In the canvas of our collective cultural memory, the haunting brushstrokes of The Exorcist still linger, vivid and chilling even after half a century. Now, as the calendar ominously flips to Friday, October 13th, we brace ourselves for the resurgence of that deep-seated fear. Blumhouse, teaming up again with David Gordon Green — the duo that audaciously breathed new life into the Halloween saga — ushers in the next chilling chapter, The Exorcist: Believer.
At the center of this eerie tale, we find Victor Fielding, a man shouldering a past marred by tragedy. It’s been a dozen years since a Haitian earthquake claimed his pregnant wife, leaving him alone to navigate the labyrinth of fatherhood. Victor, brought to life by the gravitas of Tony-winning and Oscar-nominated Leslie Odom, Jr., known for his stirring performances in One Night in Miami and Hamilton, raises his daughter Angela, played by the talented Lidya Jewett of Good Girls.
Their serene existence is fractured when Angela and her companion Katherine, a fresh face in Hollywood, Olivia Marcum, inexplicably disappear in the woods. Three days later, they re-emerge, their memories of the ordeal wiped clean, catalyzing a series of unnerving events. As Victor finds himself on the precipice of an abyss of malevolence, he seeks solace and guidance in Chris MacNeil, the only person who might fathom his horror.
Ellen Burstyn, an Oscar laureate, returns to haunt our screens once more as Chris MacNeil, a role that made her a household name. Five decades ago, her on-screen daughter Regan’s harrowing possession left an indelible mark on her and the audience. We also meet Emmy-winner Ann Dowd, a force to be reckoned with in The Handmaid’s Tale and Hereditary, portraying Victor and Angela’s watchful neighbor. Jennifer Nettles, a Grammy award winner, and Norbert Leo Butz, a double Tony laureate, complete the cast as Katherine’s distressed parents.
Remember when The Exorcist, adapted from William Peter Blatty’s novel, first landed in the cinematic landscape? It didn’t just obliterate box office records; it changed the game by earning 10 Academy Award nominations, becoming the first horror film to vie for Best Picture.
Under David Gordon Green’s expert direction, using a screenplay meticulously crafted by Peter Sattler and Green, The Exorcist: Believer promises a riveting narrative. The story, conceived by Scott Teems, Danny McBride, and Green, explores the familiar yet frightening world first fashioned by Blatty. This cinematic reincarnation owes its realization to the dedicated efforts of producers Jason Blum for Blumhouse, and David Robinson and James G. Robinson for Morgan Creek Entertainment, and an exceptional executive team including McBride, Green, Stephanie Allain, Ryan Turek, and Atilla Yücer. Together with Universal Pictures and Rough House Pictures, they bring this spine-chilling spectacle to your local theater. Brace yourself for the unnerving embrace of The Exorcist: Believer.