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Lead Critic for the site, as well as serving as an editor when needed.
When Halloween Ends graced screens last year, it was met with lackluster reviews. The film will perhaps go down as the most divisive of the entire series. That’s due, mostly in part, to David Gordon Green’s direction and co-writing. The same sentiment can be said for his second outing at helming a reboot/sequel of a classic horror picture, William Friedkin’s The Exorcist (1973).
When Blumhouse acquired the rights to the franchise, hopes were arguably not high. However, I really enjoyed the result of their work on Halloween, so I went in with decent enough expectations. That is the innate problem with The Exorcist: Believer though. Believer had to follow up on the original film that is the epitome of iconic supernatural horror. Still, it would be wrong to say that Green failed entirely in what is presented on screen.
A majority of the film’s issues stem from its direction and camerawork being, unfortunately, subpar. The script and story are Green and Danny McBride’s best writing thus far, which is welcoming. The subtext of the film is perhaps its best element. If nothing else, it seems best not to compare and contrast every scene with the original, which is where audiences go wrong with the film. Overall, The Exorcist: Believer presents interesting enough ideas that help the film stand on its own, but in no way is it the perfect supernatural horror film.
Minor spoilers to follow.
Setting It Up
Upon a rewatch, what could be my favorite element sub-textually is that if there is good in this world, there must be evil, right? There’s also the old-age argument that if God is all-powerful, yet all-good, then why does suffering exist in the world? Furthermore, if one believes in Heaven, there must be a Hell, correct? Personally, the latter is a stronger argument, but I digress. That’s what makes the film’s screenplay stand out among recent horror films.
The film continually asks its characters, especially its protagonist Victor Fielding, played magnificently by Leslie Odom Jr., about faith and what it truly means to them, and what it’s like to suffer true loss in the face of extremely difficult decisions. Furthermore, every single culture from the dawn of time believes in its own version of evil. The Exorcist: Believer presents this idea in great fashion as well, and it was a little more intriguing of a film to watch when looking through this lens.
In classic fashion, The Exorcist: Believer opens nearly similar to its predecessor, but it honestly feels like this opening is more powerful than the original’s. Victor experiences true loss for the first time here, and the quick revelation during the film’s climax that he made—i.e. what could be seen as the “wrong” choice thirteen years ago—could be seen as part of the catalyst for what he experiences during the film’s runtime. After all, who wants to make the choice between their dying wife or their unborn child? Personally, I felt the revelation was greatly used, even if it could be seen as cheesy to some other viewers.
Every major character has some sort of similar arc to Victor, which, again, remains the film’s strongest point. Victor’s narrative arc is most definitely front and center, yet his neighbor and nurse, Ann (Ann Dowd), also has another strong arc and begins to see her purpose by the film’s climax in solid fashion. She also suffered loss when she was younger, and she witnesses a revelation that helps to foil the entire story together quite nicely honestly. She delivers some of the film’s best lines right before the climax, and at times, some of Green and co-writer Peter Sattler’s material gave me chills because of its deeper meaning.
The Possession
When it comes to the moment the audience has been waiting for, the execution works well enough for what we got, spotty direction notwithstanding. Lidya Jewett and Olivia O’Neill deliver some truly captivating and haunting performances as Angela Fielding and Katherine, respectively. Both young girls can sink the audience into a trance and keep it going until the scene is finished. The voices of their possessed selves aren’t as gnarly as Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair). Although, these voices feel more akin to invoking terror and fear rather than shock, which felt more refreshing than it normally would in a world of possession-focused films.
Victor and the other characters find their faith in the film’s most crucial moments during the climax. The film kept the church itself further out of the limelight than the original did, in favor of showcasing how several cultures deal with evil. In this case, the story dealt with how each culture would go about performing an exorcism and what it truly takes to ward off evil. I also felt somewhat connected to Victor’s own search for faith and what this all means to him.
By the time it truly matters, I feel like everyone will find their faith in something. Victor eventually found his purpose in faith and discovered why it matters, and in the most important moments, to keep it close.
Technical Elements
David Gordon Green performs some lackluster direction on The Exorcist: Believer, and it’s honestly disappointing. At times it feels like he wanted the film’s production to be similar to the Halloween films but then the actors just do their job. Ultimately, their performances overshadow the shaky camerawork because you focus more on them. Michael Simmonds’ cinematography itself is pretty good work, but overall, the camera work needed more to be feasible.
The Exorcist: Believer‘s story is written by Green, McBride, and Scott Teems, with the scripting duties of Green and Sattler standing out as the film’s most satisfying elements. They kept their themes and subplots more contained and cohesive than in the Halloween trilogy. If they can continue to think through their writing duties as they did with Believer, then the next two in this trilogy should be well enough off.
Amman Abbasi & David Wingo’s remix of “Tubular Bells” is perhaps my favorite horror track of the year. Their score is honestly used sparingly, but when it is, it makes the scenes come to life more. Similar to the Halloween trilogy’s remix of that theme, it takes the best parts of the original and amplifies them, but also makes sure to be its own version of the score track.
The special effects work of Ana Maria Andrickson is top-tier and feels like a throwback to practical horror stunt work of the late ’70s and ’80s. Leaving CGI out as much as possible works so well with Believer and it keeps the terror alive. Furthermore, Timothy Alverson’s editing is also a fantastic element that amplifies the insanity on screen when shit really hits the fan. The quick jump cuts are very reminiscent of the original film; Believer‘s editing takes even the film’s calmer elements to another level.
Final Thoughts on The Exorcist: Believer
While nowhere near one of the year’s best films, The Exorcist: Believer is a fine film on its own by presenting noteworthy themes. The film’s subtext should keep the audience thinking of more than just possessed people and should give the audience a little more to chew on. However, that shouldn’t overstate David Gordon Green’s second attempt at an iconic franchise. Believer works, but ultimately it doesn’t top William Friedkin’s original film.
4/5 stars.
David Gordon Green’s The Exorcist: Believer is playing in theatres everywhere and comes to VOD on October 24th!
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Lead Critic for the site, as well as serving as an editor when needed.
This article was edited by John Tangalin.