COLLECTOR'S CRYPT - THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER (UNIVERSAL 4K UHD)
Legacy is an interesting concept. On a long enough timeline, it is reasonable to expect that very few legacies will remain given how much changes over time and how little we remember about the past. Sure, the internet helps keep records that are instantly accessible, but even that has become fraught with disinformation and algorithms to veer you away from what you’re actually looking for. Legacy in horror is usually about being the first to do something, or if not the first, the one that sets the standard. Some films, like Halloween, are not so much trailblazers as they are perfect representations of a medium. While others, like The Exorcist, set a new tone for a genre and become the template from which other films will leverage going forward. This does not mean one is objectively “better” than another, rather that legacy shows up in different ways. One of the modern ways we see legacy is through reboots and remakes. Films that beg another chance with a new audience and a new tone to introduce the property to younger generations. The question is, do these films harm or help the legacy of these franchises? In Universal and Blumhouse's newest franchise reboot, The Exorcist: Believer we are once again thrust into the world of demons, religion, and twisting heads. Is Believer a righteous addition to a storied franchise or does it diminish the legacy of what came before?
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
When two girls 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.
HOW IS IT?
The Exorcist: Believer (hereafter referred to as simply “Believer”) is almost a perfect example of why audiences are less enthused about going to the theaters. While there is certainly some spectacle on display, the overall feeling one gets watching is, “Why?”. It adheres to the modern trend of “rebooting” old franchises by simply disavowing everything except the original film and continuing the story from there. While this has worked for some entries, the overall trend seems to be a one-trick pony at best since the subsequent films all seem to keep adhering to that same structure without actually trying to carve a unique new storyline that takes the series in a different direction. Believer doesn’t want to be anything more than just an Exorcist sequel, and how much you enjoy it will depend on how much you like possession films.
Much like Rob Zombie’s Halloween, Believer would be a better movie if it wasn’t carrying the baggage of a franchise along with it. The story in Believer is tangentially connected to the first film, in quite a ham-fisted way at that, and it begs the question what value does the 500 million dollar franchise tag give the film?The best way to answer that question is to ask; what happens if you remove all the artifacts of the franchise, is the film the same or different? Better or worse? In this case, it would be the same movie albeit better since it wasn’t so indebted to its predecessor. The reason this matters so much is because the linkages to the original material do very little to affect the narrative or change any of the action, and instead feel like they are a requirement rather than a creative decision. From a plot perspective, the only real difference between Believer and the original film is that there are two possessed kids instead of one. Beyond that, everything else is narratively the same, but somehow it feels far less innovative and enticing than what came before it.
Since the genre-defining film from the 70s, the possession genre has seen an explosion of films all vying to up the ante in some meaningful way. Some films, like Anything For Jackson, take the basic premise and elevate it with novel twists on perspective and deepening emotional connections. In Believer, almost every choice the characters make is questionable. Like the father Victor goes to a homeless shelter to try and find his missing daughter only to come up empty-handed. Or when a family brings their visibly sick daughter to a church mass when she clearly doesn’t look like she should be more than 1 foot away from a bed. Even the climax of the film, while offering some interesting and creepy visuals, doesn’t really stick the landing because they feel like they are from a totally different movie. Most unfortunate, however, is that Believer is mostly boring. From the beginning to the end, the film moves at a snail's pace and has characters that are not very interesting to watch. Unlike the original film, these characters seem to be going through the motions rather than emotionally invested in what is going on. One could fault the actors, but really it’s the script and direction that failed them. These characters have such a superficial sense of depth that is often wasted, like how Victor’s tragic opening really has little to no effect on the film aside from it being used to trigger him for a couple of seconds. Or the uber-religious White family that is ripe for commentary yet there is none to be found. No depictions of irony about faith, no conflicts of faith like the original, just background for background's sake. In the end, Believer isn’t a bad movie so much as it is a disappointing one that would’ve been better served blazing its own trail rather than riding the very expensive coattails of a franchise.
HOW DOES IT LOOK?
One area where Believer does succeed is in the visual department, and the 4K UHD blu ray from Universal is as good as it gets. Presented in the original 1.85:1 widescreen aspect ratio alongside Dolby Vision mastering. For those with OLED TVs, be prepared for some really dark shades of black throughout the last act of the film. It’s dimly lit and the shades of darkness illustrated by the UHD presentation are top-tier. Images from this release are used throughout this review and can be seen below.
HOW DOES IT SOUND?
Similar to the video elements, the sound is superb on the Believer disc. Including a variety of options in different languages, the standout audio track is the Dolby Atmos one. Given the film was released in the Atmos format, it is nice to see it ported so beautifully to physical media and it will give all your speakers a solid workout. Universal also includes various subtitle options for those who have auditory impairments or, like me, just like to watch with the subtitles on. No notes for the audio here at all!
ANYTHING SPECIAL?
One of the things I admire about Blumhouse is that they are one of the few studio-adjoined production houses that puts some effort into supplementary material. While this material is often light, it is miles better than nothing and Believer has quite a few nice surprises for fans of the film. First, there is an audio commentary that includes familiar faces such as David Gordon Green, Ryan Turek, Pete Sattler, and Christopher Nelson. In addition, there are a series of short vignettes (4-12 minutes each) that cover different aspects of the production process. While these do come off as more marketing material than actual documentary-style footage, it does provide a good glimpse into the thought process around the filmmaking. The “Stages of Possession” is a standout in that it goes over the makeup process and describes Gordon’s “3 phases of an exorcism”; Naughty, Nasty, and Gnarly. Christopher Nelson also shares his inspirations for how they tweaked the look of Katherine and Angela, both of whom have possessed looks inspired by tidbits in the film like hair-picking and head-bashing. In total these vignettes are just under an hour, and while it won’t convince naysayers to give the film a second look it will appease fans of the film who are craving more production-process tidbits. A list of all the special features included are listed below:
MAKING A BELIEVER – Filmmakers and cast reveal their collective approach to bringing differing perspectives into this drama about synchronized possessions.
ELLEN AND LINDA: REUNITED – THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER expertly weaves the fates of Chris and Regan MacNeil into its story. Witness a moment of cinema history as these two Hollywood icons meet on-set for the first time in years.
STAGES OF POSSESSION – Hear from Lidya Jewett, Olivia O'Neill, and special makeup FX designer Christopher Nelson as they discuss the physical and mental changes the girls go through as they advance through the possession.
THE OPENING – The first scene of the film takes place in Haiti, a location far from the rest of the story. Filmmakers and star Leslie Odom, Jr. discuss how this scene sets up the rest of the film.
EDITING AN EXORCISM – THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER culminates with a riveting exorcism scene featuring all the main characters. Director David Gordon Green and editor Tim Alverson explore the challenges of editing such a big scene.
MATTERS OF FAITH – Experts in theology weigh in on how they consulted filmmakers to ensure depictions of the religious ceremonies in the film were as accurate as possible.
FEATURE COMMENTARY – with co-writer/director David Gordon Green, executive producer Ryan Turek, co-writer Peter Sattler, and special makeup FX designer Christopher Nelson.
LAST RITES
The Exorcist: Believer is not the revelation that its predecessor was and suffers because of its reliance on that film even though it is unnecessary. This isn’t to say it is a bad film, just an uninspired one that would’ve been better suited as its own thing rather than part of a larger franchise.
THE GORY DETAILS
Thank you to the fine fiends over atUniversal Pictures and Team Click for providing a review copy for the crypt! The Exorcist: Believer is available NOW and can be purchased via your preferred online retailer!
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