Universal Pictures presents The Exorcist: Believer in UK cinemas from October 6, 2023.
Synopsis
Since the death of his pregnant wife in a Haitian earthquake 12 years ago, Victor Fielding has raised their daughter, Angela on his own. But when Angela and her friend Katherine, disappear in the woods, only to return three days later with no memory of what happened to them, it unleashes a chain of events that will force Victor to confront the nadir of evil and, in his terror and desperation, seek out the only person alive who has witnessed anything like it before: Chris MacNeil. For the first time since the 1973 film, Oscar® winner Ellen Burstyn reprises her iconic role as Chris MacNeil, an actress who has been forever altered by what happened to her daughter Regan five decades before.
Review
Nearly 50 years to the day since William Friedkin elevated horror to a whole new level, Halloween trilogy director David Gordon Green is taking aim at The Exorcist. Side-stepping various prequels and sequels, The Exorcist: Believer attempts to create a contemporary peer to the original. Mixing visceral horror with more inclusive and dynamic human drama, Green and co-writer Peter Sattler along with producer Jason Blum, the film, whilst current, never quite reaches the dizzying heights of the original.
The story, which hails from Green, Scott Teems and Danny McBride, begins in earnest with the introduction of Victor Fielding (Leslie Odom Jr.), in a flashback we find him on a trip to Haiti photography the country alongside his pregnant wife Sorenne (Tracey Graves). In the present day Victor lives with his now 13 year-old daughter Angela (Lidya Jewett). One day after school Angela ventures in to the woods with fellow student Katherine (Olivia Marcum) and the two mysteriously disappear for three days before turning up 30 miles away on a farm.
The setup all works well to introduce the characters and engage the audience. There are some odd choices, namely bringing us in to the story through Victor and Angela but using Katherine in almost all of the marketing. It’s slightly unbalanced in that we’re given a full backstory for Victor and Angela where in the final act we’re expected to sympathise with both families. Whilst Marcum does an incredible job of portraying Katherine during her possession it’s difficult to get too invested when she and her family are more two dimensional. Yet conversely, we see far more of the possessed Katherine who is given much more to contend with in the script.
There’s some heavy religious subtext going on throughout the film. Though its message is somewhat muddled. The Exorcist was clear in its conviction to the idea that evil can only succeed when faith is called in to question. Believer seems hell bent on showing that it is unity regardless of faith that will now win the day. As someone with no religious persuasion it was the message of tolerance which came through loud and clear on first watch.
Green continues his fascination with generational trauma across the film’s narrative. Whilst it doesn’t full retread the steps of 2018’s Halloween, The Exorcist: Believer does get bogged down in the notion that our children will eventually pay for our own missteps. Victor and Angela are the focal point for this aspect of the story but few characters are able to escape its shadow. Even the returning Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) who – following Scream‘s re-quel rules – is forced to confront how her own actions impacted on Regan (played in 1973 by Linda Blair) in the years following The Exorcist.
But for all the lack of originality in its human drama, The Exorcist: Believer is able to turn the tide thanks to a strong third act. Once Pazuzu takes hold of both girls, Green is able to dig in to all of the horror mechanics which make for a great time at the cinema. Mundane scenes of everyday life ratchet up the tension thanks to inventive sound design. Eventually it all gives way to the classic head-spinning, vomiting, demonic activity that viewers are expecting when they purchase their tickets. The production comes together, functioning seamlessly on almost every level between quick fire editing, both visual and practical effects, and the effective collective of assembled cast. The emotional beats come thick and fast as the brilliantly cast Ann Dowd takes on the exorcism duties.
Ultimately the film will struggle to overcome comparisons to the original. Green has created a film that, whilst engaging, is lacking in individuality and atmosphere. It relies heavily on its third act which can only do so much heavily lifting. Likewise, the small moments of connection to one of horror’s greatest films are not able to single-handedly make Believer a success.
Verdict
The Exorcist: Believer strives to break out from the shadow of its legendary originator. David Gordon Green creates a tense, supernatural experience whose strengths lie in its horror. Unfortunately the human drama underneath it all lacks originality and atmosphere.
⭐⭐⭐
