ComingSoon Senior Editor Brandon Schreur spoke to Dan Stevens, Ashley Greene, and Abigail Cowen about the new exorcism horror movie The Ritual. Stevens, Greene, and Cowen discussed the spooky things they experienced on the set of the movie, working with Al Pacino, and more.

“The shocking true story of the most infamous exorcism in American history,” the official logline reads.

The Ritual will be released in United States theaters on June 6, 2025, from XYZ Films.

Yeah, it’s definitely different. The fact that it’s based on these real accounts that inspired movies like The Exorcist was very, very interesting. Obviously, having Al on board was a huge draw, and I was very, very excited to see what he would do with this material.

You [Abigail Cowen] were weird and spooky.

You [Cowen] were weird and spooky. Abby was the weird and spooky one.

Oh, me! I was the one, I guess. I see.

We just talked earlier about how we both had an experience at the Sutton Hotel. It wasn’t on this set.

But that wasn’t on this set.

But, with The Exorcist, there were things that were happening behind the scenes and in people’s private lives and stuff.

Did something weird happen?

Well, the Airbnbs were super creepy, right?

Oh, you [Stevens] did! Wait, in your house.

Yeah, I had a creepy old house in, like, ancient Mississippi. Also, just where we were filming, we were in the crypt of this old Catholic cathedral. Or not a cathedral. What was it called? I don’t know. A big old fancy church.

There were actually bodies down there.

Yes, there were like old bones. It was pretty weird.

Yeah, but you had it in your house, didn’t you? Or your Airbnb?

The bones?

[Laughs] He took the bones home!

Just really immersed myself.

You know. Isolating? Not necessarily because I think there was a lot of team effort, I think we were all in it together, and we all kind of knew our role in the film. But the preparation was a lot, for me. I definitely took weeks and weeks to learn all the languages and to really understand so that, when I was in it, I could kind of switch from kind of the possessed Emma to a bit of her vulnerable, real self. So I think it was more about the preparation beforehand, so that when I got to set, I could just kind of let go and trust what I knew, what I had studied, and hope for the best, I guess.

Stevens: No [laughs]. He was a sweetheart. But Father Theophilus was kind of a sweetheart, I think. He’s so, given what he has to do, I just find him such a sweet character, really. This man is full of regret, just shuffling about and doing his job. I thought he was very sweet. That was my experience, at least.

Cowen: Yeah, I agree. Like, the whole time. He was just really supportive and really encouraging. To me, specifically, too.

Stevens: Well, you were going through it. And he was very supportive. He wasn’t super intense.

Cowen: Amazing, yeah.

Ashley, you have some great line delivery in this movie, too, because you’re kind of the one who is reacting to the super scary stuff that’s going on all the time. And I think that’s such a vital part of this — when all the scary stuff is going down, you get to be the one who is like, ‘Oh shit, this is scary.’ I’m curious if that was a challenge for you, as an actor. Did you have to bring yourself somewhere mentally, at all, to really sell all the reactions to the scary stuff going on?

Greene: You do. I mean, some of it is physical and technical, but I think it is sometimes more exhausting than you would think to be in a heightened state the entire time. I wanted it to feel as real as possible. I think you see all of us go through the ringer, a little bit, as this story unfolds, and you see how, I think, selfless a lot of them have to be to continue doing this exorcism when it’s so heavily affecting them. I really wanted that to play in this character and for you to see the battle, the internal battle, that Rose goes through. Not just the scares and the jump scares, but, as a whole, what this does to a person.

Dan, I want to ask about the ending of this movie. The last shot, it lingers on your face — maybe he’s looking at something in the distance, maybe he’s reflecting on everything that’s been going on. I’m curious about your take on what you think is going on in your character’s mind right there at the end.

Stevens: Yeah, that’s a good question. I think, for me, that was the real horror of the story, for Father Steiger. Like, ‘Holy shit, what if this stuff is real?’ I think he goes from being a skeptic to really believing what has just happened. For me, in order for it to be a horror film, it’s not a celebration of, ‘Yay, we got the demons out!’ It’s like, ‘Oh my god, demons are real.’ That, to me, is the most horrifying aspect of the story.

Totally. That bounces to the next question I was going to ask you three, too. This is based on real events that actually happened. It’s supposed to be the well-documented exorcism case and everything. What does that look like from your perspective, as far as research goes? I know it was the 1920s, so nobody who is alive that was part of it, but did you have to do a lot of research to play these parts?

Greene: I did some research on the context of the film as a whole. My character isn’t documented in any way, so I kind of had to create that all on my own. But, to your point, it does kind of give a little gravity to the situation, knowing that this came from true events and a true story. I think that makes it that much scarier and that much more real for all of us. I did do some research, but I don’t think I had quite as much to draw from as some of the other characters.

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Thanks to Dan Stevens, Ashley Greene, and Abigail Cowen for discussing The Ritual.