It’s been 50 years since the first Exorcist film haunted our screens, and we welcome Ellen Burstyn’s return as Chris MacNeil.
Now, everyone knows that The Exorcist brand is a staple for each Halloween season, and the power the brand holds alone is enough to attract the audience. But this film goes further than to just bank on its existing potential, and really packs a punch that goes beyond cheap jumpscares. And just like the Halloween franchise, this film chooses to disregard the rest of the Exorcist franchise save for the first one that started it all in 1973.
This film centers on Leslie Odom Jr. who plays a single father grappling with a growing teenage daughter named Angela (Lidya Jewett) who is starting to seek a connection to her dead mother. Angela’s mother died giving birth to her after suffering terrible injuries in an earthquake, an event that devastates her father.
In a bid to make a seance-like connection with her mother, Angela goes off into the woods with her friend Katherine (Olivia O’Neill), taking her mother’s personal effects with her…and this is when everything goes wrong. What was meant to be just two girls trying to call on a spirit then takes a sinister turn, causing both Angela and Katherine to go missing for three whole days.
And they are not the same when they return.
This film also observes family dynamics. Angela comes from a small family where it’s only her and her single father, whilst Katherine has both her parents as well as her siblings. It makes sense why Angela yearns to know more about her own mother, seeing her friend Katherine’s comparatively large and lively family.
Apart from the impressive visual effects and film set, the acting is outstanding. The two girls – Lidya Jewett and Olivia O’Neill – definitely knocked it out of the park. Their portrayals of possessions will send a chill down your spine, with their jerky movements and demonic grimaces. And of course, very few things are scarier than two demonic little girls in nightgowns.
Aside from invoking horror and terror, viewers might be surprised by how the film also plays on dilemmas and the consequences of choice. The heart of this film lies in human ties and the connections we make with those around us.
Watch The Exorcist in cinemas near you!
*Cover image via Universal Pictures
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