The Exorcism (2024) directed by Joshua John Miller. Written by Mike K.

Directed by: Joshua John Mille

Starring: Russell Crowe, Ryan Simpkins

Okay so it’s another big summer for movies surrounding demons and possession and what have you, The First Omen, Late Night with the Devil and so forth. This latest one is called The Exorcism and it’s about a guy who replaces another actor in a movie about…you guessed it…demonic possession. I’m going to come right out of the gate and say I *kinda* didn’t enjoy this one this time, and I love possession movies when done right and with the right actors.

This one was a slower burn than most. The story for this film is that Russell Crowe’s character is an actor who’s washed up due to his past alcoholism and drug use, who was chosen to be recast in a possession movie because the actor before him had died through a supernatural force (the guy was playing a priest, of all characters). Not to mention he has to reconnect with his daughter because the daughter is no longer in school. Throughout this film, he has to deal with a director on set who is constantly berating him at every turn because of his past due to him forgetting lines or messing up scenes. I guess you could say that this is as a good time as any for a demon or entity to take over because of one’s vulnerabilities.

The supernatural elements are few and far between. A lighting truss almost hits the director, lights flicker on and off throughout, Crowe’s character is off in a daze because it’s implied there’s something wrong due to him not taking his meds. Again, it is a slow burn but I guess you could say the pacing works at times.

Then the shit really hits the fan. Demonic possession is in full force because one last berating is what set it off and now we have body contortions, power going out, and a guy getting stabbed through a damn mirror because the demon knew he was there. The ending was your typical “gotta save him” and “take me” tropes that are in your usual movies like these. I liked Russell Crowe in this but I enjoyed him better in the Popes Exorcist.

All in all, if you’re into possession movies and don’t care who’s in it, this one is for you. I would give this one 5 stars out of 10 but would watch it again in a marathon.