Here we are with another horror movie hitting the big screen and this time Russell Crowe returns to the supernatural with The Exorcism as a troubled actor on set of a reboot of one of the best horror movies which fans love.
When troubled actor Anthony Miller (Academy Award-winner Russell Crowe), begins unravelling while on the set of his latest horror film, his daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), questions if his past addictions or something darker is at play.
The latest horror film in question seems to be a reboot of The Exorcist but this isn’t mentioned throughout the movie, but there are some subtle clues to take into this journey of something evil that is lurking maybe on the film set or it could already be deep within Miller’s soul.
The Exorcism starts with a promising bit of creepiness as an actor enters the set of the film and proceeds to walk through his lines in a somewhat impressive set of a house where the film is to be shot, but nothing is what it seems that the actor soon realises that his role isn’t going to last.
Crowe’s character takes on the part of the previous actor as the priest who will be performing the exorcism in the film, but he has his demons already and there is something in his past that just won’t let go of him. When his daughter returns home after being kicked out of school, they try to reconnect and she becomes a PA to Anthony on the set of the film.
I found The Exorcism really slow, with several moments in the early part of the film wondering if this was going to be as scary as the trailer made it look. I was disappointed! There are a couple of scenes that may make some people jump by throwing in a shock factor of a loud noise or a quick edit to throw you off guard, but for me it did nothing.
That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the performance from Russell Crowe, I did, it’s just after seeing him in The Pope’s Exorcist which I thoroughly enjoyed and still do each time I watch it, The Exorcism just really dragged on. It wasn’t until the last maybe 15-20 minutes that it pulled me in a tad more, but by then I was at the point of wondering how much longer I had to wait for the end credits to come along.
The cinematography looked good and the soundtrack was atmospheric, but as with a lot of the horror movies that are hitting the big screen lately they seem to cater for the 15 ratings and don’t have those moments of having you looking away or sitting on the edge of your seat wondering what’s coming up to care the heck out of you.
The Exorcism stars Russell Crowe, Ryan Simpkins, Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce, it’s heading to UK Cinemas on the 21st of June.