Russell Crowe became a household name after the release of Gladiator. There was a time when my family and I used to watch it several times a week and say the dialogue along with Crowe like it was karaoke night. I’ve watched all of his collaborations with Ridley Scott. I often find myself rewatching the opening minutes of Man of Steel just to enjoy Crowe’s take on Jor-El. And, of course, The Nice Guys is one of my favorite movies of all time. So, it was a little weird to see him veer into the fantasy-horror genre with The Mummy (the 2017 one, which everyone loves to forget). While many actors wouldn’t have returned to the genre after a critical and financial debacle like that, I was glad to see him in The Pope’s Exorcist. And as we wait for the sequel to that film, Crowe is back for some more supernatural shenanigans in The Exorcism. Is it any good? Let’s find out.
Joshua John Miller’s The Exorcism, which he has co-written with M.A. Fortin, tells the story of a failed actor named Anthony Miller who is cast in the role of a priest in a supernatural horror film after the guy who was supposed to play that part died unceremoniously and mysteriously on the film’s set. Miller isn’t a credible name in the business because of his tryst with alcohol. While he has tackled that demon by going to rehab, he seems to be troubled by the death of his wife. So, when the aforementioned role comes his way, he sees it as a win. While preparing for the role, Miller’s estranged daughter, Lee, is suspended from school because of her rebellious behavior, and that gives both of them a chance to get to know each other better. And just when things seem to be going fine, the director, Peter, starts forcing Anthony to base his performance on his traumatic past, thereby causing a malevolent entity to latch onto the actor’s soul.
Based on the trailer and its proximity to the release of The Pope’s Exorcist, I was certain that The Exorcism was a parody film about the making of possession horror films. I couldn’t have been more wrong. It’s actually a serious meditation on the evil that exists within churches and how their exploitation of children is an open secret. Through its meta-storytelling, Fortin and Miller wonder how Christianity has been influenced by its portrayal in the realm of entertainment and whether or not that has led to the creation of something more sinister. They also go into the process of method acting and the auteur theory and aptly critique them because actors should draw from their past or real-life experiences only if they can separate the real from the reel and deliver a good performance. If it’s affecting them in a negative way and ruining the filmmaking process, then what’s the point? Fortin and Miller do have some positive stuff to say about the power of faith and how it can strengthen a person’s resolve during their moments of crisis, which is always a nice thing to see as religion is commercialized with each passing day. Also, as a fan of The Exorcist TV series, it’s always great to see the power of queerness repelling a monster in the horror genre.
When it comes to the fear factor in The Exorcism, Miller tries to strike a balance between traditional jump scares and the sense of dread emanating from the slow decay of its characters. Personally speaking, the jumpscares aren’t ambitious enough to make an impact. When the flexibility of the set within the set of the film and the various kinds of lighting fixtures come into play, things do get interesting. And that kinda compels you to study the filmmaking methods used to achieve some of the diegetic scares. But since these moments are a little repetitive, the level of engagement with the film kind of drops. In stark contrast to that, I found the slow and methodical use of extreme close-ups, cross-fades, long dialogue scenes, and intelligent sound design to depict Anthony’s deterioration and the psychological impact it’s having on Lee to be quite impressive. It gives off the feeling that we are watching a classic horror movie, which is also an intimate account of a man’s troubled mind. Cinematographer Simon Duggan, editors Gardner Gould and Matthew Woolley, production designer Michael Perry, the set decorators, make-up artists, SFX artists, VFX artists, sound designers, and stunt performers do deserve a round of applause for that.
Much like how the filmmaking angle makes The Exorcism more than your run-of-the-mill possession horror film, Russell Crowe’s casting in this particular role is quite fascinating. A simple Google search will tell you all you need to know about his short-tempered nature and his relationship with alcohol. He recently played a priest who faced his internal demons while facing the ones that were rather supernatural in nature. So, seeing him play an actor who is dealing with alcoholism and anger issues, who is being forced to play a priest in the horror film within the horror film who is dealing with alcoholism and anger issues, is eye-opening, to say the least. Of course, the truth of Crowe’s life is hidden beneath the layers that come with the film’s commentary on faith, religion, and movies, but it’s gratifying to think that maybe we are getting a peek into Crowe’s soul during this meta performance, even if it’s for a millisecond. Lee Miller is excellent. There’s something very raw and relatable about the way she expresses the anxiety of watching one’s support system crumble before their eyes and the struggle to be resilient in those moments of sheer terror. Sam Worthington is quietly hilarious, and I think he should’ve gotten more screen time. Chloe Bailey and David Hyde Pierce are pretty great. Adam Goldberg is one of the most underrated actors in the industry, and it was nice to see him reunite with Crowe after A Beautiful Mind.
As mentioned before, The Exorcism falters when it tries to go for traditional jumpscares, which is most evident in its third act. But when it is exploring the thread that connects humanity, religion, and movies, it’s incredibly intriguing. At the time of writing this review, the film had an abysmally low score, and I don’t know why. And I am afraid that new viewers are going to see that and ignore the movie’s merits. Well, I’m here to say that you should give it a good chance because it feels like a deeply personal film for Russell Crowe. If you know anything about Joshua John Miller, who is the son of Jason Miller, who played Father Damian Karras in The Exorcist, and if you are aware of Joshua’s battle with addiction and trauma (as per his semi-autobiographical film, The Mao Game), you’ll realize that this is a deeply personal film for him as well. In addition to that, if you are a fan of films about making horror films, like Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, Blow Out, Shadow of the Vampire, all the Scream movies, Gods and Monsters, Berberian Sound Studio, One Cut of the Dead, and Censor, you should definitely give The Exorcism a try.
