By Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong
Director and Co-Writer David Gordon Green and Producer Jason Blum take another stab at revitalizing another beloved Horror classic. This time taking on the daunting task of making a continuation to a Film deemed the scariest of all time, The Exorcist.
13-years-ago, Victor (Leslie Odom Jr.) was forced to choose between the life of his wife or his unborn daughter. Now present day, heâs a single father to Angela (Lidya Jewett). When Angela and her friend Katherine (Olivia OâNeill) go missing in the woods near their school, Victor will stop at nothing to find his daughter. But when the two girls return, they show signs of demonic possession. Terrified and desperate, he seeks out Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn), the only person alive who’s witnessed anything like it before.
Hope was â extremely â high for The Exorcist: Believer. After all, it comes from the team behind the revitalization of the Halloween franchise. The Trailers hinted at continuing Chrisâ story from the iconic classic. However, it doesnât feel like a continuation but more of an easter egg for fans of the original. The only connection to the original is Burstyn being in a handful of scenes (a letdown for fans anticipating a big return) and it is the same demon who possessed her daughter Regan. Making The Exorcist: Believer feel more like a standalone film within the same demonâs universe.
That being said, the Film has an impactful story at its core that explores the bond between a single parent and their child in the most extreme circumstances. Weâre immediately confronted with the fact that this entry will focus on Victor. We watch as his pregnant wife becomes a victim of an earthquake while they’re on vacation in Haiti. The opening cuts to the point of his decision about who to save: his wife or unborn baby girl. Itâs an emotional story of grief, trauma, and familial bonds.
Odom Jr. is captivating in a restrained performance of a father refusing to lose his only daughter. And Jewett is a showstopper as Angela. She excels in both pre and post-possession. Giving a touching performance as a teenage girl wanting to know her mother and a terrifying performance as the possessed young woman.
As for the scares, The Exorcist: Believer delivers, however, it never achieves the level of skin-crawling Horror the original did. But then again, no film has or probably ever will come close to achieving that feat. When we arrive at the Third Act Exorcism there is plenty of Body Horror to relish in, even if the Filmmakers take the emotional route. Making this a standoff between each girl and their parents. Untold truths come to light, unveiling each characterâs horror and trauma.
The ending will have people talking for a long time.
Universal Pictures Canada release THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER on Friday, October 6, 2023.
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