Spooky season is just around the corner, and this year, horror fans already have a list of films to quench their blood-filled cinema cravings. Of course, that includes the cinematic version of New York Times best-selling author Grady Hendrix's 2016 novel, My Best Friend's Exorcism. Paying homage to 1980s pop-culture, the upcoming horror flick teases the first-look at best friends Abby (Elsie Fisher) and Gretchen (Amiah Miller) in a new image, getting their frozen yogurt fix in an after-school meet-up, while clad in their '80s-inspired ensembles, with one sporting her curly hair for a big '80s moment.
The film adaptation of My Best Friend's Exorcism is directed by Damon Thomas, who also had a hand in top-rated dread-infused television shows, including the horror drama series Penny Dreadful and the spy thriller drama Killing Eve. The forthcoming film will tell a horror-packed, girls-night-out-gone-wrong tale of two high school best friends in the year 1988, who, apart from navigating teenage life, boys, and the pop scene at the time, are forced to deal with the supernatural force gripping the body of Gretchen "like a pair of neon legwarmers." With the help of the cocky mall exorcist, Christian Lemon (Christopher Lowell), Abby must do the best she can to take the demon out of her best friend's body before it's too late.
Written by Jenna Lamia, who previously penned several episodes of NBC’s Good Girls and The CW’s 90210, the film also stars Cathy Ang (Over the Moon), Rachel Ogechi Kanu (Cheer for Your Life), Clayton Royal Johnson (Stranger Things), Erin Ownbey (Long Slow Exhale), Nathan Anderson (First Wives Club), Cynthia Evans (Five Feet Apart), and Cameron Bass (A Crime to Remember).
Apart from My Best Friend's Exorcism, Hendrix's 2014 novel Horrorstör is also up for a film adaptation, while his 2021 novels Southern Book Club and The Final Girl Support Group have been selected for television adaptation. My Best Friend's Exorcism will premiere on Prime Video on September 30. Check out the film's official synopsis below.
"The year is 1988. High school sophomores Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since fourth grade. But after an evening of skinny-dipping goes disastrously wrong, Gretchen begins to act...different. She's moody. She's irritable. And bizarre incidents keep happening whenever she's nearby. Abby's investigation leads her to some startling discoveries-and by the time their story reaches its terrifying conclusion, the fate of Abby and Gretchen will be determined by a single question: Is their friendship powerful enough to beat the devil?"