By Mo Moshaty

Two priests, one in crisis with his faith and the other confronting a turbulent past, must overcome their differences to perform a risky exorcism.

A film with Pacino is always gonna bring the fire, but in David Midell’s The Ritual, that fire comes with a helluva lot of brimstone. Pacino’s turn as Father Theophilus Riesinger, a Capuchin priest struggling with the past (where have we heard this?) promises to bring more infernal fire than the outward badassery we’re used to. Playing alongside, is Dan Stevens in the role of Father Joseph Steiger, a young priest questioning his faith (where have we heard this?). The priests encounter a pathway in which to defeat both their inner and outer demons in an ailing woman, Emma Schmidt (Abigail Cowen) whose demonic possession threatens to upend everything they’ve ever thought possible, in a terrifying retelling of one of America’s most infamous cases of demonic possession: the 1928 exorcism of Emma Schmidt, also known as Anna Ecklund.

But before the levitation and flying crucifixes take root, just how much of The Ritual is rooted in truth?

The exorcism of Emma Schmidt still stands as one the most thoroughly documented cases of alleged demonic possession in the United States. In 1928, in the small town of Earling, Iowa, a woman in her mid-40s had shown disturbing symptoms since her early years (Paging Gen X and late Millennials, this could be anyone of us).

Believed to be born in 1882 in Wisconsin, the confusion around Emma’s true name begin here, as folks believe that Emma was a pseudonym used to protect her from any disturbance after the word got out, and that her real name was Anna Eckland. Emma began to exhibit signs of possession as a teenager. Signs like: aversion to religious objects like holy water and crucifixes, disturbing inner voices, blasphemous and foul language and episodes of extreme rage. These things worsened over time, making Emma a legitimate holy terror and no other explanation could be given other than she was under the inescapable influence of a demonic spirit.  

Even before climbing the walls and sputtering spit-laden curses, Emma’s origin story is steeped in trauma. Raised by a violent father with incestuous intentions and surrounded by a contemptuous and verbally abusive aunt who is believed to have cursed her out of hate, it’s no wonder Emma would lash out. These trauma bonds would eventually manifest during Emma’s exorcism, as the spirits of both her father and aunt would emerge.

A “rescue” came in 1912 with the appearance of Father Theophilus Riesinger, a German-born Capuchin priest made famous for his work in exorcising demonic spirits, and of course, he was called to Emma. The initial exorcism appeared successful but only for a short while. Emma was back to her holy-water-hatin’ days soon enough, and that, if you can believe, only got stronger. In 1928, Emma’s possession had grown so severe that Father Riesinger was called on again, this time to hopefully and permanently put away the spirits for good….but far away from prying eyes. Emma was taken away to a Franciscan convent in Earling, Iowa, where the exorcism was performed under the deepest of confidence.

The exorcism was conducted over three sessions across late summer, early September and December, lasting almost a month total. And just when you thought blasphemous language was the height, Emma’s condition worsened to speaking in languages she’d never learned like Latin and German, violent aversion to sacraments, vomiting strange objects like tobacco and fish, having strength beyond her measure, contortion, levitation, and the strength to withstand hunger over several days.

According to those present, the demons identified themselves as Lucifer, Judas Iscariot, and the souls of her father and aunt. With the help of a few fellow priests and several brave nuns, Father Reisinger carried out the exorcism by the book, the Rituale Romanum, that is, the church’s SOP for casting out demons. After weeks or spiritual warfare, Emma finally collapsed and witnesses say that demons were gone for good.

She awoke calm, peaceful and free.

So, what’s a crucial piece missing from this lore? Why, Steven’s Father Stieger.

Father Steiger was the parish priest of the Saints Peter and Paul Church in Earling, Iowa and a close friend to Father Theophilus Reisinger. When Reisinger determined that Emma’s second exorcism needed to be conducted in secrecy and isolation, he reached out to Steiger, who agreed to host the exorcism in his parish convent run by Franciscan Sisters. This couldn’t have been a bigger ask. Hosting a multi-week exorcism in a sacred space was not only logistically demanding, but spiritually and psychologically risky. Steiger’s role was not as the lead exorcist, was as an essential support system. He provided the location and security, ensuring the ritual could happen without public or press interference or witness to the overstaying looky loo.

He assisted during the ritual at various points helping to restrain Emma when needed and taking part in prayers. He acted as a witness offering additional corroboration for the strange phenomena that was occurring, and his testimony helped to bolster the case’s credibility in later accounts. But most importantly, he suffered as well, and according to reports and the pamphlet Be Gone, Satan! by Carl Vogl, Steiger himself experienced spiritual oppression during the exorcism, including frightening hallucinations, unexplained noises in the rectory, and even nearly dying in a car accident shortly after the ritual; a detail that many believers point to as a demonic retaliation. In the 2025 film, Stevens portrays Father Steiger, a casting choice that appears designed to give the younger priest a more emotional and character driven arc, and acting as the audience surrogate, we finally get to learn more about him.

I can only guess the dynamic between Pacino and Stevens serves as the heart of this film, as we’ve seen in The Exorcist (1973) where the bait is Emma, but the real story is Reisinger and Steiger, confronting literal, and metaphorical demons. I’m anxious to see the film, but this is a bit of a trite dynamic for me (find my further thoughts here): will this ailing and dying woman make these men feel like good little priests again in the end? Sigh.

And on the terms of ailing, skeptics and psychologists have argued that Emma may have been suffering from mental illness, possibly schizophrenia, trauma-induced dissociation or epilepsy. The influence of religious suggestion, deep-seated guilt and repressed trauma have also been proposed as alternative explanations. Still, for many believers, the case remains a terrifying and credible account of genuine demonic possession, and for that, I will be sat.

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The Ritual
Release Date: June 6, 2025 (U.S. theatrical release)
Director: David Midell
Writers: David Midell and Enrico Natale
Cast: Al Pacino, Dan Stevens, Abigail Cowen, Ashley Greene, and Patricia Heaton
Distribution: XYZ FILMS