Mike Flanagan is one of the most respected names in the world of horror. Having made masterpieces like The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass, he not only knows how to create alluring environments that are perfect for scares but also knows how to tell real stories in the most human ways possible. It was recently announced that he would be heading the latest film from the world of the 1973 classic, The Exorcist.
While there is no denying that Flanagan will do an excellent job at making the film, his past works had some of the executives on the film, as well as hardcore fans worried. During a recent interview, he addressed these concerns and revealed how he would be approaching them.
Mike Flanagan’s Past Made Executives Concerned
Recently, Mike Flanagan made an appearance at the ATX TV Festival, via IndieWire, where he talked about his recently announced project from The Exorcist universe. The film is a classic in every way, being a striking inspiration for creators to date and having some very iconic sequences. The new film is said to be a complete new story, separate from the other sequels. However, it will exist in the same universe.
Flanagan revealed that when he was having a conversation with the executives of the film, they raised some concerns about how he would be making the new film.
We just think it’s theatrical, and younger audiences drive horror. That’s a fact.
Mike Flanagan is known for being very theatrical and intentionally verbal when he is making projects. All of the characters have a tendency to go into intense monologues that are either emotional or explain a big chunk of the story. While such a form of storytelling can work exceptionally well in certain cases, it does not always fit with every type of film.
A lot of the audiences who will come see this likely haven’t seen the original, and aren’t going to be impressed by any allusions to that. So this isn’t really where you want to do the long monologues about religion.
The executives on The Exorcist voiced their concerns that he would take a similar approach with the new film. They did not believe that the new audience that the movie was going to reach needed a film full of monologue. While some would get upset with such criticism, it would seem that the executives and Flanagan were on the same page.
Mike Flanagan Is On The Same Page
After revealing what the executives were concerned about, Mike Flanagan voiced his own opinions on the matter. It would seem that he completely agrees with their vision for the film. Even mentioning that he does not think that monologues are what the movie, as a whole, needs. This is quite a surprising direction, as the original Exorcist is known for having a very long sermon. Prayers being shouted for half of the film’s duration is what added to its charm.
Part of what I said to Blumhouse and Universal when we were discussing this was I don’t think this is a monologue project,
The ritual itself is something of a monologue, but we’ve seen that. We’ve seen somebody shout prayers at somebody. That was scary 50 years ago, I don’t see that working here.
While such an approach worked excellently well 50 years ago, Flanagan said that the same types of scenes will not work with audiences now. Religious scenes like that don’t elicit fear from audiences anymore. Rather than that, he wants to make a movie that is simply scary and not vocally chilling.
