The Exorcism Ending, Explained

Russell Crowe is becoming a staple of the horror genre, and specifically in movies about religion and evil spirits, as he follows up The Pope’s Exorcist with his new movie, The Exorcism. Crowe is Anthony Miller, an alcoholic actor trying to get his career back on track while salvaging a relationship with his grown-up daughter. He begins work on a new horror movie, playing a priest, when a series of peculiar events take place.

The Exorcism features an all-star supporting cast including David Hyde Pierce, Sam Worthington and Adam Goldberg, and it is the directorial debut of Joshua John Miller, who has previous acting credits in movies like Near Dark and Halloween 3: Season of the Witch, as well as writing the screenplay for 2015 horror hit, The Final Girls. Scream 7’s Kevin Williamson was a producer on the project, and it was released on June 21, 2024.

What is The Exorcism about?

Anthony Miller (Russell Crowe) is an actor who has his demons after a battle with alcoholism after the death of his wife, while also suffering abuse as a child in the Catholic Church. He takes on a role as a priest in a horror movie called The Georgetown Project, while trying to mend his damaged relationship with his estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins).

The role comes his way after the previous actor fell to his death on set due to an unseen force. As production begins, Anthony is struggling with his performance as he battles his issues, and meets Father Conor (David Hyde Pierce), who is a consultant on the movie. Strange things start to happen on set, as Anthony suffers a random nosebleed as he experiences flashbacks to his past abuse.

Back at home, Anthony begins acting strangely, and Lee puts it down to stress and his failure to take his medication. As time goes on, it’s clear that Anthony is suffering from a bad case of demonic possession. Lee and Blake seek the help of Father Conor, who suggests that Anthony might have trauma that the demon is bringing out in him. Lee states that her late mother had mentioned bad stuff had happened in Anthony’s childhood.

The demon digs deeper into Anthony’s soul, and the flashbacks to his abuse become more vivid. Anthony revisits his time as an altar boy as a priest and forces him to drink wine, which leads to the abuse. Turns out, Anthony left the Catholic Church soon after this, and still feels a level of negativity in the presence of a priest, which explains his reaction to Father Conor’s presence on the set.

The terrifying movie demon uses Anthony’s tragic memories and shame over the incident to increase its hold over him, with his self-loathing and destructive behavior making it easier for the entity to possess him. As the shoot goes on, Anthony’s performance is getting worse, and Peter replaces him in the lead role, with co-star, Joe (Sam Worthington), who Anthony ends up murdering in a fit of revenge.

How does The Exorcism end?

The Georgetown Project is 18 days into the shoot and Anthony’s demonic possession has fully taken over, and he is visibly unwell, but the director, Peter, is pushing him to get a performance by mentioning the abuse he suffered as a child. This behavior sends Anthony into a rage, as the demon pushes him over the edge, and he heads through the set, causing great concern for the crew members.

Back at home, Lee and one of the stars of the movie, Blake (Chloe Bailey) are hanging out and getting support from each other, as their friendship turns into romance. However, Anthony attacks the pair with homophobic abuse, as his condition deteriorates even further. Back on set, Lee discovers her father in full possession mode, as Blake and Father Conor are on their knees in a frozen prayer pose. Lee attacks Anthony with a cross and stabs him.

Father Conor awakes from his frozen pose, and forces the demon to use him as a host instead, and he does so. The transference frees Anthony from demonic possession, and his awful memories come back in their entirety. Anthony attacks the demon’s power by invoking saints, then stabs the demon with the cross, setting Father Conor on fire as the demon is defeated.

Time has moved on since the events of the possession, and Anthony’s relationship with Lee is stronger than ever. The movie ends with Anthony Miller speaking to a priest during confession, where he claims he has maintained his faith, despite the awful experience he has gone through. Lee is also moving on with her life, and sends her father a new version of her script that he had previously ignored. The screen briefly moves back to the set of The Georgetown Project, before the credits roll.