★★

starring: russell crowe, sam worthington, ryan simpkins, and david hyde pierce

​

REVIEWER: lyall carter

A troubled actor begins to exhibit a disruptive behavior while shooting a horror film.

After remaining unengaged with the horror genre for the majority of his career, in the last couple of years Russell Crowe has starred in a few horror flicks in quick succession with The Mummy, The Pope’s Exorcist, and now The Exorcism which, unfortunately, is the weakest of the three. While The Exorcism has a great premise, a slow start and confused direction leaves you with the sense that this was a missed opportunity. 

​

Crowe stars as troubled actor Anthony Miller, who begins to unravel while working on a supernatural film. His estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins) wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. 

​

The premise of The Exorcism is simple: strangely horrific things start to happen during a film production of which exorcisms are the subject. The strange coincidence in all of this is that director Joshua John Miller’s father starred in the 1973 cult classic The Exorcist which infamously had deaths and accidents associated with that production. 

​

What doesn’t help the narrative pacing of the film is just how slow the first hour feels which is mainly wrapped up in exposition more than anything else. It’s in the final act where things really start to heat up but it all feels a little bit too late. There are themes here that just begin to be explored but are left, largely untouched too.

​

Russell Crowe once again proves that no matter the material he can deliver and here he  returns to the manic and completely unhinged, coupled with his incredible emotional vulnerability. David Hyde Pierce is a stand out as Father Conor, perfectly using his frame and demeanor to devastating effect. 

​

While The Exorcism has a great premise, a slow start and confused direction leaves you with the sense that this was a missed opportunity.

★★