“We are the Lord's army in this battle.”
Cue the ominous chanting. The full trailer for The Ritual—XYZ Films' upcoming exorcism horror flick—just dropped, and if you've ever seen The Exorcist, The Conjuring, or, hell, even The Pope's Exorcist, you'll recognize the playbook.
Al Pacino, in full grizzled-priest mode, growls about faith while Dan Stevens (looking perpetually like he just smelled something foul) braces for spiritual warfare. The possessed girl? Check. The shaky cam? Check. The obligatory “This is based on a true story” card? Double-check.
But here's the twist—or lack thereof.
Same Demons, Different Day
Director David Midell (The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain) isn't reinventing the wheel here. The trailer leans hard into the usual exorcism beats:
✅ The Doubting Priest (Stevens)
✅ The Grizzled Veteran (Pacino, basically reprising his The Devil's Advocate energy)
✅ The Girl Who Speaks in Tongues (Abigail Cowen, doing her best Linda Blair)
✅ The Church's Skepticism™ (“The Vatican didn't approve this!”)
The only surprise? No spinning heads. Yet.
Why This Might Actually Work
Pacino's presence alone could elevate this from generic to guilty pleasure. The man could read a grocery list and make it sound like Shakespeare—so imagine him yelling Latin at a demon. Dan Stevens, fresh off Godzilla x Kong, seems game for another genre romp.
And let's not forget: This is based on the “most documented exorcism in American history.” (Or so the trailer claims.) If Midell digs into the real-life strangeness—like the Capuchin friar's “controversial” past—this could be more The Exorcism of Emily Rose than The Last Exorcism Part 47.
The Verdict: Been There, Exorcised That
Horror fans will eat this up—especially if the jump scares deliver. But if you're hoping for something fresh? The Ritual looks about as groundbreaking as holy water in a spray bottle.
“The shocking true story of the most infamous exorcism”… or just another demonic possession flick? You decide.
Watch the trailer here—and pray for Pacino's vocal cords. 🙏
 mess of exorcism tropes. Can Al Pacino and Dan Stevens save this from being another Exorcist knockoff?){kind=link}