Believer's Rotten Tomatoes Score Proves The Franchise Needs To Die

Even the return of Ellen Burstyn as Chris MacNeil from the original "Exorcist" isn't enough to save the newest sequel. "The Exorcist: Believer" apparently throws a lot at the wall, hoping for something to stick and make it stand out and feel like it's moving the franchise forward. There are two girls possessed instead of just one, and several different belief systems are put to the test. But for critics like Dylan Roth of Observer, nothing comes together as it should. "'Believer' is a film wherein everyone's effort — effort to underline a message, effort to deliver a nuanced performance, effort to be visually interesting, effort to shock the audience — is all a little too visible on screen," he wrote.

Looper's own Alistair Ryder gave credit where it's due, saying how "The Exorcist: Believer" does a good job of building up dread without relying on cheap jump scares. Even then, it can't help but feel like a pale imitation. "In a world where 'The Exorcist' doesn't exist, this film's strengths could be more deeply appreciated — but this isn't that world, and this new film's flaws are only more accentuated due to how much they'll be compared to the earlier film's strengths."

Such a reception doesn't bode well for the future of the franchise. "The Exorcist: Believer" is the first film in a planned trilogy, with the second installment, "The Exorcist: Deceiver," already scheduled for an April 18, 2025, release date. Of course, box office performance will likely have the biggest say in whether this new trilogy comes to fruition. For now, "The Exorcist: Believer" is scary for all the wrong reasons.