Mike Flanagan is well acquainted with the intersection of horror and Catholicism. Just look at Midnight Mass, or the religious fervour he retained in his just-released adaptation of Stephen King’s Carrie. Next, he’s approaching the final boss of that topic: a new film in The Exorcist franchise. Written and directed by Flanagan – one of the great voices in contemporary horror – The Exorcist: Martyrs promises a new, original take on the saga.
The filmmaker has much experience to bring to it. “Being raised Roman Catholic is a wonderful on-ramp into the horror genre,” he laughs, talking Empire through the first Martyrs trailer. His new entry is a serial killer thriller with an unholy agenda, offering “an opportunity to restage some of what I think are the most horrible ways for a human being to die that I’ve ever heard.” And while Exorcist and exorcism horror films are nothing new (“There are hundreds of regurgitations, reinterpretations, extensions of the personal possession story,” he notes, “several of which star Russell Crowe”), if anyone can breathe new life into it, it’s Mike Flanagan.
Ready to unpack what he’s cooking up with The Exorcist: Martyrs? The power of Mike compels you…
The downstairs place
Stairs are an ominous thing in an Exorcist movie – just ask Father Karras. And whatever is at the bottom of these stairs surely won’t be nice. Flanagan confirms that Martyrs will take us into the abyss. “It’s the scariest thing I’ve ever made,” he promises. “It is dark. It is vicious, at times.” Given his reputation for sentimentality in his storytelling, it was a chance for Flanagan to change things up. “That’s part of the appeal for me. Especially coming off Carrie, which was so rooted in empathy and kindness, and The Life Of Chuck as well,” he points out. “I don’t often get to flex those muscles. I don’t often want to flex those muscles. But this was the story to do it, and it’s harrowing.” Maybe bring a crucifix with you – the film will “go as dark as we’re comfortable going, and then go darker,” says Flanagan. Gulp.
Scarlett goes scarlet
Think about it: you’ve never seen Scarlett Johansson in a scary movie. And for good reason. “She doesn’t like horror,” laughs Flanagan. “But she really, really responded to this script. She was like, ‘I don’t know that I’ll ever watch it, but I can’t wait to be in it.’” She’s conquering her fears as Julie Miller, an NYPD detective facing up to a personal nightmare. “She rose to prominence as a rookie officer when she brought down a notorious serial killer who staged these very religious crime scenes,” Flanagan explains. “She’s now a single mother, trying to find some semblance of work-life balance as what appears to be a copycat killer emerges, specifically leaving crime scenes for her.” Having been a Johansson fan since Lost In Translation and Girl With A Pearl Earring, Flanagan was more than impressed with her IRL. “It’s one of my favourite performances of hers,” he enthuses.
New York, a hell of a town
Pazuzu’s holiday destination of choice was always Washington DC. But Martyrs is a Manhattan movie. “There’s no city in America like New York City. It’s a harrowing city,” says Flanagan. “For all of its lights, it has extraordinary darkness as well. It’s like a wasps’ nest.” And, notably, it has a history of serial killer activity. “I thought so much about the citywide panic that was born when Son of Sam was active in Manhattan,” he recalls. “And you see these towering skyscrapers, this shrine to the modern world, right next to an original ancient 17th century crypt and church. It’s a wonderful schizophrenia.” It allowed him to make a movie with something of a David Fincher vibe. “Setting this there reminded me of how I felt watching Seven, where the city starts to close in.”
What’s on the cross??
A serial killer story isn’t new territory in the Exorcist franchise. See: The Exorcist III (“A movie I adore and think is wildly underappreciated, and really was at the forefront of my mind with this movie,” confirms Flanagan). With Martyrs serving up stomach-churning religiously-themed murders, the film is both “a serial killer procedural” and a possession story. “Those two ideas are oddly in harmony with each other. They’re both about hunting down and identifying darkness hidden within humanity, and darkness that infiltrates,” Flanagan argues. “I’m curious to see how people react.”
Our Father
The ensemble cast here features several Flanagan regulars: Hamish Linklater, Carl Lumbly, Rahul Kohli, Robert Longstreet, Samantha Sloyan, Kate Siegel, Benjamin Pajak… The list goes on. Literally, because Chiwetel Ejiofor is here too, back for his second Flanagan film in a row after The Life Of Chuck. “He’s absolutely brilliant and chilling in this,” says the director. “He plays a priest, Father William. At one time he was a prison chaplain, so he’s connected to this world of crime and punishment in a very profound way.”
Legendary Leguizamo
Fresh off his killer performance in The Odyssey, John Leguizamo is about to give a different kind of killer performance in The Exorcist: Martyrs. “He taps into a profound well of darkness that really you have to see to believe,” warns Flanagan. If all goes to plan, he’ll be a new regular in the filmmaker’s ensemble of players. “This is my first time working with John, but it will not be the last,” he says. “I immediately was just like, ‘Oh, you’re forever welcome here anytime.’”
He’s beginning to believe
Here’s an Empire theory for you: we think Laurence Fishburne might be the exorcist of The Exorcist: Martyrs. Flanagan is keeping it cryptic, though. “He plays a priest with a very particular set of skills, who is called in for a very specific reason in the story,” he laughs. Whether or not he’s playing the titular role, the part “needed to carry an enormous amount of weight and authority, and I think few people can carry that with them into a room like Laurence Fishburne.” The question is, is he also carrying a rosary and some holy water?
The haunting of Miller’s house
From what we see in the trailer, it seems that Martyrs will see the religious terror infect Julie Miller and her son’s home life – an integral part of The Exorcist’s DNA. “I’ve always believed is that horror at home is particularly frightening, because that’s where you’re meant to be the safest,” says Flanagan. It’s something detective Julie Miller won’t take lying down. “When home is the home of a NYPD homicide detective, that makes for an incredibly active protagonist,” he teases. “[She] meets it not with fear, but with interrogation, because it’s her job to charge headlong after that kind of darkness.”
Hey Siri, play ‘Tubular Bells’
It’s only a brief shot. But there it is: an external shot of a house, with a lamppost out the front – and that’s enough to invoke The Exorcist scene so iconic, it became the poster too: the arrival of Father Merrin. “I can’t help it,” Flanagan laughs of referencing it here. “There are very few things in this movie that I felt like we had to gesture back to what came before. We were really so determined to be striking out on our own limb. But that was an opportunity where you do have to acknowledge the tree.”
Hello, martyr
Flanagan’s fascination with religious fervour looks set to come to full fruition this time around. “One of the things that always struck me growing up was the nature of martyrdom,” he teases of the significance of Martyrs’ title. “A martyr could be viewed as a tragic outcome, but in the church it’s celebrated. It’s a death that serves a greater purpose. They say the church is built on the blood of the martyrs, which to me is also a horrifying thing – as though, in order for the church to advance, it requires an enormous amount of suffering from these very specific people. It was an idea that I’ve always been equally parts fascinated and horrified by.” Let the reign of terror begin.
The Exorcist: Martyrs comes to cinemas from March 12, 2027
