Before The Exorcist, Scarlett Johansson’s Only Horror Was a Dud — Is Eight Legged Freaks Worth Your Time?

File this under: horror royalty meets horror craftsman. Scarlett Johansson is set to headline Mike Flanagan's new take on The Exorcist, with Blumhouse and Atomic Monster producing. That pairing alone is a big swing; add Johansson to the mix and you can practically hear theaters dimming the lights already.

So what is this Exorcist, exactly?

Deadline first reported Johansson's casting. Flanagan is writing and directing, but Johansson's role is being kept quiet for now. The project had been eyeing a March release window at one point, but that's off the calendar. As of June 2, 2025, per Flanagan himself on Tumblr, cameras haven't rolled yet because he's determined to finish his Carrie first. Translation: this is happening, but it's not next week.

'Scarlett is a brilliant actress whose captivating performances always feel grounded and real, from genre films to summer blockbusters, and I couldn't be happier to have her join this Exorcist film.'

Flanagan also told a New York Comic Con 2024 crowd that he's chasing something gnarlier than usual this time:

'My goal is to make the scariest movie I've ever made, and trying to make something that scares the shit out of me.'

A little behind-the-scenes tidbit: it's rare to see a filmmaker publicly hit pause like this, but Flanagan is famously meticulous. If he's saying 'not yet,' it's because he actually wants this one to be terrifying, not just talk a big game.

Johansson's last brush with horror-comedy chaos: Eight Legged Freaks

Before the MCU juggernaut and the awards-circuit dramas, Johansson had to survive a swarm of very large, very hungry spiders. The 2002 monster comedy Eight Legged Freaks (original title in some regions: Arac Attack) was directed by Ellory Elkayem and co-starred David Arquette, Kari Wuhrer, Scott Terra, and Doug E. Doug, with Johansson as Ashley Parker, the level-headed teen trying to keep it together alongside her brother Mike and their mom, Sheriff Sam Parker.

A quick refresher on the ridiculous plot (said with affection)

A truck wreck dumps toxic waste into a pond. Crickets munch the contaminated snacks. Spiders munch the crickets. Suddenly you've got house-sized arachnids terrorizing a small Arizona town. Chris McCormick (Arquette) and Ashley Parker (Johansson) end up leading the scramble to survive. Think giant orb-weavers dropping in like paratroopers, a methane-soaked showdown, and a final kaboom that takes out the spider queen, Consuela. It's knowingly goofy, sometimes gnarly, and very early-2000s in all the right ways.

Who was who in Eight Legged Freaks

• David Arquette - Christopher 'Chris' McCormick
• Kari Wuhrer - Samantha 'Sam' Parker
• Scott Terra - Michael 'Mike' Parker
• Doug E. Doug - Harlan Griffith
• Scarlett Johansson - Ashley Parker
• Rick Overton - Peterson 'Pete' Willis
• Leon Rippy - Wade
• Matt Czuchry - Bret
• Jay Arlen Jones - Leon
• Eileen Ryan - Gladys
• Riley Smith - Randy
• Matt Holwick - Larry
• Jane Edith Wilson - Emma Willis
• Jack Moore - Amos
• Roy Gaintner - Floyd
• Don Champlin - Leroy
• John Christopher Storey - Mark
• David Earl Waterman - Norman
• Tom Noonan - Joshua Taft (uncredited)

Does it hold up?

Rotten Tomatoes sits at 49%, which feels about right for a movie that is intentionally silly and also wants to creep you out. It grossed $45 million worldwide against a $30 million budget, per Box Office Mojo, so call it a modest win. The charm is in the self-aware tone: it knows exactly what it is. Arquette plays the earnest, hapless hero. Johansson's Ashley is smart, brave, and surprisingly grounded, which gives the movie just enough emotional weight to make the last-act fireworks land.

Johansson's run-up to those giant spiders

Right before Eight Legged Freaks, she was already stacking up interesting credits: North (1994) as Laura Nelson, Just Cause (1995) as Katie Armstrong, Manny & Lo (1996) as Manny, The Horse Whisperer (1998) as Grace MacLean, My Brother the Pig (1999) as Kathy Caldwell, and Ghost World (2001) as Rebecca Doppelmeyer. Not a bad track to later pivot into blockbusters and prestige fare.

So what does this mean for The Exorcist?

Johansson has done the scares-and-laughs dance before, but Flanagan is aiming for pure dread here. With Blumhouse and Atomic Monster backing his script and direction, and with production waiting until he finishes Carrie, expect this to be a measured build rather than a rush job. No release date yet; when that changes, I will absolutely yell about it.

Where to watch Eight Legged Freaks right now

If you want to revisit Johansson outrunning monster arachnids while we wait on the pea soup and Latin chants, Eight Legged Freaks is available to rent on Apple TV.