The Exorcist: Believer – A Reboot That Fails to Possess the Halloween Magic

In a world where reboots promise to breathe fresh life into our beloved classics, ‘The Exorcist: Believer’ fails short of delivering the Halloween magic we had hoped for. Even the star power of Ellen Burstyn can’t exorcise the boredom from this reimagining of the iconic horror tale.

As we dive into this reboot, we wonder: who is the “believer” referred to in the title? Is it the grieving single father, Victor Fielding, played by Leslie Odom Jr., who’s raising his daughter Angela? Or perhaps it’s Ann, a nurse who abandoned her nunnery, the determined Pastor Don, or the fiery Pentecostal preacher Stuart? Maybe it’s Father Maddox, portrayed by E.J. Bonilla. But, dare we say, it could very well be the audience, us moviegoers, hoping for salvation in the form of a spine-tingling experience.

The story unfolds with Angela and her best friend, Katherine, delving into the woods, seeking communion with spirits. Angela’s sole wish is to connect with her late mother, but their forest adventure takes a dark turn. The girls vanish, leaving their parents in despair – Victor and Katherine’s folks, Miranda and Tony. Three days later, the girls reappear, 30 miles away in a farmer’s barn, with no memory of what transpired during their disappearance.

With medical science failing to provide answers and the Catholic Church distancing itself from the situation, Victor turns to the one person who has faced the horrors of demonic possession before: Chris MacNeil, portrayed by the legendary Ellen Burstyn. Her previous battle with the demonic forces that plagued her daughter Regan in the original ‘Exorcist’ is etched in horror history.

David Gordon Green, the genius behind the revival of the ‘Halloween’ franchise, attempts a similar resurrection with ‘The Exorcist: Believer.’ Ellen Burstyn’s return, however, feels more gimmicky than essential to the plot. Linda Blair’s absence leaves us reminiscing about the parody ‘Repossessed’ rather than the spine-tingling original. 

While the reboot adopts a slow-burn approach, the only true shiver it offers is when a snake slithers away from discarded shoes. Unfortunately, ‘The Exorcist: Believer’ moves at a pace as slow as drying paint. In the midst of spooky October, with vampires and supernatural creatures roaming the screens, this installment doesn’t quite make the cut.

In the end, ‘The Exorcist: Believer’ may not be the horror treat you were hoping for this Halloween season. As the first part of a planned trilogy, it leaves us yearning for more thrills and chills. For now, it continues to possess theaters, albeit with a lackluster grip on our fears.

Official Trailer Link- The Exorcist: Believer | Official Trailer