The Exorcist: Martyrs trailer is out, and searches for it are climbing fast. Universal Pictures has released the first full look at Mike Flanagan's new chapter in the franchise, starring Scarlett Johansson, and it arrives in theaters only on March 12, 2027. Here is the trailer, who is in it and what to read and watch before it lands.
What it is
Thirteen years ago, New York City detective Julie Miller (Johansson) ended the reign of a satanic serial killer called Father Sunday. The case made her a hero. Now a new killer scrawls her name in an altar boy's blood on the walls of a church crypt, pulling her back into the dark she thought she had buried. Former prison chaplain Father William (Chiwetel Ejiofor), who heard Father Sunday's final confession, and rookie detective Gina Restrepo (Sasha Calle) help her follow a thread that links a lineage of killers, according to Universal Pictures.
The cast is deep. Diane Lane plays Mary, Miller's mother, who has moved in to help raise her grandson Max (Jacobi Jupe). Scoot McNairy, Gil Bellows, Laurence Fishburne and John Leguizamo, as Father Sunday, round out the lineup. Flanagan writes and directs, based on characters created by William Peter Blatty. David Robinson, Jason Blum of Blumhouse and Flanagan produce.
Why people are searching for it
Flanagan is the filmmaker behind The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass, The Fall of the House of Usher, Doctor Sleep and the upcoming Carrie. When he takes on the most famous possession story ever put on screen, horror fans pay attention. Add a star like Johansson in a lead role and a trailer that leans on dread over spectacle, and it is easy to see why the title is climbing in search today.
Read and watch first
The story begins with Blatty's 1971 novel The Exorcist, now in print from HarperCollins. It is leaner and meaner than you remember, and it reads fast. Get the paperback here.
Then there is the film that started the franchise, directed by William Friedkin in 1973. If you want to see it properly before March, the 4K Ultra HD disc from Warner Home Video collects the theatrical and extended director's cut. Check price on the 4K disc.
How to watch
The Exorcist: Martyrs is a theatrical release only, opening March 12, 2027. The official film site is where tickets will appear, and you can watch more from Universal Pictures on YouTube. We have added the film to our Incoming list.
Our take
Franchise reboots are a hard sell, and this one comes after a rocky run for the series. But a director with Flanagan's patience for slow-building fear, an ensemble this good and a trailer this restrained is a better bet than most. If you want more horror in the meantime, start with our A24 horror starter guide, then go back to Other Mommy and the V/H/S/MIXTAPE premiere.
The Exorcist: Martyrs official site · The Exorcist, the novel
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