Mike Flanagan Drops 'The Exorcist: Martyrs' Trailer at NYCC — Scarlett Johansson Hunts a Demonic Killer in His Scariest Film Yet

Mike Flanagan Just Unveiled the Most Terrifying Exorcist Chapter Yet

If you thought Mike Flanagan was going to take it easy after dropping his Carrie series on Prime Video this very week, think again. The horror mastermind behind The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass, and Oculus just unveiled the first trailer for The Exorcist: Martyrs at New York Comic-Con 2026 — and he's calling it "the scariest movie I've ever made." Coming from a guy whose filmography includes some of the most unsettling horror of the last decade, that's one hell of a statement.

The trailer premiered during a Blumhouse panel on Friday, October 9, and has already taken the internet by storm. This time, the iconic franchise isn't just about possession — it's blending supernatural horror with a gritty serial killer narrative that feels more Mindhunter than The Exorcist III, while still channeling that same brooding, atmospheric tension fans love.

Scarlett Johansson Trades the MCU for Demons and Serial Killers

Scarlett Johansson leads the cast as Detective Julie Miller, an NYPD homicide detective who ended the killing spree of satanic priest Father Sunday, played by John Leguizamo. Thirteen years later, a new serial killer drags her back into the darkness when her name is found written in the blood of a murdered altar boy on the walls of a church crypt. Yeah, not exactly a quiet retirement.

Joining Johansson is Chiwetel Ejiofor as Father William, a former prison chaplain who becomes her unlikely partner, and Sasha Calle as rookie Detective Gina Restrepo. The ensemble also features Diane Lane, Jacobi Jupe, Scoot McNairy, Gil Bellows, and Laurence Fishburne — a cast so stacked it's almost unfair.

An Ancient Evil Linking History's Most Infamous Killers

Here's where it gets genuinely wild. As Detective Miller digs deeper, she uncovers an ancient evil that has connected infamous real-life killers throughout history — from H.H. Holmes to the Night Stalker to the Zodiac. It's a bold mythology play that expands the Exorcist universe far beyond the original 1973 William Peter Blatty story while keeping the franchise's signature dread intact.

Flanagan wrote and directed the film, which is produced by David Robinson and horror mogul Jason Blum. After the lukewarm reception of 2023's The Exorcist: Believer directed by David Gordon Green, fans have been desperate for someone to do the franchise justice. With Flanagan's track record and this cast, the hype feels completely earned this time around.

When Can You See It?

The Exorcist: Martyrs hits theaters on March 12, 2027. Between this, Flanagan's Carrie on Prime Video, and his Clayface movie arriving October 23, the man is absolutely dominating the horror landscape right now. And honestly? We're not complaining.

If the trailer is any indication, millennials who grew up scared stiff by the original Exorcist franchise finally have a new chapter worth losing sleep over. Mark your calendars — and maybe leave the lights on.