[FILM REVIEW] THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER Review (2023)

October 7, 2023October 18, 2023 Dave Alex First, Allen Underwood, Ann Dowd, Antoni Corone, Celeste Oliva, Central Coast Radio, Chandu Kanuri, Chloe Traicos, Danny McCarthy, David Gordon Green, David Griffiths, Dwight Longnecker, EJ Bonilla, Ellen Burstyn, Jabeen Taj, Jennifer Nettles, Jonathan De Olano, Kyle McGrath, Lariah Alexandria, Layla Jaffree, Lee Griffiths, Leslie Odom Jr., Lidya Jewitt, Linda Blair, Lize Johnston, Norah Elin Murphy, Norbert Leo Butz, Okwui Okpokwasili, Olivia O'Neil, Peter Sattler, Rahael Sbarge, Ricahrd Carr III, Rory Gross, Subculture Radio Show, The Exorcist Believer, The Phuket News, The Popcorn Conspiracy Radio Show, Tracey Graves, USA, William Harris

Summary: When two girls disappear into the woods and return three days later with no memory of what happened to them, the father of one girl seeks out Chris MacNeil, who’s been forever altered by what happened to her daughter fifty years ago.

Year: 2023

Cinema Release Dates: 5th October 2023 (Australia), 5th October 2023 (Thailand), 6th October 2023 (UK), 6th October 2023 (USA)

VOD Release Dates: TBA

Country: USA

Director: David Gordon Green

Screenwriter: Peter Sattler, David Gordon Green

Cast: Lariah Alexandria (Deshannah), Linda Blair (Regan MacNeil), E.J. Bonilla (Father Maddox), Ellen Burstyn (Chris MacNeil), Norbert Leo Butz (Tony), Richard Carr III (Dr Carr), Antoni Corone (Father Phillips), Jonathan De Olano (Dr. De Olano), Ann Dowd (Ann), Tracey Graves (Sorenne Fielding), Rory Gross (Tyler), William Harris (William), Layla Jaffree (Dr. Jaffree), Lidya Jewitt (Angela), Lize Johnston (Lamashu), Chandu Kanuri (Daniel), Dwight Longnecker (Phelps), Danny McCarthy (Stuart), Norah Elin Murphy (Hannah), Jennifer Nettles (Miranda), Olivia O’Neill (Katherine), Leslie Odom Jr. (Victor Fielding), Okwui Okpokwasili (Doctor Beehibe), Celeste Oliva (Detective Konik), Rahael Sbarge (Pastor), Jabeen Taj (Dr. Taj), Chloe Traicos (Jodea Maxwell), Allen Underwood (Montal)

Running Time: 111 mins

Classification: MA15+ (Australia), 15 (Thailand), 15 (UK), R (USA)

OUR THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER REVIEWS

David Griffiths’s The Exorcist: Believer Review

In a world where remakes and re-boots are now a frequent occurrence in the cinematic sphere it must be acknowledged that filmmakers that take on the task of re-birthing a classic film are taking on a very brave role. Get it wrong and the fans of the original film will launch a hate campaign that could see said filmmaker finding themselves making B or C Grade movies for the rest of their Hollywood career.

One filmmaker who has taken that brave step is David Gordon Green. Green came onto the radar of most film fans when in 2018 he teamed up with the kings of horror, Blumhouse Productions, to make Halloween. It was a brave decision, horror fans are known for being vocal when it comes to people messing with the classics and not only was Green scheduled to make one film, it was going to be a trilogy.

To many’s surprise Green pulled it off – all three films were praised by horror fans and it seemed like the unthinkable could happen – there was a way for modern day filmmakers to use original source material and bring franchises alive in modern days cinema. Well, it seems like Green is not a man to rest on his laurels because he is back and this time he is taking on perennial horror favourite The Exorcist with his latest instalment – The Exorcist: Believer.

Like he did with Halloween Green and his co-writer Peter Sattler (Broken Diamonds) ignore subsequent The Exorcist sequels and go back to the source material – William Friedkin’s 1973 classic. From there they tell the story of Victor Fielding (Leslie Odom Jnr. – Murder On The Orient Express), a gifted photographer who finds himself the single father of Angela (Lidya Jewett – Feel The Beat) after his wife died in an earthquake years earlier.

Victor and Angela have a healthy father/daughter relationship and he feels like he knows his daughter quite well until she, and another girl who he didn’t even know she was friends with, Katherine (newcomer Olivia Marcum) go missing and then re-appear three days later.

When the girls return there is something seriously wrong and while Katherine’s family turn to their Church for help Victor is left fending for himself until his neighbour and nurse, Ann (Ann Dowd – Compliance), comes to him saying she believes that the girls are possessed as the symptoms are very similar to what she has read in Chris MacNeil’s (Ellen Burstyn – Requiem For A Dream) book chronicling the events years earlier.

For the most part The Exorcist: Believer does work and pays true to the original film – but having said that there are some downsides to the film. First it feels like Green lets everything in the film run too long. It takes ages to get into the bulk of the plot and then when it does scenes such as the exorcism themselves run too long and given that there is nothing ‘new’ that audiences haven’t seen in other exorcism films over the years it feels like it never capitalises on the suspense that it should.

What the film does do well is tie into the 1973 original with ease. Bringing back the character of Chris MacNeil in a meaningful and believable way is a stroke of genius from Green and Sattler – whoever whether hardcore Exorcist fans are happy with the outcome remains to be seen. Her inclusion though and a late twist does provide perfect plot fodder going forward though.

The other surprising turn with this film that actually adds power to its storyline is the way that it embraces religion just like the original film did. With the world turning its back on religion more and more these days most people could have understood if Green had decided that it wouldn’t play an important part in The Exorcist: Believer.

Instead, he seems to go the other way. The film explores the fact that Katherine’s parents find solace in their Baptist Church family even using their Pastor (Raphael Sbarge – Risky Business) as one of the catalysts of the events that occur in a bid to save the girls.

Green also explores Catholicism’s beliefs on exorcism with the inclusion of a renegade priest, Father Maddox (E.J. Bonilla – Gemini Man), but to be truthful that storyline is not explored as deeply as it should have been and in the end the character is completely wasted.

As a film The Exorcist: Believer does have its good and bad points. On the one hand fans of the original film should embrace the fact that Green has entwined the two plots so well but on the other hand the film feels like it runs too long and brings nothing new to the exorcism sub-genre. Some will view this as a good fresh start to the franchise while others might see it as a wasted opportunity.

Dave’s rating Out Of 5

Lee Griffiths’s The Exorcist: Believer Review

Lee’s rating Out Of 5

Kyle McGrath’s The Exorcist: Believer Review

Kyle’s rating Out Of 5

Alex First’s The Exorcist: Believer Review

Fifty years ago, The Exorcist rewrote the rule book on scares. It was the first horror film nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars.

The Exorcist: Believer starts in fine and colourful style in Haiti.

That is where a pregnant Sorenne Fielding (Tracey Graves) and her photographer husband Victor (Leslie Odom Jr.) are holidaying.

Then, all hell breaks loose.

We cut to 13 years later, when Victor is left to raise their daughter Angela (Lidya Jewett) on his own.

They appear to have a positive relationship.

Her mother features strongly in Angela’s thinking, who asks her father whether she can spend the night with a school friend, Katherine (Olivia O’Neill).

When she does, the pair disappears into the woods, only for Katherine to try to help Angela channel her mother … with disastrous consequences.

The girls disappear.

With police assistance, Victor and Katherine’s God-fearing parents Miranda (Jennifer Nettles) and Tony (Norbert Leo Butz) mount a desperate search for her.

They are understandably relieved when three days later the girls turn up, but their relief quickly turns to shock and then fear.

Angela and Katherine are no longer the happy go lucky children they were.

Rather, they are vessels for demons that have possessed them both.

At first, Victor won’t hear of it, turning to conventional medicine for answers, but what he witnesses is truly terrifying.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

A neighbour and nurse Ann (Ann Dowd) at the hospital where Angela is receiving treatment gives Victor a copy of a book written by Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn).

Her daughter Regan (Linda Blair) was possessed 50 years ago (and here, of course, is the link to the original Exorcist).

Even MacNeil though is unable to turn the tide against this new evil.

A non-church endorsed exorcism is arranged.

The Exorcist: Believer is directed and co-written, with Peter Sattler, by David Gordon Green (Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends).

I appreciated the set up … the background to the darkness that envelopes this piece.

But thereafter it seemed to take ages to ignite … to get to where it was inevitably heading.

I recognise that the running time is similar to the original, but this franchise reboot is stretched beyond acceptances.

Furthermore, the exorcism is a laughable and elongated carry on.

Overall, I found there were too few jump out of your seat moments.

While the make-up was effective, the acting was largely pedestrian.

The truth is, I simply didn’t buy what they were trying so hard to sell.

I appreciated the references to The Exorcist, which was ground breaking at the time, although they won’t mean much to those that didn’t see it. In summary, I entered the cinema with hope and left disappointed.

Dave’s rating Out Of 5

Average Subculture rating Out Of 5

Other The Exorcist: Believer Reviews:

You can read our review of The Exorcist: Believer that appeared in The Phuket News right here – https://www.thephuketnews.com/new-exorcist-film-to-test-true-believers-89807.php

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