One of the most anticipated upcoming horror movies has to be co-writer/director David Gordon Green’s The Exorcist: Believer. A direct sequel to William Friedkin’s 1973 classic, Green is taking the same strategy he applied to his Halloween trilogy, crafting a new vision of terror that continues a legacy franchise. Judging by what’s been shown in this trailer, and the nods it contains to the original picture, I’m totally sold on what I’ve seen.
Naturally, the first look at the next Universal horror saga is pretty vague in what it’s showing. October’s still far enough that more teases could, and probably will, be on the way. It should also be noted that this footage matches the description our own Eric Eisenberg provided from The Exorcist sequel's CinemaCon panel earlier this year. The basics are enough to still be considered chilling, as this time two young girls (Lidya Jewett and Olivia Marcum) under possession, making for a double front of terror.
With their parents (Leslie Odom, Jr., Jennifer Nettles, and Norbert Leo Butz) desperate for answers, that's where The Exorcist: Believer plays its most powerful card. One of the only people that can help turn the tide is Chris McNeill (Ellen Burstyn), the mother who was there to see it happen the first time in The Exorcist. Based on the dialogue Burstyn's character delivers in this first look, it's going to take an Avengers-level exorcism to banish Pazuzu yet again.
Seeing as this new film ignores the two sequels and dueling prequels that populate the canon’s previous state, this is a pretty huge move. Especially because as we see in The Exorcist: Believer’s first trailer above, this evil spirit remembers the mother it tangled with 50 years ago. Apologies for those of you whose Exorcist movie rankings agree that The Exorcist III is the only good one in the bunch.
That’s not the only reference this marketing campaign is using to tie a close knot between Regan MacNeil’s possession and the ones we’ve just observed. As you’ll see in the trailer for the original Exorcist, that frightening phenomenon of seemingly burning an image of fright into the screen has been used yet again:
Originally, The Exorcist: Believer was meant to be a streaming exclusive, along with the rest of the intended trilogy planned. Somewhere along the line, the powers that be pulled an Evil Dead Rise and reversed course, sending this new terrifying triptych to theaters. That decision looks to be a chilling victory, as the next chapter in Exorcist history just might frighten crowds as much as that first encounter with Pazuzu did in 1973.
The Exorcist: Believer haunts theaters on October 13th. To catch a glimpse of what else is on the menu, whether you're a horror fan or not, the 2023 movie release schedule is a handy resource to scare up your next trip to the movies.
