Dan Stevens is set to star in the new horror movie The Ritual with the The Ritual recently got a release date for Easter weekend 2025, and based on the limited details revealed, seems like it will hit many of the familiar notes of the demonic exorcism subgenre. That certainly isn't a strike against it, given how many disappointing exorcism movies have been released in the last few years.

A familiar exorcism formula could still be a massive hit, considering The Ritual will be elevated by the presence of Pacino and Stevens. While there has been no shortage of attempts at high-quality modern exorcism movies, there have unfortunately been very few successes. In just the last two years, Academy Award-winner Russell Crowe has starred in two total flops: The Pope's Exorcist and The Exorcism. However, there is one major exorcism movie that The Ritual could act as an ideal replacement for, assuming it's a hit.

The Ritual Can Be The Modern Exorcist Movie That The Exorcist: Believer Should Have Been

The Possession Subgenre Needs A Great Story Accented With Legitimate Modern Scares

Expectations were sky-high for the return of The Exorcist franchise in 2023 thanks to a killer first trailer and an exciting production team. David Gordon Green was at the helm, just a few years after he breathed new life into the Halloween franchise (although he did promptly snuff it out with the final chapter of the trilogy, Halloween Ends). The Exorcist: Believer was intended to kick off a new trilogy of Exorcist movies, and even featured the return of both Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair, who reprised their iconic characters from the original The Exorcist.

Unfortunately, the movie itself was a complete disaster. Critics derided it for its lack of new ideas, incoherent plot, and wasted cast, even though it had a respectable box office haul. The Exorcist: Believer was such a flop that the remainder of the trilogy was essentially scrapped. The Ritual has a golden opportunity to step in as a replacement, as its plot surrounds an old priest and a young priest coming together to help a young girl through a series of exorcisms. It is already more of a spiritual successor to The Exorcist than The Exorcist: Believer.

Dan Stevens' Horror Credentials Make The Ritual Even More Intriguing

Stevens Has A History Of Elevating Horror Movies

While the inclusion of Al Pacino is enough to create excitement for any movie, the addition of Dan Stevens might be even more intriguing. The Ritual was originally going to star Ben Foster opposite Pacino, but Foster was replaced by Stevens early in development. Taking nothing away from the ultra-talented Foster, the inclusion of Stevens might wind up being the best thing for the movie's overall quality, given his ongoing run of success in horror movies.

Stevens earned a Critics' Choice Awards nomination for Best Actor in a Horror Movie for his performance in 2021's The Ritual.

Stevens' most recent foray into the genre was the 2024 psychological horror Cuckoo, in which he played a deranged German scientist. Before that, he played the villainous Frank in the surprise vampire hit (with critics, anyway) Abigail. He has a long list of great roles across many subgenres of horror, most notably in movies like The Guest, The Rental, and Apostle. Stevens' horror credentials make his inclusion in The Ritual an exciting prospect, and elevate hopes that it could be the high-quality exorcism movie that the subgenre has been missing.