The Exorcist is considered one of the best horror movies of all time, and while the franchise has provided a handful of sequels and prequels in the 50 years since its release, The Exorcist: Believer is set to introduce a new demon upon two young girls when it hits theaters on October 6. For the first time, Ellen Burstyn reprises her role as Chris MacNeil, who is trying to save two girls from suffering the same fate as her daughter. Critics have screened the new film from director David Gordon Green, and it sounds like some people are more excited about this upcoming horror flick than others.
This film is the first of a new Exorcist trilogy and stars Leslie Odom Jr. and Jennifer Nettles as the parents of the demon Lamashtu’s victims, Angela (Lidya Jewett) and Katherine (Olivia Marcum). Linda Blair won’t appear on screen in this sequel, but the actress did serve as an advisor on set for the young actresses, in order “to take them to dangerous places safely,” per to the director. Just how dangerous are we talking? Let’s see what the critics have to say. In CinemaBlend’s review of The Exorcist: Believer, Eric Eisenberg rates it 4 stars out of 5, saying its strengths outweigh its faults:
The movie is freaky throughout. It’s a wholly different kind of horror than what the writer/director orchestrated with his Halloween movies, with seeping terror the priority over extreme brutality, and it has the disturbing energy that’s required – delivered through intensifying special effects makeup; staggering performances by Lidya Jewett and Olivia Marcum; intimate cinematography, and unsettling editing that puts you off kilter with disturbing, flashing imagery.
Sabina Graves of Gizmodo isn’t quite as enthused about the sequel, remarking that it’s lacking some of what made the original so captivating. However, the critic calls it a solid first entry to the legacy trilogy and says Leslie Odom Jr. is a tour de force. In Graves words:
With the help of Chris and figures of various religions, the climactic exorcism offers quite a showdown—but very much a crowded one, which downplays the scary aspects of the demonic terror. If you were looking for gravel-voiced teen girls yelling obscenities and shocking visuals, temper those expectations. And while we get why Green’s film doesn’t indulge, we would have loved to see more freaky gross moments and backwards crab walking.
Brian Truitt of USA TODAY rates it 3 out of 4 stars, writing that while it’s nowhere near as scary as William Friedkin’s 1973 classic, Believer does a decent job of exploring every parent’s deepest fears. The critic continues:
Green’s new outing definitely succeeds in paying homage and borrowing from the best. There are Easter eggs and throwbacks galore, plus a nifty retooling of ‘Tubular Bells,’ and of course nothing good happens when a crucifix comes into the picture. Odom gets a meatier character arc than Burstyn did back in the day, and while her return isn’t as integral to the story as Jamie Lee Curtis’ was to the rebooted Halloween, Chris’ appearance adds needed weight to the Believer narrative.
Jake Kleinman of Inverse calls The Exorcist: Believer a “soulless reboot” whose scares seem restrained and effects too reliant on CGI. Ellen Burstyn’s performance is the lone bright spot of this legacyquel, according to Kleinman, who writes:
The Exorcist changed the course of horror movie history and elevated the entire genre. Unfortunately, whoever made The Exorcist: Believer appears to have missed that memo almost entirely… Exorcist: Believer attempts to reboot the franchise for a modern audience. But in the process, the movie strips out everything that made the original so great, leaving behind a pathetic imitation that hopefully won’t lead to another sequel.
Nick Schager of the Daily Beast says no amount of prayers can save this hellish-for-all-the-wrong-reasons sequel. Ellen Burstyn is trotted out for credibility and then treated with “stunning disrespect,” the critic says, in an unnecessary and uninspired horror movie. Schager recommends audiences “Skip It,” writing:
Green fails to enliven what now amounts to a basic and familiar horror scenario. Odom, Jr. and [Ann] Dowd vigorously emote, yet it’s all in service of second-rate multi-denomination mumbo-jumbo whose effectiveness hinges on ignorance of prior demonic-possession movies, and which culminates with a depressingly corny twist.
If you think this horror offering should be part of your October movie-going plans, you can catch The Exorcist: Believer in theaters starting Friday, October 6. Be sure to take a look at all of the other upcoming horror movies, as well as our 2023 movie calendar to see films of all genres that are coming soon to the big screen.