“Exorcism, a supernatural horror film, has made its debut featuring a stellar cast, drawing viewers in with themes of possession and spiritual rites, while providing enough suspense for horror enthusiasts.
Starring Academy Award winner Russell Crowe in the role of Anthony Miller, a struggling actor attempting to revive his career after landing the lead role as a priest in a supernatural horror film about an exorcism, the film is shot like a movie within a movie.
As strange things start to transpire, his “lucky break” turns sinister.
The director, Adam Goldberg, aiming for authenticity, subjects the struggling actor to humiliating treatment, forcing him to confront past traumas and accelerating his decline.
In the movie, Ryan Simpkins plays the 16-year-old Lee, who realises how much her father is suffering and turns to spiritual adviser David Hyde Pierce for assistance.
In her captivating role, Simpkins gives fascinating insights into the film's inspiration, unpacking major themes to which viewers can relate.
She says the movie-making process was a challenging yet rewarding endeavour, but the cast was focused on maintaining the true themes.
“I mean, there is a lot. I’d say the horror of the movie is generational trauma. It is addiction and patriarchy. Russell’s character is experiencing so much pain, and it's been dredged up by taking this role, and it is impacting his personal life and his life with me.
“A character of this queer young woman comes to this film set, where she finds a patriarchal place. And to find her own space, she has to forge her own path in that existence, doing well by herself, and protecting herself. She finds a challenge, which I was really excited about because I found that relatable.
“But there is also just the theme of the child having to parent, which is heartbreaking. And these themes of learning that the adult in your relationship, your parent in your relationship, is a person and the grief that comes with potentially failing your family.”
In her discussion on the process of making the film, she notes that, despite an abundance of exorcism films, this one was intriguing and upon reading the script, she was driven to see it through. “It was difficult, but it was exciting. It was really a long road, even from the audition process. I auditioned for this movie so many times..
“I received the script. I was unsure based on the email because it has been a million exorcism movies made before, but then I read the script, and immediately I was like, ‘Oh no, I have to do this’. This is doing something new, something interesting. This character is so cool and exciting,” she said.
Asked what sets the movie apart, she said it “showcases the behind-the-scenes of film-making”.
“If you love horror, we are sort of trying to push it further. And if you love horror, you will know the tropes that we are playing with and that we are bringing into more of a contemporary space.
“If you love movies, then it is a movie about making movies, and you get to see the true tropes of that as well as the character of the director or the character of the movie star. Again, it is a character piece on a father and daughter.”
Exorcism is now showing, featuring other cast members including David Hyde Pierce, Adrian Pasdar, Sam Worthington and Chloe Bailey, among others.
anita.nkonki@inl.co.za