The Exorcist: Believer

 

      Co-written and directed by David Gordon Green, this new horror film attempts to take the story back to its roots, even bringing Ellen Burstyn back as Chris MacNeil, the mother in the original film.

      The film ups the ante on the original by having two girls possessed at the same time. Lidya Jewett plays Angela and Olivia O'Neill plays Katherine. The two young actress are put through the proverbial ringer as their possession gets stronger and stronger.

      Leslie Odom Jr. plays plays the lead as Angela's father Victor, who as be begins to believe the possession, reaches out to Chris MacNeill for help. Norbert Leo Butz plays Tony, Katherine's father and Ann Dowd plays Ann, a nurse with ties to the church. Ms. Burstyn's role is a gimmick that amounts to not much more than a cameo (although there is very clever scene with her at the end). It's a respectable cast of above average actors adding a distinct pedigree to a horror film than most. 

     The special effects are fairly good but the film fails to deliver real thrills and chills with only a minimum of good scares. It's still fun in a nostalgic way bringing back memories of the original (which was terrifying back in its day).  There are two sequels are planned which I assume will depend on the box office of "Believer".