Blumhouse Productions, Morgan Creek Entertainment and Rough House Pictures’ The Exorcist: Believer (A; dubbed from the Hollywood film of the same name) is the sixth in the The Exorcist franchise. The horror film serves as a direct sequel to the original The Exorcist (1973) while disregarding the other instalments.
Victor Fielding (Leslie Odom Jr.) desperately approaches Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) when his daughter, Angela (Lidya Jewett), behaves strangely after her return from the woods following three days’ absence. Her trauma is first interpreted as a mental illness but the truth is different. Chris MacNeil draws from her past of 50 years ago when her daughter had been possessed.
Scott Teems, Danny McBride and David Gordon Green have written a story which is thrilling but not half as novel as it ought to have been. The screenplay — by Peter Sattler and David Gordon Green — is engaging at several places. The thrills and chills it offers are exciting at places but not up to the mark at others.
Leslie Odom Jr. does well as Victor Fielding. Ellen Burstyn is alright as Chris MacNeil. Lidya Jewett has her moments as Angela Fielding. Ann Dowd provides remarkable support as the nurse. Debutante Olivia Marcum has her moments as Katherine. Jennifer Nettles (as Katherine’s mother) and Norbert Leo Butz (as Katherine’s father) are adequate. Okwui Okpokwasili (as Dr. Beehibe), Raphael Sbarge (as Don Revans), Danny McCarthy (as Stuart), E.J. Bonilla (as Father Maddox), Antoni Corone (as Father Phillips), Tracey Graves (as Victor Fielding’s deceased wife), Chloe Traicos (as Jodea Maxwell) and Linda Blair (as Regan MacNeil) do as desired.
David Gordon Green’s direction is alright. He does send chills down people’s spines. David Wingo and Amman Abbasi’s background music should’ve been more impactful. Michael Simmonds’ cinematography is nice. Brandon Tonner-Connolly’s production designing, and Stuart Frossell and Gary Naylor’s art direction are of fine standard. Tim Alverson’s editing is fairly sharp. Dubbing is proper.
On the whole, The Exorcist: Believer is a fair fare. It’s low-key promotion, however, is a minus point.
Released on 6-10-’23 at Gemini (daily 3 shows) and other cinemas of Bombay thru Warner Bros. Pictures (India) Pvt. Ltd. Publicity: weak. Opening: so-so. …….Also released all over. Opening was ordinary at places and dull at others.