The Exorcist: Believer
Directed by David Gordon Green
- horror
The story
Since his wife's death, Victor has raised his daughter Angela alone. After she and her friend return from a three-day disappearance with missing memories, they begin displaying frightening behavior reminiscent of the MacNeil possession fifty years prior.
What it’s like
Cold, desaturated Georgia-and-Iraq-adjacent palettes give way to dim suburban interiors lit by lamps and flickering porch bulbs, with David Gordon Green favouring long, patient takes and slow push-ins that let dread accumulate in the corners of the frame. The sound design leans on creaking wood, distant bells, and low, sustained drones that swell in the quiet stretches, while the score stays sparse and mournful. It is slow-burning horror with a grief-soaked heart: a widowed father watching his daughter change, and a church that feels distant and unhelpful. Expect unsettling sequences of contorted bodies, screaming, and ritual violence that arrive in measured bursts rather than constant assault, with some gore and an uncomfortable sexual undertone around possession. Its tone is bleak and heavy rather than playful. It suits a dark night watch with the lights low, or a viewer who wants a classic-style possession story with a modern, mournful pace, and it is best for people who enjoy atmosphere and dread over jump-scare spectacle, and who can tolerate sustained bleakness.
More films like The Exorcist: Believer
Closest in mood, pacing and theme. Tell us why you loved The Exorcist: Believer and we’ll explain which ones fit you.
