“Demonic watchamacallit. I mean come on, ol’ Ange here is just trying to put the ooooga booga on us, okay?”
Stooge-Night of the Demons
David Gordan Green brought back the Halloween franchise from the dead. I enjoyed the first film, thought the second was okay, and loathed the third film. Blumhouse has granted him another horror staple and another trilogy. This one time around, I’m less hopeful and somewhat confused.
The Exorcist: Believer serves as a direct sequel to the original film. Two girls, Angela and Katherine, disappear into the woods and return three days later with no memory of what happened to them; the father of one girl seeks out Chris MacNeil, who’s been forever altered by what happened to her daughter fifty years ago.
The film has an excellent cast with some compelling performances. Leslie Odem Jr gives nuances and a heartfelt turn as a single father trying to help his daughter. Ellen Burstyn rekindles Chris MacNeil with charisma and confidence. Jennifer Nettles and Ann Dowd both do great jobs here as well. The child actors are serviceable but aren’t on screen enough.
While the performances are stellar, and the story is intriguing, the execution is putrid. David Gordan Green’s direction hurt this movie. The beginning of the film’s pacing is terrible, and the editing feels like a novice did it. There are several quick cuts that serve zero purpose. This pulled me out of the film immediately.
Even though I think the story is intriguing and the film provides some very creepy moments, I think the script is underwritten. There are too many characters that aren’t fleshed out. There isn’t enough time spent with Katherine’s family, and the girls sometimes feel entirely forgotten about. We see very little possession until the actual exorcism.
David Gordan Green has quickly fallen out of my good graces. While I admire his desire to interject critiques of society and culture, I don’t think he’s skilled enough behind the camera to convey these ideas. I love the idea of bringing different religions together to remove the demon. I respect that the movie wants us to see the value of community and humanity, but Green’s filmmaking is too sloppy. I didn’t hate this film, but I can’t imagine a world where we get two more of these.
Rating: 6/10
