Q&A with THE EXORCISM’s Joshua John Miller & M.A. Fortin

With The Exorcism now in theaters, I had the opportunity to talk with Joshua John Miller & M.A. Fortin about their subversive exorcism film. Learn more about the origins of this film, casting, to the on-set experience, and the chances of a sequel to The Final Girls:

How did The Exorcism come together as your latest project? From Russell Crowe to Ryan Simpkins to Kevin Williamson and everyone in between, it seems like you assembled a great team to tell this story.

It was inspired by a conversation we had with Kevin Williamson, where he was a big fan of The Final Girls and he really wanted us to go back to meta horror in a way, but push it further and the idea of an exorcism themed movie was floated and initially we were not into the idea, but the more we thought about it, the more we thought about the ways we could turn the tropes of an exorcism movie inside out.  For example, a woman always being the one possessed, a man always being the hero, the catholic church being this unimpeachable source of rescue only.  Then we started to realize that there was something here for us to explore.  

There's a real grounded element and authenticity to the movie-making process. How did your past on-set experiences (or experiences of others) impact the story of The Exorcism?

A Lot of the movie was inspired by a traumatic production experience we had many years ago that felt like a possession movie.  We actually felt like we were in a horror movie running from a demon, except that demon was a human.  That very much inspired the sort of idea of making a movie that is really about the horror of making a horror film. 

What did you find the most challenging and most rewarding aspects of making this film?

The most challenging was fighting for a vision that defied what certain people felt we had to deliver on in an exorcism film and continuing to champion an unorthodox exorcism film.  This isn't an exorcism film, but it is, it's this weird hybrid.  So we had to constantly remind ourselves and the people we were working with, that we were trying to do something that was challenging people's expectations. 

The most rewarding part was finishing it.  Although it's not really finished.. there is more to come.  

Even though it's a film that deals with the supernatural, it's a story about a father and daughter at its core. Can you talk about balancing those elements to tell a compelling, yet scary story?

There's no purpose to any horror movie if you don't care about the characters.  If you are watching a horror movie and they are just stick figures or stereotypes, and you're just waiting for them to die, then as a horror movie it is not really maximizing its potential to upset you in our opinion. 

I caught The Final Girls during its festival run and still suggest it to everyone I can. It's such a wonderful film. Is there anything in the cards in regards to a sequel or spiritual successor?

In many ways, The Exorcism, is a spiritual successor. However, in terms of, The Final Girls, Todd, Mark and myself, ( Todd Strauss-Schulson / the director) have deliberated over some concepts for some kind of sequel.  It's a dialogue we are having, that's where it's at.