Let’s be upfront about this, despite having the talented Lamar Odom Jr., Ellen Burstyn and Ann Dowd leading the cast and Blumhouse as the production company, David Gordon Green’s direct sequel to the 1973 The Exorcist, The Exorcist: Believer stinks.
While the film is nowhere near as bad as the other sequels – Exorcist II: The Heretic, Exorcist III, Exorcist: The Beginning, Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist, The Exorcist: Believer still possesses a stench that does not come from the demon Pazuzu. It originates from the script written by DGG and Peter Sattler based on story by Green, Danny McBride and Scott Teems.
In a world where Hollywood too often revisits what we call, “classic films,” and studios refer to as, “IP,” Green, coming off a Halloween trilogy that started off promising with 2018’s Halloween and unraveled quickly into a tepid ending with Halloween Ends, has returned to tackle one of the most iconic horror movies of all time, William Friedkin’s The Exorcist.
The film ventures into territory beyond the original, offering an overpopulated, hollow sequel that explores multiple victims, a multitude of faiths and a litany of Jesus references that one would need the table from The Last Supper to fit on. In fact, Jesus may not have been this represented in a film since The Last Temptation of Christ.
Believer starts off with a bang as we are introduced to Victor Fielding (Leslie Odom Jr.) and his pregnant wife Sorenne (Tracey Graves) on assignment in Haiti. After Sorenne is blessed by a Haitian priestess, a devastating earthquake occurs severely injuring her and her baby.
The doctors inform a shocked Victor that he must make a devastating choice – his wife or baby. We jump 13 years into the future where Victor Fielding (Leslie Odom Jr.), and his daughter Angela (Lidya Jewett). live a quiet life in Georgia.
Things take a sinister turn when Angela and her friend Katherine (Olivia O’Neill) venture into the woods to contact Angela’s deceased mother using a crystal. When the girls go missing, a frantic search ensues. Katherine’s religious parents believe the girls have brought back a demon, citing Jesus’ three-day descent into Hell after his crucifixion as a reference. Victor, having lost his faith, dismisses this.
The first half of the film delves into a slow-burn character study, offering Victor a chance to navigate his grief. While he gets some depth, the same cannot be said for the other characters introduced.
Angela is hospitalized with unusual symptoms, and nurse Ann becomes convinced she’s possessed. Victor becomes alarmed when he sees the words “help me” etched into Angela’s flesh, a chilling parallel to the original Exorcist’s case. Desperate, he seeks help from Chris MacNeill (Ellen Burstyn), who has spent fifty years researching exorcisms after her own traumatic experience. Chris reluctantly agrees to assist.
REELated:
Chris and Victor visit Angela at the hospital and then head to Katherine’s home. Katherine’s parents are in shock, and the house is in disarray. Chris begins her own exorcism on Katherine, leading to a violent confrontation in which Katherine stabs Chris multiple times in the eyes with a crucifix. Victor saves Chris and rushes her to the hospital, where she is treated for her injuries.
The families seek help from the church and various religious figures, including Father Maddox, Dr. Beehibe, Don Revans, and Stuart, to perform an exorcism. The initial plan involves Ann, Dr. Beehibe, and Father Maddox, but the priest is prevented from participating, forcing the families to proceed without him.
Katherine’s evangelically religious parents (Jennifer Nettles and Norbert Leo Butz), their pastor (Raphael Sbarge), spiritualists Stuart (Danny McCarthy) and Dr. Beehibe (Okwui Okpoksawili), and Catholic Father Maddox (E.J. Bonilla) all remain one-dimensional, merely dedicated to their respective beliefs.
During the exorcism, Father Maddox eventually rejoins them but is brutally killed by the demon, snapping his neck. The exorcism continues, revealing Victor’s painful choice: he chose his wife’s life over Angela’s, but she still perished. The demon taunts him by forcing him to make a new choice: one girl lives, one girl dies.
Ultimately, Katherine’s father makes the heart-wrenching choice to save Katherine. In a horrifying twist, it becomes clear that the choice was never about who lives but about who dies. Katherine is dragged to Hell by the demon. Angela, previously lifeless, suddenly revives. The film concludes with Angela’s return to school, wearing an eerie grin that hints at her continued possession.
Even Katherine herself lacks substantial character development before her possession, while Angela serves as little more than a prop for her father’s anguish. Ann Dowd as a novitiate-turned-nurse adds a touch of unintentional humor but hardly qualifies as a fully fleshed-out supporting character.
From the opening shots of the original Exorcist with Father Merrin (Max Von Sydow) facing off against an ancient statue of Pazuzu, William Peter Blatty delivered a feeling of dread that descended into horror. The film then gave us a slow burn of having Chris McNeill (Ellen Burstyn) explore what is wrong with Regan (Linda Blair) from psychologists to medical doctors and finally religion.
The film also explored the theme of lacking faith as seen by an intense Father Karras (Jason Miller) which the new film does pick up with Lamar Odom’s Victor, but its heavy-handed. Really heavy. Handed.
Believer appears utterly lost at times when it comes to what are Pazuzu’s motivations ( do we even know if it is this demon), the significance of its story beats, or the insights its characters are meant to glean from their encounters with the unholy. It’s a hodgepodge of half-baked ideas that fail to form a cohesive theme or rationale for its existence.
Ellen Burstyn’s brief return as Chris MacNeil, mother of the possessed Regan in the original film, contributes little to the narrative, serving mainly as Exorcist franchise confirmation.
The film’s recurring motifs hinting at motherhood ultimately lead to nothing substantial, despite a last-minute twist’s attempt to convince us otherwise. The collaboration of various religious disciplines to exorcise the girls feels like a missed opportunity, explored only superficially and failing to delve into the essence of faith. Even the concept of two possessed girls feels like an unfulfilled promise, seemingly serving as sequel bait rather than adding depth to the current story.
Compared to the plethora of reboots and reimaginings saturating today’s film industry, Believer stands out as a professionally crafted production. The film boasts a talented young cast that delivers solid performances. However, it disappointingly falls short of the original’s exploration of themes like puberty, religion, and physical torment.
While there’s no demand for a direct replication of the original’s infamous scenes, there’s a missed opportunity to delve deeper into the rich thematic material. Where’s the shock? Green opts for minor alterations, such as changing the gender of the evil entity, rather than exploring new avenues.
In a departure from his earlier works, Green’s recent filmmaking choices lean toward recycling existing ideas rather than exploring new frontiers. His earlier films, like Pineapple Express, showcased patience and sensitivity in storytelling. These works delved into the drama of decline within small-town settings. However, with “Believer,” Green appears to have sacrificed those qualities for the allure of repurposed concepts. While his success is commendable, it leaves a longing for the filmmaker he used to be.
The Exorcist: Believer may offer audiences a slickly produced horror sequel, but it leaves one pondering the path not taken, where fresh ideas could have reinvigorated this iconic franchise.
Kicking off this recycling project with The Exorcist: Believer, Green plans to follow up with The Exorcist: Deceiver in 2025. While details about the third installment remain undisclosed, it’s clear that Green is not content with merely breathing new life into the Halloween franchise; he’s now venturing into the realm of supernatural horror classics.
I hope the power of Christ compels him not to.
BOTTOM LINE: While the first 45 minutes deliver slickly-produced promise, The Exorcist: The Believer quickly dives into a flat, hollow experience with cheap, familiar scare tactics. It’s a REEL SKIP.
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The Geek is a working screenwriter, director and screenwriting instructor.
