The Exorcist: Believer (2023) Movie Review

The Exorcist: Believer is a 2023 American horror film directed by David Gordon Green and written by Peter Sattler, David Gordon Green, and Scott Teems. The film is a sequel to the 1973 horror classic The Exorcist and stars Ellen Burstyn reprising her role as Chris MacNeil.

Plot Summary

The movie is set 50 years after the events of the original film. Chris MacNeil is still deeply affected by what happened to her daughter Regan all those years ago.

Two teenage girls, Angela and Katherine, mysteriously vanish in the woods near their small town and return three days later with no memory of what happened.

Angela's father Victor seeks out Chris for help, hoping she can provide insight into what may have happened to the girls.Chris is reluctant to get involved again after her traumatic experiences.

However, she starts looking into the girls' case and notices strange similarities to what happened to Regan decades ago.

Could the girls have been possessed by a demonic entity? Chris works with Victor and a local priest to try and figure out what really happened in the woods and protect the girls from further harm.

As strange events continue to unfold, Chris fears history may be repeating itself in a terrifying new chapter for her family.

Review

The film is a respectable attempt at continuing the iconic horror franchise. Ellen Burstyn gives a powerful lead performance that captures the lingering psychological effects of her character's past ordeals.

The sequences involving her flashbacks to Regan's possession are genuinely creepy and unsettling.

While it doesn't reach the heights of the original, The Exorcist: Believer succeeds as an intelligent, unflinching supernatural thriller.

It builds legitimate suspense and chills without relying on cheap jump scares. Director David Gordon Green brings his formidable skills to the slow-burn storytelling.

Fans of the demonic franchise will appreciate the callbacks and references to the classic film.

However, the new story also stands reasonably well on its own for those unfamiliar with the original. The subplot involving the teen girls' mysterious disappearance in the woods introduces an intriguing new avenue for the series.

On the negative side, the demon itself is somewhat undercooked as a villain. More could have been done to develop the spiritual warfare elements and amplify the terrifying essence of the possessing entity.

A longer runtime may have allowed these aspects to be explored in greater depth.

In summary, The Exorcist: Believer is a solid, unsettling addition to the iconic horror saga that does justice to the chilling supernatural atmosphere of William Friedkin's original masterpiece while carving out new thematic territory of its own. Ellen Burstyn anchors the film with a powerfully understated lead performance that anchors the psychological chills.

While not quite reaching the same heights, it succeeds in continuing the terrifying demonic franchise for newcomers and longtime fans alike.