The Exorcism ending explained

Russell Crowe’s new horror movie The Exorcism is now in cinemas, so here’s how the ending plays out, plus what it all means.

The Exorcism stars Russell Crowe as Anthony Miller, an actor who has struggled with drink and drug addiction. But he sees potential redemption through a new movie where he plays a heroic priest.

That film is The Georgetown Project, which is clearly a remake of horror classic The Exorcist, anchoring moments of the movie in real life. But during the shoot, the film appears to be cursed, with accidents occurring on set, and Miller appearing to become possessed.

Is this the result of Miller’s own personal demons? Or is his body being adopted by an actual demon? Read on to find out. Warning: Spoilers ahead!

Is Anthony Miller really possessed?

Yes, Anthony Miller is really possessed in The Exorcism. We don’t know much about the demon who takes charge of his body, but by the end of the movie, Miller is fully possessed.

Demon Miller spouts profanities, puts his daughter in a trance, twists his body in a horrific shape, kills one of his co-stars, and jumps out of a high-rise window, surviving the fall.

The battle for Anthony’s soul then kicks off. The demon tortures him with flashbacks to childhood abuse at the hands of a priest. While in the present day, Father Conor (David Hyde Pierce) offers to take his place.

The switcheroo plays out, and the newly demonic priest exclaims that “Your god rejects you.” But Anthony fights back, shouting scripture to cast the demon out. And it appears to work, briefly, until the demon comes back to life, angrier than ever.

Anthony then stabs the demon priest with a cross, and the possessed figure spontaneously bursts into flames, before burning to dust on the floor. Anthony tells his daughter he loves her, then the film fades to black.

The Exorcism ending explained

The Exorcism ends with a coda where we hear Miller speaking to a priest during confession, suggestions he’s maintained his faith, in spite of the hell he’s just been through.

While his voiceover plays, we see Anthony’s daughter moving on with her life, and sending dad a new version of her script that he previously ignored.

The awful events of the movie have therefore resulted in them reconnecting, the film ending with Anthony praying for better days ahead. The screen then briefly cuts to the set of The Georgetown Project, before the credits roll.

Does The Exorcism feature a post-credits scene?

No, The Exorcism does not feature a post-credits scene, meaning when those credits kick-in, that’s it.

There’s no reason why this demon — or another — couldn’t return to claim Anthony Miller’s soul in a potential sequel. But this first film doesn’t set that up during or after the credits.

With a Rotten Tomatoes score of 41% at present, The Exorcism probably won’t be making our list of 2024’s best movies. But you check out more films hitting cinemas this month, as well as the year’s box office winners.