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| Images courtesy Universal Pictures |
The days of classic horror are long gone. That’s not to say excellent genre films don’t happen or exist anymore. But David Gordon Green is here to give us a further reminder of what made movies like The Exorcist so great while attempting to tarnish its good name.
Much like his Halloween sequels, his latest foray into into the world of the macabre writes off all previous sequels, giving us a ret-con that's served as a direct connection to the original. And the only thing that transitions is the name. The Exorcist: Believer is a modern day take on the possession sub-genre that spins its wheels playing like a cheap knock off of Denis Villeneuve’s Prisoners parlayed with any number of low budget demonic theatrical entries. The movie is simply put, not good. This production has no creative merits whatsoever and fully abandons all the themes and character underpinnings of the 1973 master work.
William Friedkin’s 1973 classic was called The Exorcist for a reason. At the core, the movie was about Father Karras’ crisis of faith and coming to terms with his chosen religion and his place in the church not the exorcism. Regan’s possession by the demon Pazuzu was, while a central point, was not the real story. It was a character study focused on one man’s battle with his inner demons. The film is an absolute masterpiece and considered the scariest of all time in many (most) film circles. Adding on a legacy sequel was totally unneeded and does zero to add anything to the already expansive mythology, good or bad. The Exorcist III is pure fire in comparison as it actually pushed the envelope for the series as a whole.
Nothing about Believer is captivating or original. It checks boxes fervently. Characters stand around with muddled looks on their faces, attempting to emote terror with no success. Religious imagery is traded in for jump scares and needless gore while Green solidifies his position as the man that pillages the memory of a movie that changed cinema. His Exorcist film plays like a by the books possession film that looks exactly like his Halloween movies. The sets are the same. The lighting is simply boring. And at the center, it actually lacks the minimal oomph of his Michael Myers trilogy. Other than a phoned in and needless appearance by Ellen Burstyn, this is an absolute slog to get through. Tension is missing. The framing is cliched. And there is just no artistry on hand whatsoever. This is a muted and muddled entry that will not qualify two more chapters in this proposed trilogy.
At times, you can feel a push/pull happening with Believer. The performances are well enough for a big studio release. Lead player Leslie Odom Jr. tries to bear the weight of a barren script. Burstyn is just bored to tears. And the young girls who are now possessed have a great time in their demonic makeup. Sure, they're scary looking. But the demon spouts and repeats things we've heard before. This is a re-recorded greatest hits album by the demon Pazuzu and the new recording sucks.
It’s Green’s apparent lack of respect and knowledge for the source material that tears this thing to shreds. He has no idea what to do with ideas so big. It’s like no one involved had the wherewithal or energy to speak up and tell him that a team of every day folks battling an evil presence simply does not work and doesn’t fit the context of how The Exorcist started. At each mention of the word “evil” I expected someone to spout the words, “Evil dies tonight”. This honestly looks and feels just like his Halloween movies. As a counterpart to something that was actually shot on film, this presentation lacks any grit or grain and looks like every horror movie under the sun. Even the hyper edited modern day demon visuals define the word snore.
-CG