Although almost fifty years have passed since The Exorcist made its haunting debut, it remains fresh in our minds. Every year, this iconic film surfaces in conversation, trending topics, or atop a recently-watched list on streaming platforms — especially during Halloween. Adapted from William Peter Blatty’s best-seller, The Exorcist dominated the box office, earned 10 Academy Award nominations, and is the first horror film to be nominated for Best Picture. We still discuss the visceral reactions of first-time viewers of the film: people fainting in the aisles, becoming nauseated and being shocked by the on-screen terror. What wasn’t intended to be the epic horror it became is now a mainstay in horror curriculum. Now, in an effort to build on and continue the legacy, director David Gordon Green attempts to expand the universe with The Exorcist: Believer.
Leslie Odom Jr (Knives Out) stars as photographer Victor, a single dad who lost his pregnant wife in an earthquake in Haiti thirteen years ago. His daughter Angela (Lidya Jewett; Good Girls) survived, and now with the help of her friend Katherine, wants to attempt to get in touch with her late mother through a seance in the woods. The girls are missing for three days and emerge with no memory of what took place over that course of time, which to them was only a couple of hours.
The film’s pacing and narrative up to this point are impeccable. Many horror movies hastily bridge to the sinister parts, occasionally leaving potential storylines unexplored. This film’s beginning, detailing the girls’ disappearance and the resulting parental despair, masterfully sets the stage for their eventual return. However, this is where the film stumbles: after reaching this high point, it stagnates instead of intensifying.
Angela and Katherine are examined at the local hospital, and it doesn’t take long for their behavior to indicate that something ambivalent has happened. Angela attacks her father, and Katherine has a meltdown in the middle of Sunday service. Victor, along with Katherine’s parents Miranda (Jennifer Nettles; Harriet) and Tony ( Norbert Leo Butz; Bloodline), are lost on how to help their daughters. Victor’s neighbor Paula (Ann Dowd; The Handmaid’s Tale), who also works at the hospital as a nurse, suggests that he reach out to someone with experience in this area: Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn).
As the possession acrobatics begin, we anticipate things escalating, culminating in a final attempt to exorcise the spirits from the girls. However, the film’s pacing feels less like an ‘ebb and flow’ and more like an ‘ebb and slow,’ leaving certain narrative elements wanting.
One element that seemed misaligned was the language used during the exorcism and the ritual’s execution. This film’s interfaith approach was expected, given the contemporary cultural landscape. However, it felt as if there was a deliberate effort to keep God at arm’s length, even though such a presence is intrinsic to possession horror films.
The absence of the old and young priests we expect in these films was notable. Despite this fresh take, the narrative didn’t sufficiently delve into the spiritual aspects to align with the story. Expanding the world is fine if the worldbuilding is comprehensive. Asking audiences to detach from the source material in a film intended to broaden the existing franchise is arduous. Certain liberties taken in a movie that disrupt the canon of The Exorcist and the possession subgenre have to be executed without flaw.
Towards the film’s conclusion, Dowd’s character delivers a semi-monologue emphasizing endurance, resilience, and perseverance. Yet, this sentiment is unearned. What endurance did we witness? The film’s latter half lacked substance. The narrative didn’t offer us enough opportunities to resonate with the story or characters, so the emotional impact was diluted when revelations unfolded.
The Exorcist: Believer has a few problems that aren’t easy to forgive. David Gordon Green showcases his talent with great scenes and even a few jump scares. Unfortunately, any good taste that the first part of the film left in your mouth was washed away by inconsistent pacing, unfinished worldbuilding, and a polarizing conclusion that might make some swear off the franchise entirely.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
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