No film is exempt from a musical reinterpretation. Broadway has been enchanted by adaptations such as The Producers, Sunset Boulevard, and Death Becomes Her, while off-Broadway has explored the uncanny with works like Heathers, Teeth, and Little Shop of Horrors.

But how does one convert The Exorcist, an iconic horror film teeming with demons and sacrilege, featuring practical effects that appear nearly impossible to recreate on stage, into a musical comedy?

For writer Michael Shaw Fisher, the strategy encompasses various perspectives. Drawing influence from the zany humor and meta-commentary of John Cameron Mitchell’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Fisher developed Exorcistic: The Musical. Instead of merely serving as a conventional parody (like Teeth), Fisher not only replicates scenes from William Friedkin’s renowned film but also reimagines them as a play-within-a-play. Confused? Just hold on.

For every genuinely exhilarating musical piece or delightfully silly joke, Exorcistic: The Musical is filled with fragments and grand concepts that don’t entirely come together.

Exorcistic: The Musical transcends being just a parody of The Exorcist.

Instead of jumping straight into the opening number “A Christian in Iraq (Pazuzu Theme),” Exorcistic: The Musical introduces the cast and crew behind the rock musical. The performers gather on stage, presenting themselves as actors or actor/producer, actor/writer, etc. Among them are recognizable stereotypes: the graceful leading lady, the driven ingenue, the charming leading man, the pretentious playwright, the narcissistic character actor, the jovial elder, and the enraged stage manager.

Rather than merely adhering to the storyline of The Exorcist, Fisher weaves in a narrative of clashing egos, lofty theatricality, and toxic show romances. But that’s not the extent of it. At the outset, the cast invites the audience to a stage reading, then starts acting out the film — initially with scant props, such as a music stand. They then pause to perform an “anatomy of scene.” In these segments, which recur throughout the performance, the actors step out of their Exorcist-inspired roles as possessed child, worried mom, and tormented priest to educate the audience about the significance of the source material. Yet even here they are performing, portraying actors interpreting The Exorcist.

Honestly, these portions can be laborious. Even when the insights shared are intriguing, they come off as a lecture, or worse, a defense that The Exorcist holds enough significance to warrant a parody rock musical in the first place. It’s a hat on a hat on a hat. A parody about The Exorcist — even an unofficial version — could have captured the irreverent humor of Puffs, an unofficial Harry Potter spoof that impressed audiences by spotlighting the often-ignored Hufflepuffs. Layering the play-within-a-play to make Exorcistic: The Musical not only a parody of The Exorcist but also a parody of parody musicals is ambitious as it is. Then, Fisher further complicates it with the “anatomy of scene” breaks. Some elements of the play parody and the Exorcist parody resonate. However, altogether, it becomes a jumble of ideas and feelings that render the actual production difficult to follow and less enjoyable.

Emma Hunton is worth the cost of admission for Exorcistic: The Musical.

This musical parody shines brightest when it fulfills the promise of its title. Emma Hunton takes the lead as Megan O’Neil — the legally distinct parody of The Exorcist‘s Regan MacNeil. Although the repetition of characters exclaiming things like “Regan — I mean Megan!” wears thin quickly, Hunton is electrifying on stage. Her first major number is “Howdy Captain Rowdy,” which features a Ouija board, a demon clad in cowboy attire, and a rather obvious metaphor for discovering masturbation. It’s outrageous, and Hunton immerses herself in it with captivating enthusiasm.

As Megan becomes more and more influenced by Captain Rowdy, Hunton’s demeanor grows increasingly aggressive and suggestive. This lays the groundwork for the reenact