The Exorcist Believer movie review: A run-of-the-mill film about evil spirits and how to get rid of them

As “a direct sequel” to the 1973 original – a thing these days, as franchises abound – Believer anyway carries a heavier burden than the five other instalments of The Exorcist. It scores in getting at the helm director David Gordon Green, who is fresh off infusing life into sequels of another 1970s hit, Halloween. And, for good measure, Believer gets the very sombre Burstyn to reprise her 1973 role, even if she exists here for most part only in spirit.

In the battle for heart and soul, as much as for “body and blood” (standing in for Jesus), Believer gets the first part right. After the pat opening, in which Victor (Odom Jr) loses his very pregnant wife to presumably that big Haiti earthquake – why Haiti, and why this woman is travelling in her condition are another matter – we get to 13 years later. The child who survived that disaster is now a querulous, mildly rebellious preteen, Angela (Jewett), and her jousting with her harried dad is captured pretty nicely.

A secret séance later, Angela disappears with her friend Katherine (O’Neill), leaving Victor and the latter’s parents – Miranda (Nettles) and Stuart (McCarthy) – in distress. Again, Green captures their sense of confusion well, including the parents’ immediate instinct to believe that the other side probably does not know enough of their daughter. In a telling detail, Victor has to consult a school book to get the number for Katherine’s parents, while Miranda has them all on her phone. Ask any mother, and you will know that is parent difference 101.

It’s such simple details, including the sequence when the girls are found, come home and start initially doing their devilish things, which stand out in Believer. Dowd as the concerned neighbourhood nurse Ann is pretty comforting. But, when all hell breaks loose, well all Hell breaks loose. And Heaven is much too long coming.

The weight of the times hanging on it, Believer also tries to be everything. It’s not just about the Catholic Church, it’s also about African mystic rituals. It’s not about just faith in Jesus, it’s also about having faith in your child. It’s not just about a Rome-approved priest, it’s also about family and community. It’s not just about Fathers in frocks, it’s also about Sisters in habits.

The effort to be ‘with the times’ in a film whose existence rests on time immemorial shows.

Still, there is one tantalising question that deserves a longer life. As Victor dismisses the possibility of a spiritual solution to his daughter’s suffering, Ann asks him: “Don’t you believe in God?” He replies: “I don’t believe in the question.”

The Exorcist Believer movie director: David Gordon Green
The Exorcist Believer movie cast: Leslie Odom Jr, Ann Dowd, Jennifer Nettles, Danny McCarthy, Lidya Jewett, Olivia O’Neill, Ellen Burstyn

The Exorcist Believer movie rating: 2 stars