''The Exorsis'' (stylized as ''The ExorSis'') is a 2021 Philippine

horror comedy film Comedy horror, also known as horror comedy, is a literary, television, and film genre that combines elements of comedy and horror fiction. Comedy horror has been described as able to be categorized under three types: "black comedy, parody and sp ...

directed by Fifth Solomon and co-produced by Viva Films and TinCan Productions. It is a parody based on ''

The Exorcist ''The Exorcist'' is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin and written for the screen by William Peter Blatty, based on his 1971 novel of the same name. It stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty ...

''. It stars the sisters

Toni Toni, Toñi or Tóni is a unisex given name. In Spanish, Italian, Croatian and Finnish, it is a masculine given name used as a short form of the names derived from Antonius like Antonio, Ante or Anttoni. In Danish, English, Finnish, Norwe ...

and

Alex Gonzaga Catherine Cruz Gonzaga-Morada (; born Catherine Cruz Gonzaga; January 16, 1988), professionally known as Alex Gonzaga, is a Filipino media personality, comedienne, businesswoman, host, singer and actress. Her self-titled YouTube channel is one ...

. This marks Toni and Alex's second

Metro Manila Film Festival The Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) is an annual film festival held in Metro Manila, Philippines. The festival, which runs from December 25 (Christmas) through New Year's Day and into first weekend of January in the following year, focuses on ...

after ''

Mary, Marry Me ''Mary, Marry Me'' is a 2018 Philippine romantic comedy film directed by RC Delos Reyes and starring Toni Gonzaga, Alex Gonzaga, and Sam Milby. It marks the first film to star the Gonzaga sisters, and the reunion project between Toni Gonzaga and ...

'' which is an entry of the

2018 Metro Manila Film Festival The 2018 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) is the 44th edition of the annual Metro Manila Film Festival held in Metro Manila and throughout the Philippines. It is organized by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA). During the festiv ...

Cast

as Daniella "Dani" Raymundo Morales *

Toni Gonzaga Celestine Cruz Gonzaga-Soriano (; born January 20, 1984), better known as Toni Gonzaga, is a Filipino singer, host, actress, producer, vlogger and entrepreneur. She is the former lead host of long-running reality show, ''Pinoy Big Brother''. To ...

as Gina Raymundo Morales *

Melai Cantiveros Melisa "Melai" Bunayog Cantiveros Francisco (; born April 6, 1988) is a Filipino actress, comedian, and host. She came to prominence in 2009, after winning '' Pinoy Big Brother: Double Up''. In 2015, she won the first season of the Filipino ...

as Jessa Mae *Tess Antonio as MJ *Skusta Clee as himself *Kween Leng Leng as LengLeng "Leng" Delos Santos *Isay Alvarez as Gina and Dani's mother *Dennis Padilla as Gina and Dani's father

Production

''The Exorsis'' is a co-production by

Viva Films Viva Films is a Philippine film production company established under Viva Communications. It was founded on November 11, 1981, by Vic del Rosario Jr. History Veering away from the Sharon Cuneta- Gabby Concepcion tandem, Viva became home to q ...

and TinCan Productions with Fifth Solomon as its director. TinCan Productions is associated with

. The film project associated with ''Exorsis'' was realized in November 2019 when actress

suggested Solomon to direct a film that would feature her and her sister

. Solomon began writing the script, which was originally intended to be purely comedy, during the early phase of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. The director decided to make a horror film instead, to limit the number of people and filming locations needed. He later shifted the script to a horror-comedy conceding that the horror genre is not his forte. The Gonzaga sisters were credited for providing the comedic elements to the film with Solomon adding that he shares "a similar sense of humor" with the siblings.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...

took place in 2020 around the time when COVID-19 community quarantine measures were relaxed somewhat.

Release

''The Exorsis'' was released in the Philippines on December 25, 2021, as one of the official entries of the

2021 Metro Manila Film Festival The 2021 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) is the 47th edition of the annual Metro Manila Film Festival. It is organized by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA). Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic The 2021 film festival was held to ...

. It was previous set for

2020 Metro Manila Film Festival The 2020 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) is the 46th edition of the annual Metro Manila Film Festival. It is organized by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA). It is the first edition of the festival to be held online due to th ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Exorsis, The Philippine comedy horror films Films about exorcism Films about spirit possession