Released on Oct.6 and directed by David Gordon Green, The Exorcist: Believer is a supernatural horror film that serves as the six installment in the Exorcist Franchise and is a direct sequel to the original 1973 film. The film consists of original actor Ellen Burstyn, with the addition of new characters played by Leslie Odom Jr, Ann Dowd, Jennifer Nettles, Olivia O’Neill, and Lidya Jewett.
The premise of the movie follows Victor Fielding, a single father to his daughter Angela, and her best friend Katherine. When the two girls disappear into the woods one day, and return three days later with no recollection of what happened to them, they start to show signs of demonic possession. Victor seeks the help of Chris MacNiel, whose daughter experienced something similar to this fifty years ago. The possession of these two girls results in the unleashing of a series of evil occurrences and events in the town.
The overall aesthetic of the movie is very foreboding and eerie in a very non straightforward manner. There’s an essence that leaves viewers unsure of whether something will occur or not, and when it does, it comes as a surprise. For example, there are instances when it appears as if something is possibly going to pop out from the darkness, and then nothing does. Or when there are moments where there is just silence, and we as the audience expect something terrible to happen, but nothing does, and the scene carries out. This way of presenting the scenes into the film, develops the plot, making it much more suspenseful and intriguing to watch.
Compared to the previous movies in the franchise, the religious aspect of the movie is much heavier than the previous ones. It touches on the idea of faith and the cultural differences when it comes to religion, and it doesn’t glamorize Christianity as a whole. Instead, it incorporates different aspects of a variety of cultures. It also speaks heavily on those that do not believe, and why that might be. In the overall plot, this idea of religion intertwines quite well into the characters’ stories and growth.
Overall, the movie isn’t as jump scare filled as the common horror movie might be, but the horror of the movie itself is tied to the aspect of religion and how grief and longing for something can bring us to act in a way in which we normally wouldn’t. The ending really depicts the idea of selfishness and how making a choice to benefit oneself can sometimes result in irreversible consequences. There is something much more terrifying about leaving our mind open to evil forces.