The Unholy Budget

What Is the Budget of The Unholy?

The Unholy was produced on an estimated budget of $10 million. For a supernatural horror film released through Screen Gems, a division of Sony Pictures, this placed the project in the mid-tier range for the genre. The budget covered location shooting in Massachusetts, practical and digital visual effects for the film's miraculous apparitions, and a cast led by Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

Producer Sam Raimi, whose experience with horror franchises like Evil Dead and The Grudge gave him a sharp sense of genre economics, helped shape a production that leaned on atmosphere and performance over spectacle. The $10 million figure allowed for a polished theatrical release without the financial risk associated with larger tentpole horror productions.

Key Budget Allocation Categories

• Cast and Talent accounted for a notable share given the presence of Jeffrey Dean Morgan (The Walking Dead, Watchmen) in the lead role alongside veteran character actors William Sadler and Cary Elwes, plus newcomer Cricket Brown in her feature debut
• Visual Effects covered the supernatural apparition sequences, including the Virgin Mary manifestations and the climactic confrontation, blending practical onset elements with CG enhancements
• Location and Production Design funded on-location shooting in Brockton, Massachusetts, transforming the small city into the fictional rural New England setting, including the central tree and church sets
• Music and Post-Production supported Joseph Bishara's score, sound design for the horror sequences, and the editorial process to establish the film's slow-burn pacing before its third-act escalation
• Marketing and Prints were handled by Sony's Screen Gems label, which specialized in genre releases with targeted digital campaigns aimed at horror audiences

How Does The Unholy's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

• The Conjuring (2013) had a budget of $20M and earned $319M worldwide. James Wan's haunted house film cost twice as much as The Unholy but delivered a massive return that launched an entire franchise
• The Rite (2011) had a budget of $37M and earned $98M worldwide. This Vatican-set religious horror starring Anthony Hopkins carried a significantly higher price tag but generated only modest returns relative to its cost
• Prey for the Devil (2022) had a budget of $18M and earned $44M worldwide. Another religious horror entry that spent nearly double The Unholy's budget and achieved a similar box office outcome
• The Pope's Exorcist (2023) had a budget of $18M and earned $77M worldwide. Russell Crowe's exorcism thriller matched The Unholy's genre lane at a higher cost but benefited from stronger star power
• Saint Maud (2019) had a budget of $1M and earned $5M worldwide. Rose Glass's micro-budget religious horror proved that the subgenre can work at a fraction of The Unholy's cost with critical acclaim driving audience interest

The Unholy Box Office Performance

The Unholy earned $15,699,990 domestically and $26,929,576 worldwide against its $10 million production budget. Using the standard industry formula where a film typically needs to earn roughly twice its production budget to account for marketing and distribution costs, The Unholy needed approximately $20 million to break even. Its worldwide gross of nearly $27 million cleared that threshold, making the film a modest financial success.

The film opened on April 2, 2021 during a period when theatrical attendance was still recovering from COVID-19 disruptions. Its domestic opening weekend of $3.2 million placed it at number two at the box office behind Godzilla vs. Kong. International markets contributed an additional $11.2 million, with the film performing well in territories where religious horror has historically found receptive audiences. The ROI calculation, (Worldwide Gross minus Budget) divided by Budget times 100, yields approximately 169%, a solid return for Screen Gems.

• Production Budget: $10,000,000
• Estimated P&A: approximately $5,000,000
• Total Investment: approximately $15,000,000
• Worldwide Gross: $30,832,137
• Net Return: approximately +$15,800,000
• ROI (on production budget): approximately +208%

The Unholy Production History

The Unholy began as an adaptation of James Herbert's 1983 novel "Shrine," which had circulated in development for years before finding traction. Screenwriter Evan Spiliotopoulos, best known for his work on Disney animated films including the 2017 live-action Beauty and the Beast, took on the project as his directorial debut. The shift from family entertainment to supernatural horror was an unusual career move, though Spiliotopoulos had long expressed interest in darker material.

Sam Raimi signed on as producer through his Ghost House Pictures banner, lending both credibility and genre expertise to a first-time director's vision. Raimi's involvement helped secure the Screen Gems distribution deal and attracted Jeffrey Dean Morgan to the lead role of journalist Gerry Fenn.

Cricket Brown was cast as Alice, the hearing-impaired young woman at the center of the miraculous events, in her first major film role. The supporting cast included William Sadler as a local monsignor, Katie Aselton as Alice's uncle's wife, Diogo Morgado as a Vatican-sent bishop, and Cary Elwes as a media-savvy archbishop.

Principal photography took place in Brockton, Massachusetts, approximately 25 miles south of Boston. The production utilized local landmarks and built practical sets for the film's central locations, including the tree where the apparitions occur. Filming wrapped in early 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the film's theatrical release by roughly a year, from its original 2020 slot to April 2021.

Awards and Recognition

The Unholy did not receive significant awards attention during the 2021 season. The film was not nominated for any major industry awards from organizations such as the Academy, SAG, or the Independent Spirit Awards. Within the horror genre community, it received a nomination at the 2021 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards but did not win in its category.

Cricket Brown's performance as Alice drew some praise from genre publications for her physical commitment to the role, though this recognition did not translate into formal nominations. The film's visual effects work on the Virgin Mary apparitions, while noted by reviewers as a highlight, was not recognized by the Visual Effects Society or similar technical bodies.

Critical Reception

The Unholy holds a 22% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, placing it among the less favorably reviewed horror releases of 2021. Critics broadly found that the film struggled to balance its religious mystery premise with effective scares, with many noting a reliance on jump scares and CG effects over genuine tension.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan's performance received more favorable individual mentions, with several critics noting his natural charisma elevated scenes that might have fallen flat with a less experienced lead. The Hollywood Reporter wrote that Morgan "brings a weathered credibility to the role of a disgraced journalist seeking redemption." Cricket Brown's debut was similarly noted as a bright spot in mixed reviews.

The primary criticism centered on the film's script and pacing. Reviewers pointed to a predictable third act and a climax that leaned too heavily on visual effects rather than the atmospheric tension built in the first half. As a directorial debut for Spiliotopoulos, critics acknowledged ambition in tackling religious horror but felt the execution fell short of the subgenre's best entries like The Exorcist or Rosemary's Baby.