One of the biggest gambles within the scope of today’s horror realm relates to the decision for idea-pushing filmmakers to craft new sequels in long-standing franchises. On paper, the concept of a head-turning, supernatural Exorcist sequel seemed like a brilliant plan — especially with an experienced horror director like David Gordon Green placed at the forefront. But as it turns out, the unexpected truth of The Exorcist: Believer bombing in early screenings has undoubtedly cast a dark cloud over the genre.
As per World of Reel, the first reactions to the hotly anticipated horror film was definitely “not good.” Rather, the once-enthusiastic audience at an NYC screening last night collectively failed to gush about any redeeming elements in the movie. In fact, there was hardly “a single positive reaction.” But let’s face it, simply making an Exorcist-inspired movie and attaching the word into the project doesn’t necessarily mean that it was destined for box-office royalty. After all, you can dress a pig up, but it’s still a pig.
On the other hand, it’s certainly not an uncommon reality in the cinematic bubble for a film to bomb in early screenings and catch a significant amount of criticism. That being said, considering how widely successful and popular Evil Dead Rise has proved to be, it doesn’t become a question of folks being tired of legacy sequels, but a question to whether the directorial choice was correct or not.
The truth is, with how disastrous Halloween Ends turned out to be — which includes a large portion of the horror fandom rejecting it — one would have to wonder if The Exorcist: Believer will suffer the same fate when it officially releases in theaters on Oct. 13.