What is The Exorcist: Believer release date? Back in 1973, audiences were shaken to their core. A new film, The Exorcist, based on a horror novel of the same name, was hitting screens and causing mass hysteria with its innovative horror and shocking imagery.
But now, there’s a head-spinning The Exorcist sequel in town that’s hoping to put the fear of God in you all the same. David Gordon Green, of Halloween reboot fame, has attempted to bring back one of the best horror movies ever made onto the big screen in the form of a new $400 million trilogy.
Fans want to know just what they can expect from these new movies and whether we’ll be left hiding behind the sofa the same as with the original. Well, we can’t tell you that, but we can tell you everything else we know about The Exorcist: Believer cast, plot, reviews, and more. (Spoilers ahead!)
Who’s in The Exorcist: Believer cast?
The Exorcist: Believer cast revolved around the return of Ellen Burstyn as Chris MacNeil, the lead of the original 1973 movie.
Her return was a significant appeal to fans and horror purists. She was also joined by Leslie Odom Jr. of Hamilton fame and Ann Dowd from The Handmaid’s Tale. Odom Jr. plays a father tormented when his daughter returns from a disappearance with her friend, possessed by an unnatural force.
Here’s The Exorcist Believer cast list:
- Leslie Odom Jr. as Victor Fielding
- Ann Dowd as Ann
- Jennifer Nettles as Miranda
- Norbert Leo Butz as Tony
- Lidya Jewett as Angela Fielding
- Olivia Marcum as Katherine
- Ellen Burstyn as Chris MacNeil
- Okwui Okpokwasili as Dr. Beehibe
- Raphael Sbarge as Don Revans
- Danny McCarthy as Stuart
- E.J. Bonilla as Father Maddox
- Tracey Graves as Sorenne Fielding
- Linda Blair as Regan MacNeil
The Exorcist: Believer release date and reviews
The Exorcist: Believer was released on Friday, October 6, 2023 but, sadly for horror fans, it was critically panned.
The movie was originally scheduled to be released on October 13, but was moved in order to avoid competition with Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour movie. (That’s not a battle we’d want to fight, either.) With the original having come out in 1973, the new Exorcist movie marked 50 years since The Exorcist changed the scope of horror cinema and, quite frankly, proved itself as one of the best movies of all time.
In some not-so-good news, critics seem to have hated the newest installment, and it’s currently sitting at 21% on Rotten Tomatoes. Our own Emma-Jane Betts wrote in her The Exorcist: Believer review that the movie is “a lackluster ‘new chapter’ that fundamentally misunderstands this iconic franchise.”
“The Exorcist: Believer is strangled by the franchise’s legacy, and despite having talented actors and some genuinely impressive set pieces, it is let down by its story that fails to emulate the spirit and the finesse of the ’70s monster movie,” she added.
What is The Exorcist: Believer about?
The Exorcist: Believer sees Leslie Odom Jr as a terrified father seeking help for his daughter, who he believes to be possessed after she disappears in the woods with her friend.
Two young friends go missing for several days, only to be found acting very strangely. When they start to display odd and terrifying behavior, it’s believed that the children are possessed. One father (Leslie Odom Jr.) seeks help in the form of someone who’s been through this horrifying ordeal before… Chris MacNeil.
It seems very similar to the plot of the first film, in which a parent desperately tries to understand (and defeat) whatever evil has taken over their child. As far as horror goes, it’s a tale as old as time.
Is there a trailer for The Exorcist: Believer?
The trailer for The Exorcist: Believer was released on July 25, 2023, and gave a glimpse of the horrors that awaited.
The trailer opened with a father dropping his daughter off at school and escalates into madness quickly when she returned after going missing, possessed, of course. The trailer also featured the appearance of a very special face from the first movie.
A second trailer for The Exorcist: Believer dropped on September 5, 2023. The newer teaser really amped up the scares opening with quite a disturbing scene of a possessed girl confronting Chris. Check it out below:
Where can I watch The Exorcist: Believer?
The Exorcist: Believer has been available in theaters since October 6, 2023, and should remain that way throughout the spooky season.
One of the many urban legends that surround the original Exorcist movie revolves around the original theatrical release at the time. Supposedly, audience members fainted, cried, and left the theater feeling malevolent energies staying with them long after having watched the film. So it makes sense to try and recreate this feeling by releasing it in theaters initially.
We don’t doubt that the film will arrive on one of the best streaming services after a while, though which ones and when is still to be confirmed. In the meantime, you can stream the original movie on Max or rent it on Amazon Prime.
Until the new Exorcist movie hits screens, we’ve got plenty to keep you occupied. How about this bit of trivia on how The Exorcist left this star with a lifelong injury or our list of the best ghost movies of all time? You can also see what else is ahead with our guide to the Five Nights at Freddy’s release date.
If you’re looking for some horror deep dives, take a look at how to be a final girl in the year 2023, and see why Evil Dead might be the best horror movie series ever for one reason.