Al Pacino breaks new ground in horror with "The Ritual"

The narrative of "The Ritual" revolves around two priests. Dan Stevens portrays a priest who begins questioning his faith, whereas Al Pacino plays another priest grappling with a challenging past (Al Pacino). The story unfolds as they embark on a mission to rescue a young woman through perilous exorcisms, setting aside their personal tumults.

The film draws inspiration from the true experience of American Emma Schmidt (who used the pseudonym Anna Ecklund) in 1928, marking the most comprehensively documented exorcism in American history.

Although a British film titled "The Exorcism of Anna Ecklund" was released in 2016 as a low-budget endeavour, "The Ritual" is poised to be the first significant and more polished adaptation of this harrowing story on the big screen.

Alongside Pacino and Stevens, the cast includes Ben Foster, Ashley Greene, and Abigail Cowen. David Midell directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Enrico Natale.

For Pacino, "The Ritual" marks only his second foray into the horror genre. The first was his role in 1997's "The Devil's Advocate" with Keanu Reeves, in which he memorably portrayed the devil. This upcoming film is anticipated to offer a genuine scare-fest.

"The Ritual" is scheduled for a 2025 release. Interestingly, a distinctly different horror movie with the same name was released in 2017 and is now available on Netflix, though it employs a Monster Movie style of storytelling.