1973- a year of making cell phone calls, bellbottom jeans and terrorising teenagers.
William Friedkin’s 1973 version of ‘The Exorcist’ sparked excitement around the globe with its horrifying scenes of youngster Regan (Linda Blair) cursing profusely, vomiting a green goo- like substance, and her satanic expressions after being possessed by a mysterious entity. It was outrageous. Now 50 years after its release, David Gordon Green, director of the ‘Halloween’ franchise reboots this classic horror with his own twist. Creating a divide between horror- fanatics.
The 2023 version, ‘The Exorcist: Believer’ had a very ominous beginning, creating suspense and thrill for viewers, however, took a different turn rather quickly, removing any complexity that Friedkin enhanced throughout his legacy. The story line was predictable from the outset, leaving movie fans ‘bored’ throughout the 1hr 51m showing. Like its 1973 version, it followed the trope of young girls, Angela, and Katherine (Lidya Jewett and Olivia O’Neil) contacting the ‘other side’, leading to possession. Unlike Friekin’s clever narrative, Green’s piece was rushed and, in some places, rather confusing. With the movie earning a 22% rating on rotten tomatoes.
However, many fans of the original version praised the movie and in particular the return of both actresses Linda Blair and Ellen Burstyn. By Green doing so, this added originality and transported cinema back to 1973. It also tied the two movies together nicely, even if 50 years apart.
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