Blumhouses’ latest, but nowhere near greatest, legacy sequel, “The Exorcist: Believer,” is a modern-day retread of the 1973 classic, picking up 50 years after the haunting events of the original film. Directed by David Gordon Green from a screenplay he co-wrote with Peter Sattler, “The Exorcist: Believer” stars Leslie Odom Jr., Lidya Jewett, Olivia O’Neill, Jennifer Nettles, Lize Johnston and Ellen Burstyn. It is currently playing exclusively in theaters.
Thirteen years after losing his wife in the tragic 2010 Haiti earthquake, Victor Fielding, played by Odom Jr., lives a quiet life with his daughter Angela, played by Jewett. His tenuous sense of peace is shattered when Angela and her best friend Katherine, played by O’Neill in her film debut, go missing in the woods. Though the girls are recovered after three days, it becomes disturbingly clear that a malevolent force has taken hold of them. Desperate to save the only family he has left, Victor turns to an individual all too familiar with the nightmare he faces: Chris MacNeil, played by Burstyn.
Fresh off his “Halloween” revival trilogy, Green takes a similar approach to “The Exorcist” franchise: rehashing what worked before with a few superficial tweaks, while bringing back legacy stars for easy publicity. The horror is competent, offering the standard jump-scares and distorted voices typical for the demonic possession genre. The same is true for the screenplay, updating the original to modern times and aspiring to nothing more.
Like Jamie Lee Curtis before her, Burstyn easily slides back into a role she left behind decades ago and is a delight to watch. Odom Jr. is instantly relatable and likable as Victor, which makes his ordeal all the more heartbreaking to watch. However, the cast’s highlights are easily O’Neill and Jewett, both stepping into the “demonic child” role that Linda Blair made instantly iconic in the original. They both perfectly embody the physical and mental deterioration that the demon inflicts, bolstered by Christopher Allen Nelson’s spectacularly gruesome makeup.
Strong performances and artful makeup aside, “The Exorcist: Believer” is ultimately a gratuitous and pedestrian recycling of a far superior movie.
