Though it was initially assumed that the demon from William Friedkin's original '70s classic, Pazuzu, was the same evil spirit that possessed the two girls in David Gordon Green's The Exorcist: Believer, it recently came to light that it was actually a different entity entirely.
If you haven't seen Believer yet, spoilers follow.
The female demon, a massive monstrosity known as Lamashtu, does make a brief appearance during the final act exorcism scene, but we only get a couple of quick glimpses while the rite is being performed. She eventually departs - taking the soul of one of the girls, Katherine, with her.
Now, VFX artist Christopher Nelson has shared a much better look at Lamashtu, who was played by prolific movie monster actress Lize Johnson.
"We are really proud of our Lamashtu Demon make-up on the amazing @lizejohnston for The Exorcist: Believer," Nelson captioned his post. "ALOT of hard work went into her by so many artists. This consisted of a harness, skullcap, and partial body suit. Full head and body prosthetics, dentures and lenses by @eyeinkfx . Applied on the day by myself, Kevin Kirkpatrick and Dave Dupuis. All labwork and build done at the amazing @vincentvandykefx who will tag everyone involved. More full body shots to come."
During a recent interview with PolyGon.com, Nelson revealed that old Lamashtu originally had a larger role in the film.
“You see [Lamashtu] very abstractly in the final exorcism,” Nelson explained. “But we did an entire head-to-toe prosthetic suit, harness, wings, horns, a full realization of Lamashtu which I’m very, very proud of and was very difficult. It was five and a half hours of makeup in, about an hour and a half makeup out, including a 12-hour shoot day.”
Check out the incredible make-up used to bring Lamashtu to life below.
"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 now in theaters, and Blumhouse has already announced a Digital release date of October 24. The Exorcist: Deceiver is currently set to arrive on April 18, 2025.