The Exorcist: Believer is a plain film in both its intention and its execution. Green’s attempt to connect this mediocre exorcism film with the 1973 horror classic is a miserable farce. 

 

Where the film's trailers were horribly edited with quick cuts to showcase the possession, the film itself is much more static and while there is praise to be had for the lack of gimmicks. The fashion in which every aspect of the film is shot is nothing more than a demonic bore. 

 

The script is lacking in every regard and while I commend the child actors: Olivia O’Neill & Lidya Jewett for truly going all in on their performances, nothing surrounding them warrants their efforts. Leslie Odom Jr is fine in his role, but in solidarity with the other members of the cast - he never excels due to the material given. 

 

When compared to the original and the hundreds of exorcism features that came after, Believer offers no new scares. It’s all familiar territory that beyond some body horror elements, suffers from a lack of creativity and genuine frights. That is apart from a single shocking component of the film that caught me legitimately by surprise. 

 

The simple fact they got Ellen Burstyn to return is truly shocking, as her reprisal is ultimately as meaningless as Jamie Lee Curtis was in Halloween Kills. Watching this uninteresting “legacy” sequel slowly collapse in on itself is even more painful knowing that somehow two more of these are planned in the coming years. This is an unwarranted nightmare, full of heartache for longtime fans and serious headaches for those expecting something worth the wait.