Al Pacino will star alongside Dan Stevens in the upcoming film Demonic Possession The ritual in 2025, which will continue an exciting trend that has dominated horror films over the last year. Expected release in April 2025, The ritual Pacino and Stevens play two troubled priests who come together to perform a series of exorcisms on a young American girl. The film is based on a real exorcism and follows the ordeal of Emma Schmidt, whose exorcism is one of the most thoroughly documented cases of all time.

Horror in general is experiencing an upswing, both in quality and box office, as production companies like Neon and A24 have brought haunting stories to the big screen for relatively small dollar amounts, with enormous results. Dan Stevens’ recording in The ritual is exciting thanks to his extensive background in horror, but what’s really interesting is Pacino’s addition to the cast, and that’s thanks in large part to a trend that began in earnest in 2024.

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Al Pacino is the latest Hollywood star to star in a high-profile horror film

Horror has attracted some of the biggest names in the industry

As more and more quality stories are told from a horror perspective in cinema, the genre has started to attract some big names for its leading roles. The rise of high-concept horror has spawned a number of incredible films in which real Hollywood stars can be seen in key roles. Last year, several Oscar winners starred in real horror films, something that was considered unusual just five years ago.

Halle Berry, who won in 2002 for her performance in “ Monster ballstarred in the post-apocalyptic supernatural horror film Never let gowhile BAFTA winner Hugh Grant recently starred in the stunning psychological religious horror film Heretic. Oscar winner (and multiple nominee) Nicolas Cage actually starred in two horror films in 2024: the surprise smash hit Long legs and the underrated post-apocalyptic horror film Arcadian. Pacino’s leading man intervenes The ritual proves that Audiences can continue to expect A-list celebrities to indulge in horror.

Why more and more famous actors are devoting themselves to horror

Horror is becoming a more respected form of cinema

Horror has historically been despised as a genre of cinema for several reasons; Budgets tend to be low and the focus is usually on gore and spectacle, as opposed to quality writing, steady pacing and exceptional cinematography. Film critics in particular are dismissive of horror films because the genre has historically not paid attention to the elements it looks for, such as narrative strength and cinematography. However, a new wave of creators have fully embraced these elements, often while maintaining a small-budget mentality, which has attracted high-profile actors.

Horror films eschew body counts and senseless violence in favor of well-developed characters and poignant metaphorseverything told from a frightening perspective. Horror films explore deep themes in their narratives, often including trauma, grief, mental illness, isolation and other societal fears, expertly woven into a chilling story. In addition to this strength of storytelling, many modern horror filmmakers are experimenting with new and exciting ways to frighten an audience, well beyond simple jump scares or disturbing images.

Even some of the recent horror films that a critic might describe as “low” horror have elements of high-level filmmaking. A sensation at the box office horror 3 contains many of the hallmarks of a low-budget 1980s slasher sequel, but hidden within the demon clown’s antics and gut-wrenching gore is a powerful metaphor about trauma and a pointed story about the cosmic battle between good and evil. Simply put, Horror has become a much more respected form of cinemaand as a result, more and more of Hollywood’s most talented actors and actresses are embracing it.

Top-notch acting talent means there are no limits to horror in 2025 and beyond

A-listers could get more recognition for legitimate horror

Of course, when you have high-profile actors and actresses in horror films, you get more attention. Therefore, it’s safe to assume that the ongoing trend of A-listers in horror films could lead to more formal recognition of the genre. Although there are obviously some important exceptions to the rule (e.g. The Silence of the Lambs, Jaw), Historically, horror films don’t get much attention at major awards like the Oscars, BAFTAs or Golden Globes. That could be changing as more and more horror films are supported by A-listers in their casts.

This shift in respect may already be underwayActually. Osgood Perkins Long legswhich stars Nic Cage as a perverted serial killer and scream queen Maika Monroe as an FBI agent tasked with hunting him, is already in the Oscar race for 2025. The vampire adaptation by Robert Eggers Nosferatu has received surprisingly good early reviews and could be up for major awards in 2025. Time will tell if Al Pacino’s appearance in The ritual While the film holds up to critics and fans, whatever the case, its inclusion in a horror film is exciting for the genre in general.

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Directed by David Midell, “The Ritual” follows two priests who must put aside their differences to save a possessed young woman through a challenging and dangerous series of exorcisms.

Release date

April 18, 2025

Pour

Al Pacino, Dan Stevens, Ashley Greene, Abigail Cowen, Patricia Heaton, María Camila Giraldo, Liann Pattison, Courtney Rae Allen, Ritchie Montgomery, Emily Brinks, Enrico Natale

Character(s)

Father Theophilus Riesinger, Father Joseph Steiger, Sister Rose, Emma Schmidt, Mother Superior, Sister Camila, Sister Antonella, Sister Mary Joseph, Chester, Betty, Dr. Fabian

director

David Midell

writer

David Midell, Enrico Natale

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