The Exorcist's sequels and prequels have always struggled to live up to the classic original, but an upcoming reboot can hopefully right the ship. 1973's The Exorcist, directed by Hollywood icon William Friedkin, is almost inarguably one of the greatest and scariest movies of all time. While just about every movie has its vocal detractors, The Exorcist is a rare find in that even those not in love with it will acknowledge that it's a well-crafted, well-acted film.
The scare factor of The Exorcist is probably higher for those viewers holding a devout Christian faith, especially Catholic, but that's by no means required to enjoy the film. Many people who aren't religious still find The Exorcist's concepts upsetting and terrifying, even if they consider them to be purely a work of fiction, and not corresponding to things that might actually be possible. One of the highest-grossing horror movies ever, The Exorcist is, in the view of millions, a certified masterpiece.
Unfortunately, that can't be said for any of its follow-ups, even the somewhat popular TV series. Now, after more than 15 years since the last Exorcist movie hit theaters, Halloween director David Gordon Green is set to helm a new sequel. This could represent a return to form for the franchise, but past mistakes should be avoided, lest Exorcist fans end up let down and disappointed yet again.
The Exorcist sequels and prequels are quite the odd lot of films, and the writers and directors involved with them just seemed incapable of cracking what made the classic original so special. 1977's Exorcist 2: The Heretic likely needs no introduction at this point, if only because it's widely regarded as one of the worst horror sequels ever. It's silly, convoluted, confusing, and when Father Lamont is almost seduced by a teenage Regan, creepy for all the wrong reasons. Gone is the polish and class inherent to the original, which seems highbrow even considering some of its shockingly graphic content.
The Exorcist 3 has become a bit of a cult classic, but it took decades, and while it's a fine horror movie, it's a poor Exorcist follow-up. It doesn't feel like an Exorcist sequel, and when it tries to force in an exorcism sequence, the scene feels entirely out of place. The dueling prequels, Exorcist: The Beginning and Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist are both disappointments as well. The Beginning has terrible special effects, lame plot twists, and a cringe-worthy attempt to redo the ending exorcism of the original. Then there's Dominion, which is better than The Beginning, but instead of being laughably awful is just plain boring for most of its run time. The Exorcist sequels and prequels are a mixed bag of alternately straying too far from what fans loved about the original, and trying to awkwardly cram scenes reminiscent of Regan MacNeil's exorcism into a story where they don't fit.
While an Exorcist movie reboot - or even worse, a full-on remake of the original - has been threatened briefly over the years, it wasn't until August 2020 that the project finally seemed to get moving. However, while those initial reports dubbed the potential film a reboot, more recent updates in December 2020 have re-framed the project as a sequel to the first Exorcist. Plot details beyond that are unavailable, but a great first move has already been made in the hiring of David Gordon Green to direct. Green helmed the highly successful 2018 Halloween sequel/reboot, and also directs its upcoming follow-ups Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends.
With Halloween 2018, Green famously took the approach to retconning all prior sequels and crafting a continuation of only John Carpenter's classic. Green could try to go the same route with his Exorcist, bringing back Linda Blair as a now aging Regan MacNeil, and perhaps even Ellen Burstyn as her mother Chris. Sadly, Max von Sydow and Jason Miller obviously won't be able to return, as they've since passed away. At the same time, Regan's story was pretty definitively concluded, and despite her surprise appearance played by Geena Davis in the Exorcist TV series, bringing her back risks undercutting the original, something the horrible Exorcist 2 already did once.
Considering the potential issues outlined above concerning the return of Regan MacNeil, if she does come back, it should only be for a cameo, or perhaps a small supporting role. What The Exorcist needs to do is go back to basics, and focus on trying to replicate what worked in the original. That's not to say that the story should be a carbon copy, as that would be boring. However, it should indeed focus on a possessed child and their harried single parent, one who goes to the Catholic Church for help as a last resort. The climax of the film should also involve a harrowing, difficult exorcism.
Beyond that though, the specifics can be altered. The script could still give Exorcist fans what they want, but also leave some room for innovation. The increasingly secular societal lens of modern times could also play a role, as Father Karras and the church were already skeptical of performing an exorcism in 1973, and one assumes the view on it being an outdated, arcane practice would have increased exponentially by the 2020s. One mistake David Gordon Green's Exorcist sequel should definitely make a point to avoid though is getting lost in trying to create a convoluted mythology surrounding Pazuzu, Father Merrin, Regan, or anyone else. As shocking as its content was, The Exorcist's story was also rather simple. Possession happens, things get worse, priests are called in, exorcism takes place, day is saved, but not without casualties. There's no need to over-complicate things, as doing so is often a detriment to horror's effectiveness. Go back to basics and keep things simple, and fans might finally get a worthy Exorcist sequel.
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January 13, 2021 at 05:00AM
