Fifty years ago, director William Friedkin unleashed The Exorcist upon the world. The film terrified audiences in a way no movie before it had and became the first horror film ever nominated for Best Picture. The Exorcist received 10 Oscar nominations in total, including Best Director for Friedkin and Best Actress in a Leading Role for Ellen Burstyn, and went on to win two Oscars: Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound. To this day, the film remains one of the scariest movies ever made in cinematic history.
Now, a new iteration of The Exorcist arrives via David Gordon Green, the writer and director behind the recently-concluded Halloween reboot trilogy. The Exorcist: Believer is the sixth entry into the franchise but serves as a direct sequel to Friedkin's original — notably, Oscar winner Burstyn reprises her iconic role as Chris MacNeil for the first time since the 1973 film.
The Exorcist: Believer centers on the dual possession of two young girls, Angela and Katherine. Facing untold evil, the girls' parents — played by Leslie Odom, Jr. and Jennifer Nettles and Norbert Leo Butz, respectively — seek help from Chris MacNeil, whose daughter Regan (Linda Blair) experienced a similar possession many decades ago. (Blair was nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance in the 1973 film; she is not confirmed to appear in the reboot.)
Green directs from a screenplay he wrote with Peter Sattler, from a story he concocted with his Halloween collaborators, Scott Teems and Danny McBride. Like with Green's Halloween trilogy, The Exorcist: Believer is slated to be the first entry in a new trilogy. Blumhouse and Universal Pictures have already dated its sequel, The Exorcist: Deceiver, for April 18, 2025.
First, The Exorcist: Believer opens in theaters on Oct. 6 — moved forward one week after Taylor Swift announced her The Eras Tour concert movie was releasing on Friday, Oct. 13. Watch the trailer below.
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