Reports from the test-screenings were not overly positive, but we didn't expect this!
Universal and Blumhouse's The Exorcist: Believer arrives in theaters this weekend, and while the movie is on track for a pretty respectable opening weekend at the box office, David Gordon Green's legacy sequel to William Friedkin's horror masterpiece has already been read the last rites by critics.
With 122 reviews counted, The Exorcist: Believer is currently sitting at a dismal 22% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Though some critics have come out in defence of the film, the majority seem to feel that it's simply unworthy of being associated with the original in any way. It sounds like Believer has a pretty strong first act, and the performances - particularly from Leslie Odom Jr. and newcomers Lidya Jewett and Olivia Marcum as the two possessed girls - have been universally praised.
Unfortunately, the thing most fans of the '70s classic were most looking forward to, Ellen Burstyn's returning Chris MacNeil, is said to be one of the weakest aspects of the movie, with many noting that Believer probably would have been better off disassociating itself from the franchise completely and telling its own story.
We'll have some spoiler breakdowns for you over the weekend, but for now, have a look at the most recent trailer, and let us know if you plan on checking out The Exorcist: Believer on the big screen despite the negative reviews.
"Exactly 50 years ago this fall, the most terrifying horror film in history landed on screens, shocking audiences around the world. Now, on Friday, October 13, a new chapter begins. From Blumhouse and director David Gordon Green, who shattered the status quo with their resurrection of the Halloween franchise, comes The Exorcist: Believer.
Since the death of his pregnant wife in a Haitian earthquake 12 years ago, Victor Fielding (Tony winner and Oscar nominee Leslie Odom, Jr.; One Night in Miami, Hamilton) has raised their daughter, Angela (Lidya Jewett, Good Girls) on his own. But when Angela and her friend Katherine (newcomer Olivia Marcum), disappear in the woods, only to return three days later with no memory of what happened to them, it unleashes a chain of events that will force Victor to confront the nadir of evil and, in his terror and desperation, seek out the only person alive who has witnessed anything like it before: Chris MacNeil."
The Exorcist: Believer also stars Ann Dowd as Victor and Angela’s neighbor, and Jennifer Nettles and Norbert Leo Butz as the parents of Katherine, Angela’s friend.
The movie is set to hit theaters on October 6, with sequel, The Exorcist: Deceiver, arriving on April 18, 2025.