The Exorcist: Believer is an entertaining Halloween treat

I could spend this review dissecting The Exorcist: Believer ad nauseam or comparing it to its original but that wouldn’t be fair.  Instead my critique this week will be based solely on its enjoyability and squirm factor.

Every October I find myself watching the classics such as House of Wax (‘53,) Cape Fear (‘62) and Poltergeist (‘82.)  Durning the pandemic the majority of Hollywood movies released on Home Premiere were scary movies.  As a result, Blumhouse Productions became synonymous with modern terror  Some of those movies were great, while some were iffy, but they were always shocking in their ability to keep me on edge.  When I saw the trailer for The Exorcist: Believer I knew I had to see it on the big screen.

The Exorcist: Believer begins with two girls who go missing.  The cast is superb and I was impressed how each actor’s portrayal contributed equally.  Both Lidya Jewett and Olivia O’Neill as the girls do a fine job at being possessed, but are a little too reminiscent of Linda Blair both in mannerisms and facial prosthetics.  Leslie Odom Jr. as the father is exceptional.  His face as he descends from joy to confusion and subsequent sadness was realistic and convincing.  Meanwhile Ellen Burstyn’s reprisal as Chris MacNeil didn’t miss a beat.  At 90 years old she is just so cute that I was left praying no harm would come to her.  Moreover, Burstyn’s final scene is designed perfectly for die hard fans.

Although not extremely horrific I did catch myself twisting about in my seat repeatedly.  I have studied subliminal advertising, and even been hypnotized by The Amazing Kreskin, so I have confidence in the power of suggestion.  It is well documented that The Exorcist (‘73) used subliminal photography to scare viewers but it was 1952’s My World Dies and a Date With Death that applied the technology first.  The Exorcist: Believer once again uses flashing images to manipulate viewer perceptions.  Although, the flashing was noticeable to the naked eye their were numerous instances where I saw a flicker but was unsure about the content.  I think I saw some landscape perhaps a boy upside down…but without the ability to hit the rewind button I know my sleep tonight would be the determiner of its influence.

I have found it difficult watching children in horror movies.  Perhaps it’s movies such as Alice, Sweet Alice (‘76) and Burnt Offerings (‘76) that still haunt me.  Nevertheless, the supernatural and children have historically proven to be a winning combination.  The Exorcist: Believer combines great acting, a scary build up an all the horror tropes that one would expect.  Add some subliminal stimulation into the mix, and you have a movie that will pierce straight into your subconscious.