Mike Flanagan is well acquainted with the intersection of horror and Catholicism. Just look at Midnight Mass<\/em>, or the religious fervour he retained in his just-released adaptation of Stephen King\u2019s Carrie. Next, he\u2019s approaching the final boss of that topic: a new film in The Exorcist<\/em> franchise. Written and directed by Flanagan \u2013 one of the great voices in contemporary horror \u2013 The Exorcist: Martyrs<\/em> promises a new, original take on the saga.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n The filmmaker has much experience to bring to it. \u201cBeing raised Roman Catholic is a wonderful on-ramp into the horror genre,\u201d he laughs, talking Empire<\/em> through the first Martyrs<\/em> trailer. His new entry is a serial killer thriller with an unholy agenda, offering \u201can opportunity to restage some of what I think are the most horrible ways for a human being to die that I’ve ever heard.\u201d And while Exorcist<\/em> and exorcism horror films are nothing new (\u201cThere are hundreds of regurgitations, reinterpretations, extensions of the personal possession story,\u201d he notes, \u201cseveral of which star Russell Crowe\u201d), if anyone can breathe new life into it, it\u2019s Mike Flanagan.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Ready to unpack what he\u2019s cooking up with The Exorcist: Martyrs<\/em>? The power of Mike compels you\u2026<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Stairs are an ominous thing in an Exorcist<\/em> movie \u2013 just ask Father Karras. And whatever is at the bottom of these<\/em> stairs surely won\u2019t be nice. Flanagan confirms that Martyrs<\/em> will take us into the abyss. \u201cIt’s the scariest thing I’ve ever made,\u201d he promises. \u201cIt is dark<\/em>. It is vicious, at times.\u201d Given his reputation for sentimentality in his storytelling, it was a chance for Flanagan to change things up. \u201cThat’s part of the appeal for me. Especially coming off Carrie<\/em>, which was so rooted in empathy and kindness, and The Life Of Chuck<\/em> as well,\u201d he points out. \u201cI don’t often get to flex those muscles. I don’t often want<\/em> to flex those muscles. But this was the story to do it, and it’s harrowing.\u201d Maybe bring a crucifix with you \u2013 the film will \u201cgo as dark as we’re comfortable going, and then go darker<\/em>,\u201d says Flanagan. Gulp.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Think about it: you\u2019ve never seen Scarlett Johansson in a scary movie. And for good reason. \u201cShe doesn’t like horror,\u201d laughs Flanagan. \u201cBut she really, really responded to this script. She was like, \u2018I don’t know that I’ll ever watch<\/em> it, but I can’t wait to be in it.\u2019\u201d She\u2019s conquering her fears as Julie Miller, an NYPD detective facing up to a personal nightmare. \u201cShe rose to prominence as a rookie officer when she brought down a notorious serial killer who staged these very religious crime scenes,\u201d Flanagan explains. \u201cShe’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.\u201d Having been a Johansson fan since Lost In Translation<\/em> and Girl With A Pearl Earring<\/em>, Flanagan was more than impressed with her IRL. \u201cIt’s one of my favourite performances of hers,\u201d he enthuses.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Pazuzu\u2019s holiday destination of choice was always Washington DC. But Martyrs<\/em> is a Manhattan movie. \u201cThere’s no city in America like New York City. It’s a harrowing city,\u201d says Flanagan. \u201cFor all of its lights, it has extraordinary darkness as well. It’s like a wasps\u2019 nest.\u201d And, notably, it has a history of serial killer activity. \u201cI thought so much about the citywide panic that was born when Son of Sam was active in Manhattan,\u201d he recalls. \u201cAnd 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.\u201d It allowed him to make a movie with something of a David Fincher vibe. \u201cSetting this there reminded me of how I felt watching Seven<\/em>, where the city starts to close in.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n A serial killer story isn\u2019t new territory in the Exorcist<\/em> franchise. See: The Exorcist III<\/em> (\u201cA movie I adore and think is wildly underappreciated, and really was at the forefront of my mind with this movie,\u201d confirms Flanagan). With Martyrs<\/em> serving up stomach-churning religiously-themed murders, the film is both \u201ca serial killer procedural\u201d and a possession story. \u201cThose 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,\u201d Flanagan argues. \u201cI’m curious to see how people react.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The ensemble cast here features several Flanagan regulars: Hamish Linklater, Carl Lumbly, Rahul Kohli, Robert Longstreet, Samantha Sloyan, Kate Siegel, Benjamin Pajak\u2026 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<\/em>. \u201cHe’s absolutely brilliant and chilling in this,\u201d says the director. \u201cHe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Fresh off his killer performance in The Odyssey<\/em>, John Leguizamo is about to give a different kind of killer performance in The Exorcist: Martyrs<\/em>. \u201cHe taps into a profound well of darkness that really you have to see to believe,\u201d warns Flanagan. If all goes to plan, he\u2019ll be a new regular in the filmmaker\u2019s ensemble of players. \u201cThis is my first time working with John, but it will not be the last,\u201d he says. \u201cI immediately was just like, \u2018Oh, you’re forever welcome here anytime.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Here\u2019s an Empire<\/em> theory for you: we think Laurence Fishburne might be the<\/em> exorcist of The Exorcist: Martyrs<\/em>. Flanagan is keeping it cryptic, though. \u201cHe plays a priest with a very particular set of skills, who is called in for a very specific reason in the story,\u201d he laughs. Whether or not he\u2019s playing the titular role, the part \u201cneeded 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.\u201d The question is, is he also carrying a rosary and some holy water?<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n From what we see in the trailer, it seems that Martyrs<\/em> will see the religious terror infect Julie Miller and her son\u2019s home life \u2013 an integral part of The Exorcist<\/em>\u2019s DNA. \u201cI’ve always believed is that horror at home is particularly frightening, because that’s where you’re meant to be the safest,\u201d says Flanagan. It\u2019s something detective Julie Miller won\u2019t take lying down. \u201cWhen home is the home of a NYPD homicide detective, that makes for an incredibly active protagonist,\u201d he teases. \u201c[She] meets it not with fear, but with interrogation, because it’s her job to charge headlong after that kind of darkness.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n It\u2019s only a brief shot. But there it is: an external shot of a house, with a lamppost out the front \u2013 and that\u2019s enough to invoke The Exorcist<\/em> scene so iconic, it became the poster too: the arrival of Father Merrin. \u201cI can’t help it,\u201d Flanagan laughs of referencing it here. \u201cThere 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.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Flanagan\u2019s fascination with religious fervour looks set to come to full fruition this time around. \u201cOne of the things that always struck me growing up was the nature of martyrdom,\u201d he teases of the significance of Martyrs<\/em>\u2019 title. \u201cA 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 \u2013 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.\u201d Let the reign of terror begin.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n The Exorcist: Martyrs comes to cinemas from March 12, 2027<\/em><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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\u2019s Carrie. Next, he\u2019s approaching the final boss of that topic: a new film in The Exorcist franchise. Written and directed by Flanagan \u2013 one of the great voices in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15214,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-47"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15213"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15213\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15215,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15213\/revisions\/15215"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The downstairs place<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-exorcist-martyrs-trailer-explained-by-mike-flanagan-its-the-scariest-thing-ive-ever-made.jpg\")
<\/div>\nScarlett goes scarlet<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-exorcist-martyrs-trailer-explained-by-mike-flanagan-its-the-scariest-thing-ive-ever-made-1.jpg\")
<\/div>\nNew York, a hell of a town<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-exorcist-martyrs-trailer-explained-by-mike-flanagan-its-the-scariest-thing-ive-ever-made-2.jpg\")
<\/div>\nWhat\u2019s on the cross??<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-exorcist-martyrs-trailer-explained-by-mike-flanagan-its-the-scariest-thing-ive-ever-made-3.jpg\")
<\/div>\nOur Father<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-exorcist-martyrs-trailer-explained-by-mike-flanagan-its-the-scariest-thing-ive-ever-made-4.jpg\")
<\/div>\nLegendary Leguizamo<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-exorcist-martyrs-trailer-explained-by-mike-flanagan-its-the-scariest-thing-ive-ever-made-5.jpg\")
<\/div>\nHe\u2019s beginning to believe<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-exorcist-martyrs-trailer-explained-by-mike-flanagan-its-the-scariest-thing-ive-ever-made-6.jpg\")
<\/div>\nThe haunting of Miller\u2019s house<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-exorcist-martyrs-trailer-explained-by-mike-flanagan-its-the-scariest-thing-ive-ever-made-7.jpg\")
<\/div>\nHey Siri, play \u2018Tubular Bells\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-exorcist-martyrs-trailer-explained-by-mike-flanagan-its-the-scariest-thing-ive-ever-made-8.jpg\")
<\/div>\nHello, martyr<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-exorcist-martyrs-trailer-explained-by-mike-flanagan-its-the-scariest-thing-ive-ever-made-9.jpg\")
<\/div>\n