PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Joshua John Miller (Teen Witch; Near Dark) just made an exorcism movie, and he’s got some big shoes to fill. His father, Jason Miller, played Father Karras in the 1973 William Friedkin film, The Exorcist. Yes, that very one. For the first feature film he’s directed in 25 years, Joshua and his partner M.A. Fortin (The Final Girls) wrote the script together and this is a fun one.
A troubled actor begins to exhibit a disruptive behavior while shooting a horror film. His estranged daughter wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play.
To celebrate the film’s release, I chatted with Joshua and M.A. about how they met, how the project came about, horror movies (Yes, we did talk about The Exorcist), and more!
PopHorror: Thank you so much for your time!
Joshua John Miller: Thanks for having us!
PopHorror: You guys worked together on the phenomenal The Final Girls. How did you two meet and how did The Exorcism come to fruition?
Joshua John Miller: How did we two meet?
M.A. Fortin: We have five minutes!
Joshua John Miller: That’s a dirty story.
M.A. Fortin: We met on a blind date of sorts.
Joshua John Miller: Blind date… Isn’t that like code for “bathhouse?”
M.A. Fortin: No! If it was a bathhouse, I would just say we met at a bathhouse. We met when online dating was still innocent, and 20 years ago.
Joshua John Miller: Wait! When was online ever innocent?
M.A. Fortin: We met through like, personals.
Joshua John Miller: No, that we did. I just meant other online dating sites.
M.A. Fortin: I mean, it’s gotten progressively less innocent. I don’t think I’m saying anything controversial here. Anyway, long story short, we only have five minutes! Oh my god!
Joshua John Miller: We met on a blind date and here we are!
M.A. Fortin: And here we are! And how did The Exorcism come about? It has a lot to do with Josh’s personal history. That’s a huge strand of DNA.
Joshua John Miller: But more than anything, Mark and I were both writing. He was writing a play; I was sort of writing a play. I was writing a new book; he was working on a movie that I thought was really cool. We were dating and I said, “Why don’t we write together?” because that’s kind of an amazing experience because I think you have strengths that I don’t have and I could be adding to your work, you’ll be adding to mine. Let’s try to combine it but then always remember that our relationship is the most important and there should always be an exit just in case things get too intense. I think there was that moment of-
M.A. Fortin: And things were always fun and easy!
Joshua John Miller: Exactly. I think that when you write with someone that you know so well, it’s really just in shorthand obviously, and often share passions. I think coming from horror as an actor and also one in my family, Mark was able to really actually connect me to my love of where I was from. Because you know, some people run away from Akron, Ohio because they want to go to Hollywood, except I was in Hollywood, and I wanted to run away from horror because it was everything I knew. But I loved watching Mark’s obsession with horror. It reminded me of my childhood obsession with horror separate from The Exorcist. To be honest, it’s all Mark’s fault.
M.A. Fortin: I did it.
PopHorror: I love that. I can’t imagine working with my partner. We would probably kill each other. Joshua, did you put any pressure on yourself given your father’s role in The Exorcist, which is one of the greatest horror films ever made?
Joshua John Miller: Oh, I have no issues with that whatsoever.
M.A. Fortin: No, none.
Joshua John Miller: Yeah, I’m fine. I’ve never had to go to therapy. Have no problems about competing with a family legacy. None at all. I’m totally confident all the time. Never scared, never have any issues.
M.A. Fortin: Piece of cake.
Joshua John Miller: He said sarcastically. Please highlight that. I think the one way I try to circumvent that – or at least escape that – was I don’t think we tried to make a conventionally scary movie. If you look at The Exorcist, I think we tried to lean into the family drama of it and I felt that if we just stuck to that as much as we could and as much as the studio would allow us to make it into a chamber piece then we would be different enough. I think if we made it about the making of a horror movie so that it was commenting on The Exorcist or films like that, then we would continue to be across the street from The Exorcist as opposed to in the house. I think that people would appreciate the kind of personal love letter as well as the screaming screed against making movies, which also are kind of like a hellscape.
PopHorror: I think you were very effective, and I love that so much.
Joshua John Miller: Thank you. Everything we did together, everything we collaborated on this movie together, so we’re both incredibly happy to hear that.
M.A. Fortin: Thank you.
PopHorror: Yeah, absolutely. I have just one last question for you both. What is your favorite scary movie?
Joshua John Miller: What was that Anne Hathaway movie that was on Amazon recently?
M.A. Fortin: Stop. Stop. Do not insult St. Anne that way.
Joshua John Miller: I did actually kind of like that movie.
M.A. Fortin: We totally enjoyed that movie.
PopHorror: I did too, and I read the book!
Joshua John Miller: I cried! But they cried in every scene in that movie.
M.A. Fortin: Every scene they’re crying.
Joshua John Miller: They’re crying in every scene.
M.A. Fortin: And then after a while we were like, they know they’re doing this to us. I think my favorite all time scary movie is the movie that is also one of the quietest movies, is the original George Sluizer’s The Vanishing. Not the Fox remake, but the original. Just an absolutely terrifying, haunting movie.
Joshua John Miller: One of the scariest things I ever saw as a kid, it’s not a horror movie, it’s more of an apocalyptic/genre movie are these two movies about nuclear war. It was Testament and The Day After. One was a movie of the week. One actually influenced Reagan to actually pull back on how much nuclear weapons we were developing. It was just the idea of the day after. It lives with me to this day. I’m not kidding. What I like about that movie is it had something to say, it was about family, and it was also horrifying.
Thank you so much to Joshua and M.A. for taking the time to speak with us. The Exorcism is in theaters now!
