Woke Demons and Weaker Scares: ‘The Exorcist Believer’ Attempts a Horror Reckoning, Ends Up a Nightmare of Its Own

Following in the frightful footsteps of William Friedkin’s The Exorcist (1973), believed to be the scariest movie ever made, The Exorcist Believer (2023) had big shoes to fill. However, in a cinematic twist as chilling as the original film director David Gordon Green dared to blend the supernatural with societal debates, where demons and ideologies seem to collide — with a failed execution of the greatest appeal of the movie, fear.

Like any horror film, repetition and predictability are its mortal enemies, forcing directors and writers to develop new tropes and psychological scares in the ways of religion or beliefs. Well known for being based on a true story, the 1973 film scarred generation after generation. In contrast, the 2023 film feels like flipping through a demonic possession trope address book, without adding any fresh blood to the mix.

The film begins with young Angela — with a widower, nondenominational father — and her friend Katherine as they venture in the woods and go missing for three days, only to be found thirty miles away. Cue the eerie music. Once found, the girls experience a myriad of symptoms parallel to the original film. While the special effects have definitely improved since the original horror film, the demonic possession trope has been done to death — and the afterlife — something evident throughout the film. As the story progresses, viewers are introduced to a buffet of denominations, from Baptists to Pentecostals, and the film wraps up with an exorcism fit for the masses — literally.

The attempt to infuse community spirit into the narrative is almost commendable, with various denominations coming together to exorcise the demon from the two possessed tweens. Heartwarming words of encouragement are exchanged amongst the group, creating a moment of unity that, horrifyingly enough, feels more like a religious potluck than the climax of a horror film.

This, paired with arguably the worst special effect in the movie, in which glittery pixie dust wafts through the air as the group stands in a mix of awe and horror, felt truly horrifying — for those worried about the state of the entertainment industry.

The social commentary in The Exorcist Believer often veers into preachiness, with characters delivering dialogue that feels more like a checklist of talking points rather than genuine conversations when discussing the inclusion of multiple denominations. The narrative becomes secondary to the filmmakers’ desire to make a statement, resulting in a disjointed viewing experience. This heavy-handed approach risks alienating audiences seeking a more nuanced exploration of societal issues within the horror genre, and even further, those wanting an authentic horror movie experience.

The film’s inclusion of multiple cultures and religions, while well-intentioned, raises the question of the necessity of intertwining spirituality and social consciousness. More crucially, it often forgets that, at its core, it’s supposed to be a horror movie. In the age of woke cinema, “The Exorcist Believer” welcomes the trend with open arms, emphasizing the importance of representing all cultures within the industry. Yet, there’s a fine line between genuine representation and a checklist of buzzwords.

Diverging from the path most taken of the repackaging of clearly Catholic-driven narratives, creating new films based on other cultures opens an entirely new realm of horror. Films like It Lives Inside (2023), for instance, explores the horror genre from a completely fresh lens — based on an Indian American teenager coming to terms with her own culture. With cultural authenticity as a driving force, these kinds of films breathe life into a dying genre, providing a stark contrast to the checklist driven approach embraced by The Exorcist Believer.

With successful examples of the use of social commentary in movies available, the lack of a nuanced approach to this film make the entirety of it feel forced. Creating a film in which there is a genuine appreciation for diversity allows for better representation entirely. Instead, in the 2023 film, we are left with a watered-down version of each culture as they attempt to showcase each denomination simultaneously, sounds like a bunch of “hocus pocus” — ironically not suitable for this particular genre.

David Gordon Green’s attempt to infuse woke ideologies into the “requel” of the horror classic falls short in delivering the bloodcurdling experience audiences hoped for. While the attempt to diversify the narrative was commendable, the direction taken fails to escape the shadow of its predecessor.

As the credits of the film roll, you might find yourself wondering if the real terrors were the possessed children on the screen, or the fear or accidentally encouraging the shift towards disingenuous social commentary in the entertainment industry.