Al Pacino and Dan Stevens play two priests attempting an exorcism in the trailer for The Ritual. Filmmaker David Midell directs the pair, as well as Ashley Greene, Patricia Heaton, Abigail Cowen and Ritchie Montgomery.

The Ritual centres on Father Theophilus Riesinger (Pacino) and Father Joseph Steiger (Stevens, MonsterVerse franchise) as they aim to assist a young woman who appears to be possessed by demons. “We are the Lord’s army in this battle,” says Pacino’s character in the trailer. “She is touched by something otherwordly.”

The two priests’ attitudes appear to clash, however, when Stevens asks, “What if what she really needs is a doctor?” to which Pacino responds, “We are paying a price for your lack of faith.”

The Ritual is inspired by the 1935 book Begone Satan! A Soul-Stirring Account of Diabolical Possession, which recounts the case of Anna Ecklund (a pseudonym for Emma Schmidt), an American woman whose alleged demonic possession and exorcism occurred over several decades, culminating in a four-month-long exorcism in 1928. The case is considered by theology and paranormal scholars to be one of the most abundantly documented cases of possession in the 20th century.

Midell directs the film from a script he co-wrote with Enrico Natale. Serving as producers are Natale, Ross Kagan Marks, Andrew Stevens and Mitchell Welch. The Ritual hails from XYZ Films.

The Ritual releases in cinemas from June 6th. Watch the trailer below: