Vertical will release Joshua John Miller‘s (The Mao Game) supernatural shocker, The Exorcism next week. Starring Academy Award®-Winner Russell Crowe (Gladiator, The Pope’s Exorcist).
Boasting decades of experience in genre cinema and family ties to iconic roles, Miller brings assured direction to his second directorial effort. His father Jason Miller played Father Damien Karras in The Exorcist, his mother Susan Bernard was a Scream Queen, and Miller himself previously established a career as an actor, producer, and writer, including a lead role in Kathryn Bigelow’s classic vampire film Near Dark.
Directed by Miller, from a script he wrote with M.A. Fortin – both creators of the hit series “Queen of The South” and the writers and producers of The Final Girls, The Exorcism follows troubled actor Anthony Miller (Crowe) as he spirals out of control while filming a supernatural horror movie. His estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins of the Fear Street trilogy) suspects he may be relapsing into addiction, but there could be a more sinister force at work.
Starring alongside Crowe and Simpkins are Sam Worthington (Avatar: The Way of Water, Fractured), Chloe Bailey (Praise This), Adam Goldberg (“The Equalizer,” “Fargo”), Samantha Mathis (“The Strain,” The Punisher), Adrian Pasdar (Home Movie, “Heroes”) and David Hyde Pierce (“Frasier,” “Julia”).
In anticipation of the film releasing in theaters on June 21st, CinemaChords’ Ashley Northey sat down with Ryan Simpkins who admitted that despite initial hesitation to tackle another horror project, she seized this opportunity, recognizing the film’s thematic departure from typical demonic possession movie trappings.
