Tired of exorcism films yet? XYZ Films hopes you aren’t, as they just released a new poster for their upcoming “based on a true story” exorcism tale, creatively titled The Ritual. Starring Dan Stevens and Al Pacino, the film hits theaters this summer, featuring two priests whose inner demons make them unequipped to handle a truly terrifying case of possession.
The Ritual is also set to star Twilight alum Ashley Greene, Patricia Heaton, and Ashley Cowan, and is directed by David Midell, who also wrote the script alongside Enrico Natale. Natale serves as a producer alongside Andrew Stevens and Mitchell Welch. The film’s logline is as follows:
“The Ritual follows two priests — one questioning his faith (Stevens) and one reckoning with a troubled past (Pacino) — who must put aside their differences to save a possessed young woman through a difficult and dangerous series of exorcisms. The film is an authentic portrayal of Emma Schmidt, an American woman whose demonic possession culminated in harrowing exorcisms. Her case remains the most thoroughly documented exorcism in American history.”
According to the studio, the film is based on Schmidt’s real “church-sanctioned exorcism” in 1928, one of the few exorcisms ever officially recognized by the Catholic church:
The real-life exorcism was performed by Father Theophilus Riesinger, a Capuchin priest known for conducting some of the most intense exorcisms in American history. The exorcism took place over 23 days in a secluded Iowa convent, with nuns and clergy documenting terrifying events including levitation, unearthly voices, and supernatural strength. The case gained national attention and was featured in major outlets, including Time Magazine, cementing its place in American religious and paranormal history.
The original account was chronicled in the 1935 book Begone Satan!, which has influenced countless horror stories, exorcism films, and theological debates for nearly a century. The full details of Emma Schmidt’s exorcism were buried for decades—The Ritual brings the horror back to light, revealing the origin story of demonic possession in America.
This isn’t the first time Stevens has played a religious figure — he starred as a former missionary in 2018’s Apostle — nor is it the only exorcism film we’ve seen in recent years. Russell Crowe alone has led two, the unfortunately similarly-named The Exorcism and The Pope’s Exorcist, alongside the ill-fated The Exorcist: Believer. And that’s not even counting Mike Flanagan’s upcoming take on the iconic franchise. Fixation much, Hollywood?
Pacino is no stranger to horror, either. He most notably starred as Satan himself in 1997’s The Devil’s Advocate, so seeing how he fares on the other side of the battle (so to speak) should be interesting, especially alongside soon-to-be genre icon Stevens.
The Ritual hits theaters on June 6. Check out the new poster below:
