Movie review: “The Exorcist: Believer” was there, unearthed

There may be no other holy place for horror than “The Exorcist”. Just as his 1973 film with William Friedkin has been endlessly stolen and resurrected, its power remains pure and its place in film history hallowed.

Having captured the attention of so many people, why is The Exorcist still able to command attention? Indeed, with its patient and restrained approach, its icy atmosphere, and its exciting All evoke the dawn of American terror from the 1960s onwards, thanks to the clear and orderly imagery.

However, young Regan McNeil is still possessed by an absolute belief in good and evil. It’s a paranormal movie that treats paranormal phenomena as natural. The devil is as real and present as all these concrete steps.

Since then, there have been many sequels that have been huge failures, and a number of spin-offs that haven’t been as popular. But now, just two months after Friedkin’s death and a few months away from the original’s 50th anniversary, a sequel directed by David Gordon Green is being released.

Hollywood’s tendency to revisit old classics may now be enough to inspire the kind of projectile spitting that Friedkin famously did. The Exorcist: Believer was produced by Blumhouse with the intention of launching a new film franchise, but it feels guided primarily by love and respect for Friedkin’s original work rather than any cynical motivation.

The main additions to this movie are that there are two possessed girls this time around (double the fun?) and that the Catholic Church is no longer the only or main demonic combatant. is. This is a multi-denominational “exorcist” but also a less serious spiritual one.

Green, one of today’s most protean filmmakers, has tackled things like this before. He rebooted the “Halloween” movies in a trilogy that got off to a promising start with an updated suburban slasher nightmare that expanded into subsequent films.

“Halloween” is easier to reuse than “The Exorcist.” But the first thing you notice about “Believer” is its certainty. Director Green is working from a script he co-wrote with Peter Sattler, based on a story by Green, Danny McBride, and Scott Teems, and features the kind of flashy camera movements and awkward scares often seen in horror films. Be nimble in setting the mood and avoiding. There’s a craftsmanship to how “Believer” is sewn together, at least initially.

Thirteen years after losing his pregnant wife in the Haiti earthquake, Victor Fielding (Leslie Odom Jr.) lives with his 13-year-old daughter Angela (Lydia Jewett). They get along well, but Victor is a bit overprotective. It’s not hard to guess where this is going when Angela and her friend Catherine (Olivia O’Neill) walk through the woods after school and begin a candlelight séance.

But The Exorcist: Believer is initially absorbing, thanks to its filmmaking agility, Odom Jr.’s calm presence, and newcomer Jewett’s stellar performance. The girls go missing for several days, and when they return they no longer seem to be themselves. When things start to get ugly, the film’s focus shifts to the parents. This is a movie about parenting more than it is a movie about faith. This includes Katherine’s ambiguous parents (Norbert Leo Butts and Jennifer Nettles). His relationship with Angela is inferior to that of Victor.

If The Exorcist seems to summon a demon, the best The Exorcist: Believer can do is invoke a metaphor. fingernails. My head spins. The body floats. In the film, when two possessed girls are tied back to back to chairs and a cobbled together team of spiritual defenders are placed around them, the Believers are mired in a long-lasting torture chamber of terrifying clichés. It fits.

Director Green has long had a keen eye for casting, and has used a number of excellent actors in this film. Ellen Burstyn, Oscar-nominated for The Exorcist, returns as Chris MacNeil, but sending away her most powerful actor so quickly and gruesomely may be the film’s biggest mistake. Ann Dowd, who plays the nurse who lives next door, also adds dramatic weight to the film.

But The Exorcist: Believer never manages anything like the deep horror of the original, and the film’s climactic scene ends up feeling lifeless and predictable. I went there and unearthed it. To get closer to the dark dangers of “The Exorcist,” you may have to climb the stairs yourself and fight your own demons.

The Exorcist: Believer, released by Universal Pictures, has been rated R by the Motion Picture Association of Japan for some violence, disturbing images, language, and sexual references. Running time: 111 minutes. He gets 2 out of 4 stars.