As is the fashion recently, another modern continuation of a legacy horror series has been ejected from Hollywood’s mid-range thriller factory known as Blumhouse Productions. However, this one brings with it the gravitas of a literal classic of horror cinema, and while it has big shoes to fill, it fits them well.

“The Exorcist: Believer” is the fifth film in the “Exorcist” franchise, dating back to 1973 with the very first film starring Ellyn Burstyn and Linda Blair.
While the original film may be considered tame compared to the horror standards of today, for its time, it was revolutionary in what it got away with on screen. 2023’s modern entry attempts to continue this tradition, but it doesn’t tread much new ground in terms of story, gore, or shock value. Where it does differ is the number of little girls being possessed this time.

Leslie Odom Jr. plays Victor, a doting single father walking the line between overprotective and overbearing. Victor’s only passion in life is reflected in his daughter Angela, played by the outstanding Lidya Jewett. However, we’re only treated to a few brief moments of the two on screen together as the pace of this film races along like it’s got somewhere else to be. There’s little time to reinforce the bond between the two, as we are thrust into each successive scene after only a couple of minutes at most.

Throughout the first half of the film, every second scene transition hard-cuts to a jarring audio-based jump scare which corresponds to something decidedly mundane happening on screen. These cheap tactics are an easy game, but when they are overused as heavily as they are here it ruins the atmosphere that is attempting to build. The atmosphere itself seems confused, as nothing interesting really happens, even though they’re throwing characters at the screen left and right.

Thankfully this first half is also quite “by-the-books,” and treads familiar ground in terms of story, setting, and character archetypes. This means that at the speed it’s being pushed past the screen, you’ll still understand what’s going on in a general sense. Unfortunately, this doesn’t make for great storytelling, as we’re not shown anything unique or interesting about the characters until much later on.

Angela and her best friend, Katherine, played here by the up-and-coming Olivia O’Neill, sneak out on their respective parents to go and play “séance”… with a candle… in the woods… at night. It’s an Exorcist film, so you can immediately see where this is going. The girls “disappear”, the parents get worried, the search begins, and then the girls are eventually found, but something is not quite right.

Angela and Katherine return, and here is where the movie settles down into a digestible pace. The tone of the movie shifts to what we expect from a horror film – still moments of moody and brooding calm broken by lightning bolts of shock that are earned from their buildups. The girls came back different, and the parents know it, but they can’t quite put their finger on what’s going on.

Katherine’s parents turn toward a more religious answer, whilst the sceptical Victor is stumped by his daughter’s strange behaviours and the odd things happening in his house. Here is where we get to see both young actresses shine. Olivia O’Neill gets to jump right into chewing the scenery with a much faster change of character, spitting blood and curses at pastors and patrons alike. Lidya Jewett’s character takes a slower road, and we’re treated to several moments of back-and-forth flips from crazed and confused to silent, stalking, wide-eyed creepiness.

It takes the nosy neighbour, played by the great Ann Dowd, to convince Victor that there might be something more supernatural to Angela’s condition, at which time he goes to seek help from Ellen Burstyn reprising her role as Chris MacNeil from the first film in a solid performance.

Like most Blumhouse films, the cinematography is nothing to write home about. Each film in their catalogue will usually contain serviceable but not outstanding camerawork, with only one or two beautiful shots slotted in somewhere during the runtime. “The Exorcist: Believer” is no exception to this rule, with the vast majority of the film comprising close interior shots as are required of the story. The story itself covers the major theme of belief as seen through the eyes of the character of Victor, who is tested multiple times throughout the film.

Though at times it feels a bit preachy, the writers have done a fine job of shoehorning four different belief systems, three of which are Christianity-based, into the plot of this film. It feels a little forced at times, and there are laughable moments that might not have been intended as such, but if you can suspend your disbelief in the ridiculousness of the situation, then you’re going to enjoy the second half of the movie very much.

It is in the final act that the two young actresses get to strut their stuff and turn on the charm. In this case, “charm” can be read as “over-act to your heart’s content, because it will only turn out better for the character.” The makeup is reminiscent of the original, building on themes and designs from the 1973 classic.

The rest of the main cast is well-stocked with decent actors who get to turn it up a notch when the demons possessing the girls give the families a terrible choice to make, but Leslie Odom Jr. spends the majority of his time on screen either being stoic or pensively staring at his daughter. The man doesn’t raise his voice throughout the entire film, even when he’s calling Angela’s name as they search the woods for her. He’s meant to be having a “crisis of faith” in this final section, but in some parts, it’s more like a “crisis of face”.

As fifty-year-late sequels go, The Exorcist: Believer gives us more of the same as the first one. The graphics have been updated, and there are two girls now, but if you’ve seen the first, you’ll have a good idea of how this one is going to go. If you haven’t seen any of the previous films in the series, this is a fine entry point to the mythos, as it does exactly what it says on the tin.

As the old song says, “Then I saw her face, now I’m a believer.”

Written by: Johnny Breaker