The Ritual is a 2025 American horror film directed by David Midell and written by Midell and Enrico Natale. Based on a true story, it follows priests Theophilus Riesinger (Al Pacino) and Joseph Steiger (Dan Stevens) as they attempt to put aside their differences to save an allegedly possessed young woman Emma Schmidt (Abigail Cowen) through a series of exorcisms. The film was released by XYZ Films on June 6, 2025, and received generally negative reviews from critics.

Plot

In 1928, in the quiet farming town of Earling, Iowa, a young woman named Emma Schmidt begins to suffer from terrifying and inexplicable phenomena. She's tormented by night terrors, violent outbursts, speaking in languages she doesn’t know, and an unnatural hatred toward anything sacred. Her family, devout Catholics, believes she’s possessed and seek help from the Church. Their desperate plea reaches Father Theophilus Riesinger, a seasoned German-American priest known for conducting rare, authorized exorcisms.