Will The New Exorcist Make You A Believer?

Hannah Hughes ‘25 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer

1973’s The Exorcist is undoubtedly one of the most iconic films of all time. It redefined the horror genre and terrified generations of movie-goers. It is one of the only films in the history of horror to be nominated for an academy award, and won two for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound. 

Jump ahead fifty years later, and the horror genre is in an age of “requels,” or movies that serve as both a soft reboot and canonical continuation of the franchise. When I saw that the Exorcist was the next to follow in these footsteps, I was honestly surprised. The Exorcist franchise seemed to be dead in the water, with several previous sequels that never seemed to measure up to the original in the eyes of critics and audiences alike. But with promising visuals from the trailer, and seasoned producer and director David Gorden Green at the helm, I was excited by the prospect and remained cautiously optimistic.

Despite its shortcomings, The Exorcist: Believer had moments I enjoyed. Ellen Burstyn’s return as Chris MacNeil is nice to see, and she does as much as she can with the material given. I strongly believe that her tension with Regan (which is established to make up for Linda Blair’s absence throughout the majority of the film) would’ve made a compelling movie all on its own. That’s a requel I’d love to see!

I think the film had good ideas that just did not fully come to fruition because it was trying to do too much. I liked the idea of the twin possession between the two girls Angela (Lidya Jewett) and Katherine (Olivia O’Neill), but it’s unexplained in a way that doesn’t feel intentional. The film is also focused on the existence of demonic possession across all religions and belief systems, which is another very intriguing avenue to explore, especially in a film franchise so fixated on Catholicism. Despite its notions of inclusivity and expansion, the message is very heavy-handed and sometimes comes off too strong, but also unfinished. It sometimes feels like the plot is stuck between trying to please audiences who came for another traditional continuation of The Exorcist, while also pandering for a new, younger audience who may be more progressive and hungry for something new. 

Additionally, it feels like the horror elements are squandered here in favor of the lackluster character development of our protagonist, Angela’s father, Victor (Leslie Odom Jr.). Despite trying to save their children from possession, sometimes it feels like the girls themselves take a back seat to the rest of the character’s problems, which is quite the departure from the original. The hopeful elements of the plot are placed beside a bleak ending that doesn’t feel like it fits the film’s tone as a whole. If it had leaned more into the grit and darkness of the original, I could see it working better. 

Overall, the film lacks the genuine realism that I feel made the original so successful. However, the notion of a movie that encapsulates the original Exorcist still intrigues me, and maybe we will have better luck with Green’s sequel The Exorcist: Deceiver, which already is in pre-production and has a release date of 2025. We will have to see if the power of Christ compels that film to be better than its predecessor. 

While successful requels are able to both honor the original and make space for new audiences, The Exorcist: Believer, falls victim to having “too many cooks in the kitchen,” or in this case should I say “too many hands on the Ouija Board.”