is the directorial feature debut from M. Night Shyamalan’s daughter, Ishana Shyamalan. The two movies will both be released theatrically on June 7, posing a challenge for The Exorcism. The answer as to who will come out on top at the box office has to wait until then, but for now, The Exorcism’s trailer can work to build its excitement.

Source: Vertical