The Exorcist: Believer

Synopsis:

When his daughter, Angela, and her friend Katherine, show signs of demonic possession, it unleashes a chain of events that forces single father Victor Fielding to confront the nadir of evil. Terrified and desperate, he seeks out Chris MacNeil, the only person alive who's witnessed anything like it before.

Movie Review:

“The Exorcist: Believer” is the 6th movie in this horror franchise but is a reboot and a sequel to the original 1972 classic. This renowned scary film of all time offers the same formula of the other films in the past but falls a bit short. Most of the performances in this movie are solid especially Leslie Odom Jr. who plays Victor Fielding the father of the girl that gets possessed. By far, he has the most interesting story that is set up in the opening scene of the movie that is full of tragedy and heartbreak. There were some jump scares that felt creative and unpredictable, and the scariest parts of the movie take place in a church that were chilling. However, the movie goes downhill quickly when it tries to connect with the 1972 original movie which sends the story into chaos relying too much on the past. After 50 years, Ellen Burstyn returns to reprise her famous role as Chris MacNeil now a famous author who lives in isolation. I thought her iconic character was poorly written and wasteful just an afterthought to placate her fan base. The third act does have few good scares with the exorcism, but it was anticlimactic. Despite some good ideas and a solid set up (with poor execution), this horror movie turned out to be a big disappointment I am giving “The Exorcist: Believer” a 2.5/5 stars.

Director: David Gordon Green

Cast: Leslie Odom Jr., Ann Dowd, Jennifer Nettles, Norbert Leo Butz, Olivia Marcum, Lidya Jewett, Raphael Sbarge, E.J Bonilla with Linda Blair and Ellen Burstyn

Runtime: 111 minutes