Universal Pictures and Peacock forked over an amount somewhere in the range of $400 million to acquire the rights to distribute a trilogy of sequels to the 1973 classic The Exorcist, which we’re going to another collaboration between Blumhouse Productions and directed David Gordon Green (who recently delivered a trilogy of Halloween sequels), they were definitely expecting the first entry in the new trilogy to go over better with audiences than The Exorcist: Believer did when it was released last October. (You can read our 4/10 review Here.) The box office numbers were okay, the movie pulled in $137 million on a $30 million budget, but Universal was hoping for a lot better than “okay,” and the reactions were largely negative. Soon after the release of Believer, we heard that Universal and Blumhouse still intended to carry out the trilogy, but the follow-ups would be reworked. While speaking to The Direct this week, producer...
- 3/7/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
The Exorcist: Believer actor Jennifer Nettles has been cast in Blumhouse TV’s “The Bondsman,” an action horror series for Amazon’s Prime Video. Deadline reported today that Nettles will star opposite Kevin Bacon as his character’s ex-wife.
The action horror series “centers on Hub Halloran (Kevin Bacon), a backwoods bounty hunter who comes back from the dead with an unexpected second chance at life, love, and a nearly-forgotten musical career — only to find that his old job now has a demonic new twist.”
Jennifer Nettles will play Hub Halloran’s ex-wife, Maryanne. The actor most recently appeared in Blumhouse’s The Exorcist: Believer as Miranda West, the religious mother of possessed child Katherine (Olivia O’Neill).
“The Bondsman” was created by Grainger David (The Chair), who will also executive produce. Erik Oleson will serve as showrunner and executive producer via CrimeThink.
Oleson most recently worked as showrunner and...
The action horror series “centers on Hub Halloran (Kevin Bacon), a backwoods bounty hunter who comes back from the dead with an unexpected second chance at life, love, and a nearly-forgotten musical career — only to find that his old job now has a demonic new twist.”
Jennifer Nettles will play Hub Halloran’s ex-wife, Maryanne. The actor most recently appeared in Blumhouse’s The Exorcist: Believer as Miranda West, the religious mother of possessed child Katherine (Olivia O’Neill).
“The Bondsman” was created by Grainger David (The Chair), who will also executive produce. Erik Oleson will serve as showrunner and executive producer via CrimeThink.
Oleson most recently worked as showrunner and...
- 1/29/2024
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
If you didn't see it in theaters or want to experience it again from the comfort of your couch (and perhaps in the warm glow of the lights from your Christmas tree), The Exorcist: Believer is coming to Digital on December 1st and 4K Uhd, Blu-ray, and DVD on December 19th via Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, and we have a look at the cover art and full list of bonus features for the home media release, including a feature-length commentary with David Gordon Green, Ryan Turek, Peter Sattler, and Christopher Nelson:
Press Release: Universal City, California, November 27, 2023 – Discover what makes Blumhouse’s The Exorcist: Believer horrifying with never-before-seen bonus content available on Digital December 1, 2023, and 4K Uhd, Blu-rayTM and DVD on December 19, 2023, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. The all-new bonus content with cast and filmmaker interviews gives a behind-the-scenes look at making the film, including editing an exorcism,...
Press Release: Universal City, California, November 27, 2023 – Discover what makes Blumhouse’s The Exorcist: Believer horrifying with never-before-seen bonus content available on Digital December 1, 2023, and 4K Uhd, Blu-rayTM and DVD on December 19, 2023, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. The all-new bonus content with cast and filmmaker interviews gives a behind-the-scenes look at making the film, including editing an exorcism,...
- 11/30/2023
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Amazon listings had previously said that The Exorcist: Believer (our review can be read Here), the latest entry in the Exorcist franchise, wouldn’t be reaching physical media until July of 2024, but thankfully that’s not the case. The movie is available on PVOD – you can buy it from Amazon’s Prime Video at This Link – and will be available to watch through the Peacock streaming service as of December 1st. But if you’re holding out for physical media, you’ll only have to wait until December 19th for The Exorcist: Believer to get its 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD release.
Director David Gordon Green crafted the story for The Exorcist: Believer with Danny McBride (who wrote all three of his recent Halloween sequels with him) and their Halloween Kills co-writer Scott Teems, then wrote the screenplay with Peter Sattler (Broken Diamonds). Here’s the synopsis: Since the death of...
Director David Gordon Green crafted the story for The Exorcist: Believer with Danny McBride (who wrote all three of his recent Halloween sequels with him) and their Halloween Kills co-writer Scott Teems, then wrote the screenplay with Peter Sattler (Broken Diamonds). Here’s the synopsis: Since the death of...
- 11/27/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
David Gordon Green’s The Exorcist: Believer comes exclusively to Peacock on December 1, and today brings word about the film’s Digital and physical media releases.
Discover what makes Blumhouse’s The Exorcist: Believer horrifying with never-before-seen bonus content available on Digital December 1, 2023, and 4K Uhd, Blu-ray and DVD on December 19, 2023, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. The all-new bonus content with cast and filmmaker interviews gives a behind-the-scenes look at making the film, including editing an exorcism, the stages of possession, and featured commentary.
Bonus Features on 4K Uhd, Blu-raytm, DVD And Digital:
Making A Believer – Filmmakers and cast reveal their collective approach to bringing differing perspectives into this drama about synchronized possessions. Ellen And Linda: Reunited – The Exorcist: Believer expertly weaves the fates of Chris and Regan MacNeil into its story. Witness a moment of cinema history as these two Hollywood icons meet on-set for the first time in years.
Discover what makes Blumhouse’s The Exorcist: Believer horrifying with never-before-seen bonus content available on Digital December 1, 2023, and 4K Uhd, Blu-ray and DVD on December 19, 2023, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. The all-new bonus content with cast and filmmaker interviews gives a behind-the-scenes look at making the film, including editing an exorcism, the stages of possession, and featured commentary.
Bonus Features on 4K Uhd, Blu-raytm, DVD And Digital:
Making A Believer – Filmmakers and cast reveal their collective approach to bringing differing perspectives into this drama about synchronized possessions. Ellen And Linda: Reunited – The Exorcist: Believer expertly weaves the fates of Chris and Regan MacNeil into its story. Witness a moment of cinema history as these two Hollywood icons meet on-set for the first time in years.
- 11/27/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
David Gordon Green’s The Exorcist: Believer has scared up over $130 million at the box office, and the film is now available at home on Digital outlets. How about streaming?
The Exorcist: Believer comes exclusively to Peacock on December 1, 2023.
Peacock will also have the following Blumhouse content available to stream on 12/1…
Black Phone Dangerous Breed: Crime.Cons.Cats Don’t Let Go Five Nights at Freddy’s Halloween Kickback Sick The Hunt The Invisible Man (2020) The Lazarus Effect The Purge (series) S1 The Purge (series) S2 They/Them Vengeance You Should Have Left
50 years after the most terrifying horror film shocked the world, The Exorcist: Believer is a brand-new chapter in the saga, directly following on the groundbreaking original 1973 film.
Since his wife’s death, Victor (Leslie Odom Jr.) has raised daughter Angela (Lidya Jewett) alone. After Angela and her friend (Olivia O’Neill) return from a three-day disappearance with missing memories,...
The Exorcist: Believer comes exclusively to Peacock on December 1, 2023.
Peacock will also have the following Blumhouse content available to stream on 12/1…
Black Phone Dangerous Breed: Crime.Cons.Cats Don’t Let Go Five Nights at Freddy’s Halloween Kickback Sick The Hunt The Invisible Man (2020) The Lazarus Effect The Purge (series) S1 The Purge (series) S2 They/Them Vengeance You Should Have Left
50 years after the most terrifying horror film shocked the world, The Exorcist: Believer is a brand-new chapter in the saga, directly following on the groundbreaking original 1973 film.
Since his wife’s death, Victor (Leslie Odom Jr.) has raised daughter Angela (Lidya Jewett) alone. After Angela and her friend (Olivia O’Neill) return from a three-day disappearance with missing memories,...
- 11/17/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
The Exorcist: Believer (our review can be read Here), the latest entry in the Exorcist franchise, is now available on PVOD – you can buy it from Amazon’s Prime Video at This Link – but according to Amazon listings it won’t be reaching physical media until July of 2024. While we wait for those discs to start shipping out, Variety has revealed when the film is going to start streaming on the Peacock service… and the date isn’t far away. The Exorcist: Believer will be available to watch through Peacock as of December 1st.
Director David Gordon Green crafted the story for The Exorcist: Believer with Danny McBride (who wrote all three of his recent Halloween sequels with him) and their Halloween Kills co-writer Scott Teems, then wrote the screenplay with Peter Sattler (Broken Diamonds). Here’s the synopsis: Since the death of his pregnant wife in a Haitian earthquake 12 years ago,...
Director David Gordon Green crafted the story for The Exorcist: Believer with Danny McBride (who wrote all three of his recent Halloween sequels with him) and their Halloween Kills co-writer Scott Teems, then wrote the screenplay with Peter Sattler (Broken Diamonds). Here’s the synopsis: Since the death of his pregnant wife in a Haitian earthquake 12 years ago,...
- 11/17/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Friday the 13th and Spooky Season converge this month, so what better time to see an “Exorcist” sequel? “The Exorcist: Believer” is a follow-up to the iconic 1973 film, dubbed my many as the scariest movie ever made. This new movie promises frights and terror in equal measure, and if you’re not seeing Taylor Swift’s concert movie or are looking for something scary to watch, you may be wondering where, exactly, you can see “The Exorcist: Believer.”
Here’s everything you need to know.
Is “The Exorcist: Believer” in Theaters or Streaming?
The film opened exclusively in theaters on Oct. 6, so right now the only way to see it is to buy a movie ticket. However, you won’t have to wait long to catch the film at home. The film is currently available on PVOD and will be streaming on Peacock on Dec. 1.
Is “The Exorcist: Believer” a Sequel?...
Here’s everything you need to know.
Is “The Exorcist: Believer” in Theaters or Streaming?
The film opened exclusively in theaters on Oct. 6, so right now the only way to see it is to buy a movie ticket. However, you won’t have to wait long to catch the film at home. The film is currently available on PVOD and will be streaming on Peacock on Dec. 1.
Is “The Exorcist: Believer” a Sequel?...
- 11/17/2023
- by Adam Chitwood
- The Wrap
Spoiler alert: this ranking of every movie in the "Exorcist" series concludes with the first film, William Friedkin's 1973 masterpiece about demonic possession and the battle between good and evil, in the top position. Sorry. There was no other way. And it wasn't even close. When the /Film horror braintrust determined the order, it was a runaway. Not a contest. 50 years after it shocked audiences around the world in its initial release, the film remains a triumph of not just horror cinema, but cinema in general. Hundreds of movies have chased it. Very few have even come close to matching it. It's one of the best movies ever made.
But the rest of the series? That's where the debate gets interesting. "The Exorcist" was followed by two divisive initial sequels, both of which have developed a following over the decades. And then there were the two (!) prequels, each of which...
But the rest of the series? That's where the debate gets interesting. "The Exorcist" was followed by two divisive initial sequels, both of which have developed a following over the decades. And then there were the two (!) prequels, each of which...
- 10/29/2023
- by SlashFilm Staff
- Slash Film
The Exorcist: Believer (our review can be read Here), the latest entry in the Exorcist franchise, is now available on PVOD – you can buy it from Amazon’s Prime Video at This Link – and to mark the occasion, special effects artists Christopher Nelson and Vincent Van Dyke have taken to Instagram to share full body images of the demon that is only briefly glimpsed in the film! Since these are full body shots and demons don’t wear clothes in Hell, these images might be considered Nsfw, so I’m just going to link to them. Van Dyke’s post can be found Here and Nelson’s is over Here. One image of the demon can be seen at the bottom of this article.
Director David Gordon Green crafted the story for The Exorcist: Believer with Danny McBride (who wrote all three of his recent Halloween sequels with him) and...
Director David Gordon Green crafted the story for The Exorcist: Believer with Danny McBride (who wrote all three of his recent Halloween sequels with him) and...
- 10/26/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Despite multiple red herrings, clues, and characters like Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) blaming Pazuzu for the dual possessions haunting The Exorcist: Believer, the entity responsible is actually a very different demonic figure from Mesopotamian lore: Lamashtu.
While the demon can be barely glimpsed in a quick flash on screen, makeup effects co-designers Chris Nelson and Vincent Van Dyke give a closer look at their stellar work via Instagram.
The Exorcist: Believer, now available on Digital, frequently makes callbacks and ties to the original film by writer William Peter Blatty and director William Friedkin. Moreover, it frequently alludes to Pazuzu as the one behind the mysterious disappearance, reappearance, and subsequent possessions of young girls Angela (Lidya Jewett) and Katherine (Olivia O’Neill). It seems reasonable that the demon first encountered by Father Merrin (Max von Sydow) might be back thanks to frequent references and calls for “Mother” and a seemingly intimate familiarity with Chris MacNeil.
While the demon can be barely glimpsed in a quick flash on screen, makeup effects co-designers Chris Nelson and Vincent Van Dyke give a closer look at their stellar work via Instagram.
The Exorcist: Believer, now available on Digital, frequently makes callbacks and ties to the original film by writer William Peter Blatty and director William Friedkin. Moreover, it frequently alludes to Pazuzu as the one behind the mysterious disappearance, reappearance, and subsequent possessions of young girls Angela (Lidya Jewett) and Katherine (Olivia O’Neill). It seems reasonable that the demon first encountered by Father Merrin (Max von Sydow) might be back thanks to frequent references and calls for “Mother” and a seemingly intimate familiarity with Chris MacNeil.
- 10/25/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
It’s the final full week of October 2023, which means the Halloween season is winding down. But don’t worry. The new horror releases aren’t stopping on the road to the big day.
Here’s all the new horror releasing October 24 – October 29, 2023!
For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.
David Gordon Green’s The Exorcist: Believer has scared up over $100 million at the worldwide box office, and the film is now available at home beginning today.
From Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, you can now rent The Exorcist: Believer on Digital platforms for $19.99, or you can purchase the film for $29.99.
50 years after the most terrifying horror film shocked the world, The Exorcist: Believer is a brand-new chapter in the saga, directly following on the groundbreaking original 1973 film.
Since his wife’s death, Victor (Leslie Odom Jr.) has raised his daughter Angela (Lidya Jewett) alone.
Here’s all the new horror releasing October 24 – October 29, 2023!
For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.
David Gordon Green’s The Exorcist: Believer has scared up over $100 million at the worldwide box office, and the film is now available at home beginning today.
From Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, you can now rent The Exorcist: Believer on Digital platforms for $19.99, or you can purchase the film for $29.99.
50 years after the most terrifying horror film shocked the world, The Exorcist: Believer is a brand-new chapter in the saga, directly following on the groundbreaking original 1973 film.
Since his wife’s death, Victor (Leslie Odom Jr.) has raised his daughter Angela (Lidya Jewett) alone.
- 10/24/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
"The Exorcist" is one of the biggest horror movies of all time. Not only did the William Friedkin masterpiece spawn countless imitators, but it also established most tropes of the demonic possession horror movie. After a few theatrical follow-ups and an excellent TV show, we've now gotten a legacy sequel in the form of "The Exorcist: Believer."
David Gordon Green's "The Exorcist: Believer" is part of Universal and Blumhouse's ambitious attempt at recreating the success of Green and Blumhouse's "Halloween" reboot trilogy. It's a $400 million commitment that the studio is still on the hook for, the horror movie equivalent of Amazon committing to making multiple spin-offs of "Citadel" before it even came out.
The film, sadly, was not the success Universal was hoping for. In his review for /Film, Witney Seibold wrote, "'Believer' is not the worst 'Exorcist' film by any stretch, but it's certainly the least intriguing.
David Gordon Green's "The Exorcist: Believer" is part of Universal and Blumhouse's ambitious attempt at recreating the success of Green and Blumhouse's "Halloween" reboot trilogy. It's a $400 million commitment that the studio is still on the hook for, the horror movie equivalent of Amazon committing to making multiple spin-offs of "Citadel" before it even came out.
The film, sadly, was not the success Universal was hoping for. In his review for /Film, Witney Seibold wrote, "'Believer' is not the worst 'Exorcist' film by any stretch, but it's certainly the least intriguing.
- 10/23/2023
- by Rafael Motamayor
- Slash Film
The Exorcist: Believer (our review can be read at This Link), the latest entry in the Exorcist franchise, didn’t go over well with critics or the general audience… which pretty much makes it a typical Exorcist movie, because none of these movies – other than the original The Exorcist and Exorcist III – are very popular, even among the horror crowd. It has managed to pull it more than $107 million at the global box office since being released earlier this month – and now it has been announced that it’s going to be reaching PVOD tomorrow, October 24th!
According to Syfy Wire, The Exorcist: Believer will be available to rent and/or purchase for $29.99 on PVOD services like Vudu and Apple TV. It’s up for pre-order on Amazon’s Prime Video at This Link.
Director David Gordon Green crafted the story for The Exorcist: Believer with Danny McBride (who...
According to Syfy Wire, The Exorcist: Believer will be available to rent and/or purchase for $29.99 on PVOD services like Vudu and Apple TV. It’s up for pre-order on Amazon’s Prime Video at This Link.
Director David Gordon Green crafted the story for The Exorcist: Believer with Danny McBride (who...
- 10/23/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
David Gordon Green’s The Exorcist: Believer has scared up over $100 million at the worldwide box office, and the film is coming home to Digital outlets for Halloween.
The Exorcist: Believer will be available exclusively on digital platforms where you can rent or buy tomorrow, October 24, 2023, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
50 years after the most terrifying horror film shocked the world, The Exorcist: Believer is a brand-new chapter in the saga, directly following on the groundbreaking original 1973 film.
Since his wife’s death, Victor (Leslie Odom Jr.) has raised his daughter Angela (Lidya Jewett) alone. After Angela and her friend (Olivia O’Neill) return from a three-day disappearance with missing memories, they begin displaying frightening behavior. Victor’s best hope is to find the only person who has seen anything like this before: Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn), whose haunting experience with her daughter Regan may be the key to combating ultimate evil.
The Exorcist: Believer will be available exclusively on digital platforms where you can rent or buy tomorrow, October 24, 2023, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
50 years after the most terrifying horror film shocked the world, The Exorcist: Believer is a brand-new chapter in the saga, directly following on the groundbreaking original 1973 film.
Since his wife’s death, Victor (Leslie Odom Jr.) has raised his daughter Angela (Lidya Jewett) alone. After Angela and her friend (Olivia O’Neill) return from a three-day disappearance with missing memories, they begin displaying frightening behavior. Victor’s best hope is to find the only person who has seen anything like this before: Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn), whose haunting experience with her daughter Regan may be the key to combating ultimate evil.
- 10/23/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
‘The Exorcist: Believer’ – How the New Movie Takes a Modern Approach to a Theological Horror Classic
Warning: The following contains major spoilers for The Exorcist and The Exorcist: Believer.
Before William Friedkin’s The Exorcist shook movie theaters across the country, a novel of the same name took the literary world by storm. William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist follows single mother and actress Chris MacNeil who watches in horror as her twelve-year-old daughter Regan becomes possessed by a demon called Pazuzu. After an extensive search for a medical diagnosis, Chris turns to Father Karras, a local priest caught up in his own crisis of faith. The final act sees an elder priest named Father Merrin join Karras in a dangerous exorcism that will cost both men their lives.
Blatty produced and penned the script to Friedkin’s controversial film, earning a Best Picture nomination and an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Though the cinematic version is rigorously faithful to the source material, Friedkin and...
Before William Friedkin’s The Exorcist shook movie theaters across the country, a novel of the same name took the literary world by storm. William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist follows single mother and actress Chris MacNeil who watches in horror as her twelve-year-old daughter Regan becomes possessed by a demon called Pazuzu. After an extensive search for a medical diagnosis, Chris turns to Father Karras, a local priest caught up in his own crisis of faith. The final act sees an elder priest named Father Merrin join Karras in a dangerous exorcism that will cost both men their lives.
Blatty produced and penned the script to Friedkin’s controversial film, earning a Best Picture nomination and an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Though the cinematic version is rigorously faithful to the source material, Friedkin and...
- 10/18/2023
- by Jenn Adams
- bloody-disgusting.com
If you are a fan of horror films, you are in for a treat this October. Prime Video India has announced that it will stream two of the most anticipated horror films of the year: The Exorcist: Believer and Saw X. Both films are sequels to iconic horror franchises that have terrified audiences for decades. Here is what you need to know about these films before you watch them.
The Exorcist: Believer
The Exorcist: Believer is the sixth installment in The Exorcist franchise, and serves as a sequel to the original 1973 film. It follows a photographer who must confront the nadir of evil when his daughter and her best friend are possessed by a demonic force. He seeks the help of Chris MacNeil, the only person alive who has witnessed anything like it before. The film stars Leslie Odom Jr., Lidya Jewett, Olivia O’Neill, Jennifer Nettles, Norbert Leo Butz and Ann Dowd,...
The Exorcist: Believer
The Exorcist: Believer is the sixth installment in The Exorcist franchise, and serves as a sequel to the original 1973 film. It follows a photographer who must confront the nadir of evil when his daughter and her best friend are possessed by a demonic force. He seeks the help of Chris MacNeil, the only person alive who has witnessed anything like it before. The film stars Leslie Odom Jr., Lidya Jewett, Olivia O’Neill, Jennifer Nettles, Norbert Leo Butz and Ann Dowd,...
- 10/18/2023
- by CineArticles Editorial Team
- https://thecinemanews.online/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/IMG_4649
Warning: The following contains major spoilers for The Exorcist (1971) and The Exorcist: Believer (2023).
On lists ranking the scariest movies of all time, William Friedkin’s The Exorcist invariably falls at or near the top. Faithfully adapted from the 1971 novel by William Peter Blatty, the 1973 film stunned audiences with its brutal vulgarity involving then fourteen-year-old actress Linda Blair. The story follows Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn), a mother and movie star who will stop at nothing to protect her daughter Regan (Blair) from a demon called Pazuzu. Coming to her aid, Fathers Merrin (Max von Sydow) and Karras (Jason Miller) perform a dangerous exorcism and lose their lives to the unholy force. In spite (or perhaps because) of the film’s notorious reputation, The Exorcist was a massive hit with box office lines stretching around the block and waves of traumatized moviegoers streaming out after the final credits. Few films since have...
On lists ranking the scariest movies of all time, William Friedkin’s The Exorcist invariably falls at or near the top. Faithfully adapted from the 1971 novel by William Peter Blatty, the 1973 film stunned audiences with its brutal vulgarity involving then fourteen-year-old actress Linda Blair. The story follows Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn), a mother and movie star who will stop at nothing to protect her daughter Regan (Blair) from a demon called Pazuzu. Coming to her aid, Fathers Merrin (Max von Sydow) and Karras (Jason Miller) perform a dangerous exorcism and lose their lives to the unholy force. In spite (or perhaps because) of the film’s notorious reputation, The Exorcist was a massive hit with box office lines stretching around the block and waves of traumatized moviegoers streaming out after the final credits. Few films since have...
- 10/17/2023
- by Jenn Adams
- bloody-disgusting.com
This article contains spoilers for "The Exorcist: Believer."
William Friedkin's celebrated horror film "The Exorcist" was so popular upon its release in 1973 that it more or less invented a genre. Thanks to "The Exorcist," film audiences around the world know what demonic possession is, what demons look like, and what particular sect of Christian clergyman needs to be called in to take care of the problem. If a loved one begins spewing green slime, speaking in Latin, and levitating above their bed, you best be sure that a Methodist minister will not be called. No, it's Roman Catholic priests or bust.
To pause for a moment on that green slime, however, it's a reference to two moments in "The Exorcist" when the young Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair) weaponized gastrointestinal discomfort toward a visitor. Regan, under demonic influence, projectile vomits pea-green ooze copiously on passers-by. The vomiting effect was achieved...
William Friedkin's celebrated horror film "The Exorcist" was so popular upon its release in 1973 that it more or less invented a genre. Thanks to "The Exorcist," film audiences around the world know what demonic possession is, what demons look like, and what particular sect of Christian clergyman needs to be called in to take care of the problem. If a loved one begins spewing green slime, speaking in Latin, and levitating above their bed, you best be sure that a Methodist minister will not be called. No, it's Roman Catholic priests or bust.
To pause for a moment on that green slime, however, it's a reference to two moments in "The Exorcist" when the young Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair) weaponized gastrointestinal discomfort toward a visitor. Regan, under demonic influence, projectile vomits pea-green ooze copiously on passers-by. The vomiting effect was achieved...
- 10/9/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
There’s a new Exorcist movie in theatres now, The Exorcist: Believer (read our review Here), and for the first time in the franchise Ellen Burstyn reprises the role of Chris MacNeil, the character she played in the 1973 classic The Exorcist. Her presence has been a major selling point in the marketing of this movie – but there’s another returning cast member who makes a brief appearance in the film. We heard months ago that Linda Blair (who was also in Exorcist II: The Heretic) would be showing up in The Exorcist: Believer, and during an interview with People magazine director David Gordon Green talked about reuniting Burstyn and Blair for “a beautiful moment”.
Green told People, “It was just a really special moment to be a part of that reunion, to be a part of that legacy, the connection that’s so monumental that the two of those performers have.
Green told People, “It was just a really special moment to be a part of that reunion, to be a part of that legacy, the connection that’s so monumental that the two of those performers have.
- 10/9/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
[Editor’s note: The following interview contains spoilers.]
It’s 50 years later in “The Exorcist: Believer,” and director David Gordon Green has rebooted William Friedkin’s horror masterpiece of demonic possession without sacrificing the original’s naturalism, ambiguity, and religious faith. However, there’s a new demon, two possessed girls, and a multi-faith exorcism. That’s because, in 2023, it takes a village to battle more powerful evil.
But it was vital that Spfx makeup designer Chris Nelson (Oscar winner for “Suicide Squad”) got the demonic look right, given the importance and influence of Dick Smith’s iconic work in the Og. “Chris Nelson and our makeup team began their approach to ‘Believer’ by studying the work of Dick Smith,'” Green told IndieWire. “It was groundbreaking in 1973, and we wanted to reach for the quality of in-camera, practical, makeup effects as much as possible.
“It was two and half hours a day for actresses [Lidya Jewett as Angela...
It’s 50 years later in “The Exorcist: Believer,” and director David Gordon Green has rebooted William Friedkin’s horror masterpiece of demonic possession without sacrificing the original’s naturalism, ambiguity, and religious faith. However, there’s a new demon, two possessed girls, and a multi-faith exorcism. That’s because, in 2023, it takes a village to battle more powerful evil.
But it was vital that Spfx makeup designer Chris Nelson (Oscar winner for “Suicide Squad”) got the demonic look right, given the importance and influence of Dick Smith’s iconic work in the Og. “Chris Nelson and our makeup team began their approach to ‘Believer’ by studying the work of Dick Smith,'” Green told IndieWire. “It was groundbreaking in 1973, and we wanted to reach for the quality of in-camera, practical, makeup effects as much as possible.
“It was two and half hours a day for actresses [Lidya Jewett as Angela...
- 10/8/2023
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
This post contains spoilers for "The Exorcist: Believer."
Ever since Father Merrin and Father Karras entered Regan MacNeil's bedroom to perform an exorcism at the conclusion of 1973's "The Exorcist," the endings to each entry within the "Exorcist" franchise have been a point of controversy and contention. In the first film's instance, the priests losing their lives during the exorcism made a lot of audience members and critics confused as to the message of the movie, with writer William Peter Blatty observing that "at that point in the movie, most of the audience is a little out of it." Blatty would run into other ending issues while making "Exorcist III" in 1990, where he was forced to reshoot and add an exorcism sequence into a film that was never intended to have one. As for what's going on during the hectic finales of "Exorcist II: The Heretic," "Exorcist: The Beginning," and "Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist,...
Ever since Father Merrin and Father Karras entered Regan MacNeil's bedroom to perform an exorcism at the conclusion of 1973's "The Exorcist," the endings to each entry within the "Exorcist" franchise have been a point of controversy and contention. In the first film's instance, the priests losing their lives during the exorcism made a lot of audience members and critics confused as to the message of the movie, with writer William Peter Blatty observing that "at that point in the movie, most of the audience is a little out of it." Blatty would run into other ending issues while making "Exorcist III" in 1990, where he was forced to reshoot and add an exorcism sequence into a film that was never intended to have one. As for what's going on during the hectic finales of "Exorcist II: The Heretic," "Exorcist: The Beginning," and "Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist,...
- 10/7/2023
- by Bill Bria
- Slash Film
Linda Blair cemented her place in cinematic history with her role as Regan in 1973's "The Exorcist." She played a young girl possessed by a demon, and her performance proved so shocking that audiences didn't know how to react. "People were running up the aisles and into the lobby, some of them making it out to the street before vomiting, while others did it en route," Nat Segaloff wrote in his book "The Exorcist Legacy: 50 Years of Fear" (via The New York Post).
Blair reprised her role in "Exorcist II: The Heretic," and when Ellen Burstyn returned for 2023's "The Exorcist: Believer," many fans wondered if Blair would follow. Director David Gordon Green told Fandango that she consulted on the film, specifically advising new stars Lidya Jewett and Olivia O'Neill on how to deal with the troublesome subject matter. "She was very helpful in trying to navigate the psychology of our young talent,...
Blair reprised her role in "Exorcist II: The Heretic," and when Ellen Burstyn returned for 2023's "The Exorcist: Believer," many fans wondered if Blair would follow. Director David Gordon Green told Fandango that she consulted on the film, specifically advising new stars Lidya Jewett and Olivia O'Neill on how to deal with the troublesome subject matter. "She was very helpful in trying to navigate the psychology of our young talent,...
- 10/7/2023
- by Eric Langberg
- Slash Film
This post contains spoilers for "The Exorcist: Believer."
If it wasn't for William Friedkin's masterpiece, "The Exorcist," modern horror as we know it today simply wouldn't exist. There are a handful of properties that horror fans view as sacred, and "The Exorcist" is certainly one of them. Then again, John Carpenter's "Halloween" exists on a similar pedestal, and director David Gordon Green not only created a legacyquel trilogy but managed to bring back final girl Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) to connect it to the first film. Now, Green is returning to the world of "The Exorcist," disregarding the canon of sequels and the prequel with "The Exorcist: Believer." The tale sees two young friends, Angela (Lidya Jewett) and Katherine (Olivia O'Neill), simultaneously possessed by demonic forces. Their families are of different backgrounds and faiths, but must now work together to try and save their girls. Single dad...
If it wasn't for William Friedkin's masterpiece, "The Exorcist," modern horror as we know it today simply wouldn't exist. There are a handful of properties that horror fans view as sacred, and "The Exorcist" is certainly one of them. Then again, John Carpenter's "Halloween" exists on a similar pedestal, and director David Gordon Green not only created a legacyquel trilogy but managed to bring back final girl Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) to connect it to the first film. Now, Green is returning to the world of "The Exorcist," disregarding the canon of sequels and the prequel with "The Exorcist: Believer." The tale sees two young friends, Angela (Lidya Jewett) and Katherine (Olivia O'Neill), simultaneously possessed by demonic forces. Their families are of different backgrounds and faiths, but must now work together to try and save their girls. Single dad...
- 10/6/2023
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
As he was finishing up his Halloween sequel trilogy, David Gordon Green was ready to take another left turn in a career full of left turns, but then Jason Blum tempted him with the idea of giving The Exorcist (1973) its own sequel trilogy treatment.
In 2021, Universal and Peacock reportedly paid $400 million for the rights to the storied horror franchise that the late great William Friedkin kicked off alongside Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, Jason Miller and Max von Sydow. Green’s legacy sequel revolves around the parents of two possessed teenage girls (Lidya Jewett and Olivia O’Neill), as they turn to Chris MacNeil (Burstyn) for help in dealing with the demonic foe that took control of her now-estranged daughter, Regan (Linda Blair), in the 1973 film.
Green currently has outlines for the next two chapters of his Exorcist sequel trilogy, and while he once had plans to co-write and direct all three chapters,...
In 2021, Universal and Peacock reportedly paid $400 million for the rights to the storied horror franchise that the late great William Friedkin kicked off alongside Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, Jason Miller and Max von Sydow. Green’s legacy sequel revolves around the parents of two possessed teenage girls (Lidya Jewett and Olivia O’Neill), as they turn to Chris MacNeil (Burstyn) for help in dealing with the demonic foe that took control of her now-estranged daughter, Regan (Linda Blair), in the 1973 film.
Green currently has outlines for the next two chapters of his Exorcist sequel trilogy, and while he once had plans to co-write and direct all three chapters,...
- 10/6/2023
- by Brian Davids
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
This article contains The Exorcist: Believer spoilers.
For nearly 20 years, author and screenwriter William Peter Blatty hated the ending of The Exorcist (1973) so much that he could barely speak with its director, William Friedkin. This would have likely struck many as odd considering the film faithfully adapted Blatty’s novel of the same name, and Blatty’s contribution to the work as screenwriter won him an Oscar. But the theatrical ending of that film was made so downbeat by its director—with Father Dyer (William O’Malley) looking at the staircase which stole the life of his best friend Father Karras (Jason Miller)—that many interpreted it as Dyer and the film were thinking none of this was worth it. For years afterward, Blatty was horrified when he encountered moviegoers who told him the Devil won.
Eventually, the director and screenwriter reconciled when the more upbeat and life-affirming final scene...
For nearly 20 years, author and screenwriter William Peter Blatty hated the ending of The Exorcist (1973) so much that he could barely speak with its director, William Friedkin. This would have likely struck many as odd considering the film faithfully adapted Blatty’s novel of the same name, and Blatty’s contribution to the work as screenwriter won him an Oscar. But the theatrical ending of that film was made so downbeat by its director—with Father Dyer (William O’Malley) looking at the staircase which stole the life of his best friend Father Karras (Jason Miller)—that many interpreted it as Dyer and the film were thinking none of this was worth it. For years afterward, Blatty was horrified when he encountered moviegoers who told him the Devil won.
Eventually, the director and screenwriter reconciled when the more upbeat and life-affirming final scene...
- 10/6/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
There’s a new Exorcist movie in theatres now. The Exorcist: Believer (read our review Here) is tracking to have the highest opening weekend of the entire franchise and might end up pulling in an amount somewhere in the range of 30 to 36 million. Its theatrical run got started last night, and according to The Hollywood Reporter it drew in $2.85 million from those Thursday preview screenings.
Most of the film’s reviews are negative – it currently has a 20% score on Rotten Tomatoes and JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray described it as “abysmal” – so we’ll have to wait and see if that’s going to have any impact on the opening weekend box office.
Director David Gordon Green crafted the story for The Exorcist: Believer with Danny McBride (who wrote all three of the new Halloweens with him) and their Halloween Kills co-writer Scott Teems, then wrote the screenplay with Peter Sattler...
Most of the film’s reviews are negative – it currently has a 20% score on Rotten Tomatoes and JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray described it as “abysmal” – so we’ll have to wait and see if that’s going to have any impact on the opening weekend box office.
Director David Gordon Green crafted the story for The Exorcist: Believer with Danny McBride (who wrote all three of the new Halloweens with him) and their Halloween Kills co-writer Scott Teems, then wrote the screenplay with Peter Sattler...
- 10/6/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
In July 2021, it was announced that Universal Pictures had spent $400 million to acquire rights to The Exorcist. Planning a trilogy, with two sequels that would be exclusive to the studio’s streamer Peacock, they collaborated with horror outfit Blumhouse in a deal that essentially seemed rush to match Netflix’s then-groundbreaking pact to produce two Knives Out sequels. Well, in the two years since—where Wall Street has realized the long-game business plan of streaming was actually, to quote George Herbert Walker Bush, “voodoo economics”—the first entry of this (hopefully not-realized) horror trilogy lands in theaters with a not-insignificant amount of pressure to recoup the investment.
Perhaps it’s a little cynical to discuss business matters at the beginning of a film review, but I think it’s worthwhile when that adjective also describes the cinematic venture at hand. I suppose props to Jason Blum and co. on their...
Perhaps it’s a little cynical to discuss business matters at the beginning of a film review, but I think it’s worthwhile when that adjective also describes the cinematic venture at hand. I suppose props to Jason Blum and co. on their...
- 10/6/2023
- by Ethan Vestby
- The Film Stage
A handful of the faithful and the pious might have been able to tell you what an exorcist was, or what they did, before the early 1970s. After William Friedkin’s blockbuster adaptation of William Peter Blatty’s bestselling horror novel hit screens in 1973, however, the term instantly became part of the cultural lexicon. Suddenly, everyone knew about priests who supposedly specialized in dealing with demonic possessions; there were reports that churches were getting dozens of calls from congregation members requesting (or claiming to need) the ancient ritual after the movie became a sensation.
- 10/6/2023
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
This post contains major spoilers for "The Exorcist: Believer."
William Friedkin, the immortal director of the original 1973 "The Exorcist," who passed away earlier this year, was fond of saying that his film of William Peter Blatty's novel was all about the "mystery of faith." Faith, especially the religious kind, is a continually hot topic given humanity's ever-increasing body of knowledge about the world and each other. "The Exorcist" is a brilliantly ambiguous film, almost because it has to be; where Friedkin and Blatty sought to prove the existence of Good (if not God) via a grounded, brutal portrayal of the possession of Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair) by the demon Pazuzu and her subsequent exorcism by two Catholic priests, many audiences found themselves terrified by the potential existence of such diabolical Evil.
Point being, it's a lot easier and simpler to believe in the existence of Evil than that of Good.
William Friedkin, the immortal director of the original 1973 "The Exorcist," who passed away earlier this year, was fond of saying that his film of William Peter Blatty's novel was all about the "mystery of faith." Faith, especially the religious kind, is a continually hot topic given humanity's ever-increasing body of knowledge about the world and each other. "The Exorcist" is a brilliantly ambiguous film, almost because it has to be; where Friedkin and Blatty sought to prove the existence of Good (if not God) via a grounded, brutal portrayal of the possession of Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair) by the demon Pazuzu and her subsequent exorcism by two Catholic priests, many audiences found themselves terrified by the potential existence of such diabolical Evil.
Point being, it's a lot easier and simpler to believe in the existence of Evil than that of Good.
- 10/5/2023
- by Bill Bria
- Slash Film
Stars: Leslie Odom Jr., Ann Dowd, Jennifer Nettles, Norbert Leo Butz, Lidya Jewett, Olivia Marcum, Ellen Burstyn | Written by Peter Sattler, David Gordon Green | Directed by David Gordon Green
Fresh from the recent Halloween sequels, director and co-writer David Gordon Green takes a crack at another big-name horror franchise with this legacy sequel to The Exorcist, the first of a planned trilogy. The result is something of a mixed bag, and your enjoyment of the film will largely depend on your relationship to the original movie.
In an effective prologue, African-American photographer Victor Fielding (Leslie Odom Jr.), has to make a horrific choice between saving the life of his wife, or that of his unborn child, following a devastating earthquake. Cut to fourteen years later, where we find Victor as a single parent in Ohio, living with his teenage daughter Angela (Lidya Jewett), whose best friend is her white school...
Fresh from the recent Halloween sequels, director and co-writer David Gordon Green takes a crack at another big-name horror franchise with this legacy sequel to The Exorcist, the first of a planned trilogy. The result is something of a mixed bag, and your enjoyment of the film will largely depend on your relationship to the original movie.
In an effective prologue, African-American photographer Victor Fielding (Leslie Odom Jr.), has to make a horrific choice between saving the life of his wife, or that of his unborn child, following a devastating earthquake. Cut to fourteen years later, where we find Victor as a single parent in Ohio, living with his teenage daughter Angela (Lidya Jewett), whose best friend is her white school...
- 10/5/2023
- by Matthew Turner
- Nerdly
How does a director live up to the memory of a classic? It’s a challenge to which David Gordon Green previously rose with his trilogy of sequels to John Carpenter’s “Halloween,” and now, with Blumhouse‘s “The Exorcist: Believer,” he takes on continuing what many believe to be the greatest horror movie ever made. According to Green, the goal is never to compete with the original but to work in its tradition and move the story into a new era.
“I’ve studied ‘The Exorcist‘ for many years,” Green told IndieWire. “There’s no way that a sequel, reboot, or remake can ever be as profound and shocking as when that subject matter and execution was unleashed on the culture in 1973. But we can continue the story of characters we love and meet them in a contemporary world where the effects of the events in Georgetown 50 years ago...
“I’ve studied ‘The Exorcist‘ for many years,” Green told IndieWire. “There’s no way that a sequel, reboot, or remake can ever be as profound and shocking as when that subject matter and execution was unleashed on the culture in 1973. But we can continue the story of characters we love and meet them in a contemporary world where the effects of the events in Georgetown 50 years ago...
- 10/5/2023
- by Jim Hemphill
- Indiewire
Lidya Jewett and Olivia O’Neill in ‘The Exorcist: Believer’ (Photo Credit: Universal Pictures)
Everything that sprouts from the soil of The Exorcist pales in comparison, with only Jeremy Slater’s The Exorcist series (canceled far too soon after just two seasons) living up to the standards of William Peter Blatty’s book and William Friedkin’s film adaptation. With the bar set incredibly high, the odds were against The Exorcist: Believer from the start. And, unfortunately, not even the much-ballyhooed return of Ellen Burstyn as Chris MacNeil can cast out the dreaded sequel demons.
The film kicks off with a flashback that only fills in minor story elements (since this is only part one of a planned trilogy). 13 years ago, married photographers Victor and Sorenne were visiting Haiti when a devastating earthquake struck the city. Victor escaped unharmed, but Sorenne was gravely injured. She survived just long enough to give birth to their daughter,...
Everything that sprouts from the soil of The Exorcist pales in comparison, with only Jeremy Slater’s The Exorcist series (canceled far too soon after just two seasons) living up to the standards of William Peter Blatty’s book and William Friedkin’s film adaptation. With the bar set incredibly high, the odds were against The Exorcist: Believer from the start. And, unfortunately, not even the much-ballyhooed return of Ellen Burstyn as Chris MacNeil can cast out the dreaded sequel demons.
The film kicks off with a flashback that only fills in minor story elements (since this is only part one of a planned trilogy). 13 years ago, married photographers Victor and Sorenne were visiting Haiti when a devastating earthquake struck the city. Victor escaped unharmed, but Sorenne was gravely injured. She survived just long enough to give birth to their daughter,...
- 10/5/2023
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
Plot: After going missing for three days, two thirteen-year-old girls (Lidya Jewett & Olivia Marcum) return with no memory of their absence but exhibiting strange, violent behaviour that the father (Leslie Odom Jr) of one girl deduces is demonic possession.
Review: Pity poor David Gordon Green. While obviously a hardcore horror fan, the former indie darling took a critical mauling with Halloween Ends and seems doomed to repeat the experience with The Exorcist: Believer. It’s supposed to be the first entry in a new trilogy of Exorcist films, but the movie is so abysmal one shouldn’t hold out too much hope for a follow-up. While it may have a strong box-office opening, word of mouth seems sure to be dire. The only thing that saves Exorcist: Believer from being called the worst Exorcist movie ever is the fact that this particular series has some very bad entries.
Review: Pity poor David Gordon Green. While obviously a hardcore horror fan, the former indie darling took a critical mauling with Halloween Ends and seems doomed to repeat the experience with The Exorcist: Believer. It’s supposed to be the first entry in a new trilogy of Exorcist films, but the movie is so abysmal one shouldn’t hold out too much hope for a follow-up. While it may have a strong box-office opening, word of mouth seems sure to be dire. The only thing that saves Exorcist: Believer from being called the worst Exorcist movie ever is the fact that this particular series has some very bad entries.
- 10/5/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
As a basic film property, The Exorcist admittedly makes better sense for David Gordon Green than Halloween ever did. With its acute palette defined by shadings of naturalism and characters whose inner lives are in constant torment, William Friedkin’s original 1973 masterpiece sprang from a more ephemeral, existential place of dread than even the best of slasher franchises. Yes, John Carpenter made a masterpiece too, but by the time Green got there, Michael Myers was the dope who got smacked around by Busta Rhymes.
Of course The Exorcist has its own share of terrible sequels (plus an underrated entry helmed by the Oscar-winning William Peter Blatty). Yet those cash-grabs’ mediocrity was so glaring when compared to the classic that they were forgotten as quickly as they were released. And therein lies the opportunity, as well as the immense risk, in The Exorcist: Believer. Fifty years later, all that sticks in...
Of course The Exorcist has its own share of terrible sequels (plus an underrated entry helmed by the Oscar-winning William Peter Blatty). Yet those cash-grabs’ mediocrity was so glaring when compared to the classic that they were forgotten as quickly as they were released. And therein lies the opportunity, as well as the immense risk, in The Exorcist: Believer. Fifty years later, all that sticks in...
- 10/5/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
There are three types of Exorcist sequel: the instantly forgettable, the memorably awful and The Exorcist III. The latest installment, directed by David Gordon Green and co-produced by Blumhouse, is not as miserably generic as the naughties prequel (either version – there’s two), but nor is it the interesting misfire of William Peter Blatty’s 1990 threequel (either version – there’s two). And thankfully it’s not the car crash of Exorcist II: The Heretic. It has elements of all of those in both its strengths and weaknesses, however, and ultimately suffers the same central issue they all do: it’s standing in the shadow of a masterpiece, and it can’t stop pointing at it.
Having had reasonable success sequalising Halloween with Jamie Lee Curtis, Green has been given the keys to one of the horror cinema’s unholy grails: a trilogy marking 50 years of the late Bill Friedkin’s The Exorcist.
Having had reasonable success sequalising Halloween with Jamie Lee Curtis, Green has been given the keys to one of the horror cinema’s unholy grails: a trilogy marking 50 years of the late Bill Friedkin’s The Exorcist.
- 10/5/2023
- by Marc Burrows
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The Exorcist: Believer is a perfectly fine possession story hampered by its association to what many consider the scariest movie ever made. After breathing new life into the Halloween franchise – before quickly running it into the ground – writer/director David Gordon Green turns his attention to William Friedkin’s 1973 classic. Ironically, while the film is better than the several wretched sequels it ignores, Believer would be even more effective without the weight of its predecessor.
Leslie Odom Jr. stars as Victor, a father and widower living in Georgia with his 13-year-old daughter, Angela (Lidya Jewett). In the film’s prologue, we learn that Angela’s mother died during an earthquake while she was pregnant; Victor, who was there at the time, had to choose who the doctors could save. This has made him overly protective of his daughter and insistent on maintaining a close relationship. When Angela and her...
Leslie Odom Jr. stars as Victor, a father and widower living in Georgia with his 13-year-old daughter, Angela (Lidya Jewett). In the film’s prologue, we learn that Angela’s mother died during an earthquake while she was pregnant; Victor, who was there at the time, had to choose who the doctors could save. This has made him overly protective of his daughter and insistent on maintaining a close relationship. When Angela and her...
- 10/4/2023
- by Chris Williams
- CinemaNerdz
“The Exorcist: Believer” should have a solid start at the box office this weekend, but its potential to succeed “Halloween” as Universal and Blumhouse’s next revived horror franchise will be tested by poor reviews and competition from Taylor Swift’s “Eras” and other upcoming October titles.
David Gordon Green, director of the “Halloween” revival trilogy, returns for this film. It’s set 50 years after the events of William Friedkin’s iconic horror film, with Ellen Burstyn returning as Chris MacNeil, who helps the parents of two young girls who become demonically possessed.
The film is currently projected to earn an opening weekend of at least $30 million, with independent trackers’ predictions topping out at around $35 million. The production budget for “Exorcist: Believer” alone is reported to be at $30 million, unusually high for the famously thrifty Blumhouse but still low enough to allow it to turn a profit during its theatrical run.
David Gordon Green, director of the “Halloween” revival trilogy, returns for this film. It’s set 50 years after the events of William Friedkin’s iconic horror film, with Ellen Burstyn returning as Chris MacNeil, who helps the parents of two young girls who become demonically possessed.
The film is currently projected to earn an opening weekend of at least $30 million, with independent trackers’ predictions topping out at around $35 million. The production budget for “Exorcist: Believer” alone is reported to be at $30 million, unusually high for the famously thrifty Blumhouse but still low enough to allow it to turn a profit during its theatrical run.
- 10/4/2023
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
Whatever one wants to say about John Boorman’s absolutely maniacal and much-maligned Exorcist II: The Heretic, it certainly isn’t unimaginative. By contrast, David Gordon Green’s The Exorcist: Believer very much is. The film, written by Green and Peter Sattler, is a mélange of tired normcore horror tropes indistinguishable from any film in the Conjuring universe. It even fails to address the series’s most basic themes in any truly meaningful way beyond a conviction-less “can’t we all just get along” subtext regarding the divide between America’s secular population and religious conservatives.
The film’s cold open in Haiti hints at a unique, voodoo-tinged—that is, non-Catholic—take on the franchise’s fascination with crisis of faith. But Haiti turns out to just be a random place to witness Victor Fielding (Leslie Odom Jr.) struggling to make a very difficult choice between saving his injured wife or his unborn daughter,...
The film’s cold open in Haiti hints at a unique, voodoo-tinged—that is, non-Catholic—take on the franchise’s fascination with crisis of faith. But Haiti turns out to just be a random place to witness Victor Fielding (Leslie Odom Jr.) struggling to make a very difficult choice between saving his injured wife or his unborn daughter,...
- 10/4/2023
- by Justin Clark
- Slant Magazine
You might think it would be difficult, after fifty years, to introduce something new to a motion picture series as long and as storied as “The Exorcist.” Ever since William Friedkin’s trailblazing original horror drama — as frightening as it was insightful about the fragile relevance of religion in an increasingly secular world — filmmakers as varied as John Boorman, William Peter Blatty, Renny Harlin and Paul Schrader have been stretching the concept of demonic possession as far as it they could take it. Their films have been, not always at the same time, fiercely intelligent, deeply strange, hypnotically inept, genuinely terrifying, profoundly embarrassing, and/or uncomfortably insightful.
David Gordon Green’s “The Exorcist: Believer” has now entered the conversation, and to its credit — sort of — it does have one thing we’ve never seen in these movies before: mediocrity, and lots of it. The new film is competently dramatized and occasionally quite startling,...
David Gordon Green’s “The Exorcist: Believer” has now entered the conversation, and to its credit — sort of — it does have one thing we’ve never seen in these movies before: mediocrity, and lots of it. The new film is competently dramatized and occasionally quite startling,...
- 10/4/2023
- by William Bibbiani
- The Wrap
Olivia O’Neill in The Exorcist: BelieverImage: Universal
Legacyquels—sequels that come out decades after their original predecessor with the promise of recapturing its magic—are in no short supply these days, particularly in the horror genre. But how does one hop onto this trend with The Exorcist? The 1973 classic...
Legacyquels—sequels that come out decades after their original predecessor with the promise of recapturing its magic—are in no short supply these days, particularly in the horror genre. But how does one hop onto this trend with The Exorcist? The 1973 classic...
- 10/4/2023
- by Leigh Monson
- avclub.com
The sequels — or, in two cases, prequels — to “The Exorcist” have all been unqualified turkeys. There is now a movement at hand to declare that John Boorman’s crackpot insect-swarm fantasia “Exorcist II: The Heretic” (1977) was some sort of misunderstood masterpiece, but that’s an act of revisionism every bit as loony tunes as “Heaven’s Gate” revisionism.
That said, the “Exorcist” genre has never left the culture. It has spawned successful pieces of claptrap, like “The Exorcism of Emily Rose” (2005), whose opening-weekend gross of $30 million in the dead zone of early September was more shocking than anything in the film. Fifty years ago, the very essence of William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist” was its obscenely eruptive, pea-soup-in-the-face, borderline-demonic-child-porn shock value. The film marked nothing less than the birth of extreme culture, and we’ve never looked back. It also influenced the rise of the Evangelical movement, since if Satan was now in our face,...
That said, the “Exorcist” genre has never left the culture. It has spawned successful pieces of claptrap, like “The Exorcism of Emily Rose” (2005), whose opening-weekend gross of $30 million in the dead zone of early September was more shocking than anything in the film. Fifty years ago, the very essence of William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist” was its obscenely eruptive, pea-soup-in-the-face, borderline-demonic-child-porn shock value. The film marked nothing less than the birth of extreme culture, and we’ve never looked back. It also influenced the rise of the Evangelical movement, since if Satan was now in our face,...
- 10/4/2023
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
It's clear that writer/director David Gordon Green and his co-screenwriter Peter Sattler had to fight an uphill battle when making a sequel to William Friedkin's 1973 film "The Exorcist" in 2023. Not only did the filmmakers have to remain cognizant of what narrative ground the four or five previous films in the series had already covered (more on that number below), but they had to somehow rise above the thousands of "Exorcist" knockoffs that have arisen in the last 50 years to provide a fresh take on the material. No easy feat, seeing as how the Tubi library, as of this writing, currently has 49 films with "Exorcist" or "Exorcism" in the title. Apart from "Alien" and "Emmanuelle," "The Exorcist" may be one of the most imitated films in cinema history.
To address the "Exorcist" sequels, Green merely employed the same tactic as he did with his "Halloween" movies: ignore them entirely and reboot the story.
To address the "Exorcist" sequels, Green merely employed the same tactic as he did with his "Halloween" movies: ignore them entirely and reboot the story.
- 10/4/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Fifty years ago, writer William Peter Blatty and director William Friedkin changed the face of possession horror with the seminal feature The Exorcist, which inspired sequels and prequels that never quite reached the same box office highs of the original, along with a short-lived TV series. Director David Gordon Green and Blumhouse, fresh off the recent Halloween trilogy, reteam for a new chapter, The Exorcist: Believer, once again eschewing all canon beyond the original film. Introduced as the first in a new trilogy, Believer attempts to comment on religion in a modern world. However, its thinly sketched narrative and reliance on nostalgia works against it.
Thirteen years after losing his wife in a Haitian earthquake, Victor Fielding has raised his daughter Angela (Lidya Jewett) solo in a Georgia suburb. Angela’s quiet curiosity about her mother prompts an excursion into the woods with friend Katherine (Olivia O’Neill) one day after school,...
Thirteen years after losing his wife in a Haitian earthquake, Victor Fielding has raised his daughter Angela (Lidya Jewett) solo in a Georgia suburb. Angela’s quiet curiosity about her mother prompts an excursion into the woods with friend Katherine (Olivia O’Neill) one day after school,...
- 10/4/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
In the long history of horror films since the dawn of cinema, it would be hard to imagine any of them quite having the particular impact of 1973’s The Exorcist, which became the first horror film to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar along with nine other nominations including Best Actress for Ellen Burstyn. It eventually won two Academy Awards: for William Peter Blatty’s screenplay based on his 1971 novel, and for the bone-chilling sound work. When I saw it as a young kid in its original incarnation at the National Theatre in Westwood (now no longer existing), there were lines like you have never seen wrapping completely around the block. Warner Bros even put a nurse on duty in the lobby for those who passed out — no mere gimmick because it actually happened.
Nothing I have seen since in the genre has matched that one for me, but...
Nothing I have seen since in the genre has matched that one for me, but...
- 10/4/2023
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Any love you had for David Gordon Green’s attempts to reanimate John Carpenter’s game-changing Halloween franchise will probably more or less correspond to your feelings about The Exorcist: Believer, the director’s bid to do the same for William Friedkin’s canonical demonic possession chiller. For those of us former Catholic school kids with vivid recall of being scared witless in our younger years by that 1973 classic, the new film is as deceptive a trickster as the Satanic visitor that takes up residence this time in not just one innocent girl but two.
In theory that should mean double the scare factor, and for most of the first hour all bodes well — or ill, if you dread what’s coming — as Green shows his respect for the original by disregarding its various sequels, prequels and the mostly forgettable 2016 Fox TV series. Universal has stressed that this is a direct sequel,...
In theory that should mean double the scare factor, and for most of the first hour all bodes well — or ill, if you dread what’s coming — as Green shows his respect for the original by disregarding its various sequels, prequels and the mostly forgettable 2016 Fox TV series. Universal has stressed that this is a direct sequel,...
- 10/4/2023
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
We’ve seen what director David Gordon Green and Blumhouse Productions could do with the Halloween franchise, three times over. Now we’re going to see what they can do with the Exorcist franchise when The Exorcist: Believer reaches theatres this Friday, October 6th. This movie is meant to be the start of a new trilogy of Exorcist sequels, and Universal Pictures and Peacock forked over an amount somewhere in the range of $400 million to acquire the rights to distribute this trilogy… so they’re probably very glad to hear that the film is tracking to have a franchise record-breaking opening weekend.
Deadline reports that The Exorcist: Believer, which will be playing on 3600 screens, is expected to have a domestic opening weekend in the 30 to 36 million range. Currently, the R-rated reboot/sequel is trending demo-wise like The Nun 2, which saw a $32.6M opening, meaning it’s great with the 18-34 demographic,...
Deadline reports that The Exorcist: Believer, which will be playing on 3600 screens, is expected to have a domestic opening weekend in the 30 to 36 million range. Currently, the R-rated reboot/sequel is trending demo-wise like The Nun 2, which saw a $32.6M opening, meaning it’s great with the 18-34 demographic,...
- 10/4/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
“Exorcism is a ritual. Every culture, every religion, they all use different methods… and it’s going to take all of them.” These are the words of Ellen Burstyn’s Chris MacNeil, who’s come a long way since we last saw her in 1973’s The Exorcist. But then she saw the face of the Devil in that film, and 50 years later she now seems intent on offering a different kind of grace in David Gordon Green’s The Exorcist: Believer. In the biggest horror movie of the Halloween season, Catholics, Baptists, Pentecostals, and even an African root doctor, will come together to face evil.
It’s a far more inclusive and diverse vision of good than the narrow definition provided in the original Exorcist, a film where Jesuit priests resemble knights of the Holy Order, out to battle Satan to the death. Yet for writer-director Green, it was his...
It’s a far more inclusive and diverse vision of good than the narrow definition provided in the original Exorcist, a film where Jesuit priests resemble knights of the Holy Order, out to battle Satan to the death. Yet for writer-director Green, it was his...
- 10/4/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Exactly 50 years ago this fall, the most terrifying horror film in history landed on screens, shocking audiences around the world. Now, on Friday, October 6, a new chapter begins. From Blumhouse and director David Gordon Green, who shattered the status quo with their resurrection of the Halloween franchise, comes The Exorcist: Believer.
The original Exorcist film can be looked at as rite of passage film for fans of the horror genre. In fact, when it was first released, many parents actually forbade their children from going to see the film. Film producer Jason Blum revealed that he was about twelve years old when he first saw the film, while director David Gordon Green tells us, “I was fifteen when I saw it and was watching the film in public library while wearing large headphones. Why you ask? Because my parents wouldn’t let me see it!” Blum adds, “The quickest way...
The original Exorcist film can be looked at as rite of passage film for fans of the horror genre. In fact, when it was first released, many parents actually forbade their children from going to see the film. Film producer Jason Blum revealed that he was about twelve years old when he first saw the film, while director David Gordon Green tells us, “I was fifteen when I saw it and was watching the film in public library while wearing large headphones. Why you ask? Because my parents wouldn’t let me see it!” Blum adds, “The quickest way...
- 10/4/2023
- by Kristyn Clarke
- Age of the Nerd
Universal/Blumhouse/Morgan Creek’s The Exorcist: Believer will continue horror’s head-spinning roll at the autumn box office with a $30M-$36M domestic start at 3,600 locations.
Currently, the R-rated reboot/sequel is trending demo-wise like The Nun 2, which saw a $32.6M opening, meaning it’s great with the 18-34 demographic, Hispanic and Latino audiences as well as older guys. Nun 2 skewed a tad more female at 52%, and it’s expected that this David Gordon Green-directed Exorcist installment will be around an even split as well. Universal will have Imax and Plf screens with previews starting Thursday at 5 p.m. We hear production cost of The Exorcist: Believer is $30M before P&a.
Related: Who Are The Ultimate Final Girls in Horror Gallery: From ‘Laurie Strode’, to ‘Sidney Prescott’ & ‘Dorothy Gale’
In the midst of an actors strike where talent can’t promote, branded horror has posted...
Currently, the R-rated reboot/sequel is trending demo-wise like The Nun 2, which saw a $32.6M opening, meaning it’s great with the 18-34 demographic, Hispanic and Latino audiences as well as older guys. Nun 2 skewed a tad more female at 52%, and it’s expected that this David Gordon Green-directed Exorcist installment will be around an even split as well. Universal will have Imax and Plf screens with previews starting Thursday at 5 p.m. We hear production cost of The Exorcist: Believer is $30M before P&a.
Related: Who Are The Ultimate Final Girls in Horror Gallery: From ‘Laurie Strode’, to ‘Sidney Prescott’ & ‘Dorothy Gale’
In the midst of an actors strike where talent can’t promote, branded horror has posted...
- 10/3/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
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