The Exorcist: Believer and the massive weight of expectations
Glenn Cochrane
STACK Senior Editor
In 1973, William Friedkin's 'The Exorcist' set a bar so high that very few others have come close to reaching it. Countless imitators have tried and, perhaps, 'The Exorcist III' (1990) has been the most successful attempt.
There's a lot of context to consider when contemplating the latest chapter in the saga, The Exorcist: Believer. It's a film that arrives with the weight of expectation, following 50 years of demonic possession movies and several very average sequels and prequels. Most who cherish the original film are protective of its legacy and are possibly despondent at anything new, whereas others may be so accustomed to such horror movies that there's little that can shock or surprise them.
Bearing in mind that the original was released at a time when the fear of God was real for most people, and the sight of a teenage girl being corrupted, possessed, and molested by a demonic entity was unlike anything seen before, it's impossible for anything to compare. Its impact is unrivalled, and no sequel is going to resonate in the same fashion.
The Exorcist: Believer is the sixth film in the franchise, and it works. Of course, it's no masterpiece and it carries the burden of repetition but, for all intents and purposes, it is as good as we should expect for a sixth instalment.
The film begins in Haiti, where Victor (Leslie Lloyd Odom Jr.) and his wife Sorenne (Tracey Graves) are expecting their first child and get caught in a devastating earthquake. Sorenne finds herself trapped and fighting for her life, and Victor is given the impossible choice of choosing to save her or their child.
Thirteen years later, Victor and his daughter, Angela (Lidya Jewett), are back in the States living with an unspoken emptiness. Angela wants to learn more about her mother, but Victor is reluctant to open that wound. With the help of her best friend Katherine (Olivia O'Neill), Angela takes off into the woods, hoping that a silly ritual will give her answers. The girls disappear, sparking a frantic three-day search, only to return traumatised and oblivious to the amount of time lost.
They are poked, prodded, and tested for serious injury and assault, and are eventually released back into the care of their parents. No sooner are they home than they both begin to display disturbing behaviours, which spirals into full-blown demonic possession. They lose control of bodily functions, become hostile, and behave violently. It's an Exorcist movie, so you get the gist.
Victor's next-door neighbour Ann (Anne Dowd), who is a religious woman and a hospital nurse, recognises the symptoms of demonic possession and recommends that he read a book written by Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn), whose daughter Regan was host to the devil in the original film. Enlisting the help of Chris, along with Ann and the other girl's parents, Victor goes against his own beliefs to stage a dangerous and inexperienced exorcism.
Obviously, The Exorcist: Believer is a legacy sequel and an official continuation of the series, and director David Gordon Green has gifted us with a film that recaptures the atmosphere of the original, only falling short on account of the aforementioned circumstances. Had this exact film been made in the 1970s it would have been lauded as a chilling follow-up to Friedkin's original, however, because of its 50 year gap, and the copious amount of clones, it lacks the shock factor and element of surprise.
To his credit, Green has made a conscious effort not to replicate the original film, and tells a very different story, making it a lot more engaging and interesting than a straight-up reboot might have been. The story takes its time, meandering through the first act to establish the characters and their relationships to God and death, and never surrenders to impatient viewers.
The two girls are very good and offer performances beyond their years. Much like Linda Blair in the original, they have a strong comprehension of the sinister themes and give convincing turns, particularly when possessed. Although they aren't able to reach the sheer horror of Blair's iconic performance, they come as close as we should expect them to.
The exorcism itself is unique also, and by no means equal to the terrifying final act of Friedkin's film. David Gordon Green understands that his film is not in contention and cannot live up to the same standard, so he supplements it with different ideas, new imagery, and alternative methods. There's no ordained priest to conduct the ritual, and the rite is performed by a group of inexperienced amateurs using Haitian theology mixed with Catholic scripture. It's not as intense or as vulgar as the events of 1973, and it would have benefitted from a more disturbing and unsettling display of disobedience. That being said, it maintains a grim atmosphere and sense of chaos.
The Exorcist: Believer is a good legacy sequel, and it ties in with the 1973 story nicely. And although Ellen Burstyn's return is purely fan service, it's great to see her back in the role, and her time on screen isn't wasted. The major problem with this film is the lack of clarity in identifying its target audience. If it's pitched at fans of the original, then it has a lot of expectation to overcome, and if it's being aimed at a younger audience then it risks them being unaware of the legacy. To fully enjoy what's on offer, it's probably best to cast aside any preconceived notions and imagine that it was made before the deluge of wannabe knockoffs.
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