The Ritual gets its first trailer, revealing Al Pacino's return to religious horror. Directed by David Midell, the horror flick tells the story of two priests who must put aside their differences to perform a dangerous exorcism. Pacino plays the role of Father Theophilus Riesinger, a priest with a turbulent past, while Dan Stevens plays Father Joseph Steiger, a priest having a crisis of faith. The Ritual, which also stars Ashley Greene and Abigail Cowen, comes 27 years after Pacino played the Devil in The Devil's Advocate.

As the movie's June 6 release date approaches, XYZ Films releases a teaser trailer for The Ritual, providing a first look at Pacino in character as Father Riesinger. The trailer features text revealing that it is based on a true story dubbed "The most terrifying exorcism in American history," as Pacino warns through voice-over that the Devil will do everything in his power to prevent the exorcism from being successful. Check out the trailer below:

What The New Trailer Means For The Ritual

It Has Similarities To Another Recent Exorcism Movie

The trailer teases that The Ritual will feature some surprisingly graphic moments, particularly involving the possessed Emma as she contorts her body in various ways. It also suggests that the movie will follow in the footsteps of other exorcism-based horror movies in of the types of scares audiences can expect. The trailer also suggests that The Ritual won't be too dissimilar to The Pope's Exorcist (2023) starring Russell Crowe.

The Pope's Exorcist reviews were mixed from critics, but the film was a success with audiences, grossing $76.9 million worldwide. This film, which hails from director Julius Avery, was made on a modest estimated budget of $18 million, and the trailer for The Ritual suggests Pacino's film may have been made for a similar amount, or perhaps less. As was the case with Crowe and The Pope's Exorcist, Pacino is the primary draw with The Ritual, especially since the possession story itself doesn't look to be breaking any new ground.

Following the first movie's success, Crowe is confirmed to return in The Pope's Exorcist 2.

Our Take On The Ritual Trailer

How The Horror Film Can Set Itself Apart

If there's one complaint that can be levied at exorcism horror movies, is that the subgenre can sometimes feel repetitive and formulaic. There have been so many exorcism movies at this point, after all. The star power involved can certainly set some movies apart, as can the depth of the characters. The actual possession in The Ritual doesn't look like it breaks the mold from what's been revealed so far, but the characters played by Pacino, Stevens, and Greene could help the film stand out.

Pacino is a proven talent and is, even at 84 years old, a reliably entertaining screen presence. It's Stevens, however, who could end up being a major highlight after he became a fan-favorite element of the cast of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire last year. It remains to be seen how The Ritual will fare when compared with other possession horror movies, but it, at the very least, features an impressive cast.

Source: XYZ Films