The Exorcist: Believer (2023)

Plot of The Exorcist: Believer: Victor Fielding and his pregnant wife are on their honeymoon in Hait when there is an earthquake, resulting in Sorenne, the wife being injured. Victor is given the choice of saving either his wife or his unborn child. Years later back in America the daughter, Angela, goes with a friend into the woods where they carry out mystic rituals, in an attempt to contact her mother. The girls disappear and are not found despite police searches, however they are found in a barn thirty miles away after three days. Back home it is evident that they are possessed in some way, and Angela is incarcerated in a nut house, while Victor tries to find answers. A nurse, Ann, is communicated with by the demon in Angela, telling her about her abortion and her failure to enter a nunnery. Victor gets help from Chris MacNeil, Regan’s mother, who after the original event has become an expert on exorcism. They also try to get help from the church, which is refused. How can it all be resolved?

Content: No sex or nudity, or drinking or smoking I don’t think. The earthquake in Haiti takes place. The girls sneak off into the woods and start their ritual. In the photos there is a picture of someone made up as a demon, but I did not see it. Once they return to their homes they are mutated into horrible looking things, speaking in tongues and acting violently. Chris MacNeil is stabbed in the eye with a cross. A sort of amateur exorcism takes place.

A View: This film made a lot of money, despite its poor reviews. Perhaps the name encouraged viewers. It had been nominated in five categories on the Razzies, and a variety of other negative awards, one was ‘Time Waster Remake or Sequel’, which fits pretty well for me. I always give low marks to films which have, in the end, been a waste of a couple of hours of our lives. I can’t emphasise it enough. This film is a waste of time.

Fun Fact: William Friedkin said that if there was a spirit world and he could come back he planned to inhabit David Gordon Green and make his life a living hell.