There aren’t many filmmakers out there more familiar with the prospect of being rebooted than John Carpenter, with a vast array of the director’s classic – and even not-so-classic – titles being subjected to at least one overhaul.
Assault on Precinct 13 was given a fresh coat of paint, Halloween was sequelized into the ground, remade, and then rebooted, Escape from New York is in the midst of getting that do-over that’s spent decades in development hell, The Fog was fumbled second time around just like The Thing, and even the thought of Dwayne Johnson touching Big Trouble in Little China still sends shivers down the spine.
With that in mind, when the legend speaks out on The Exorcist: Believer – especially when it was directed by somebody he collaborated with very recently – it’s well worth listening, and the veteran admitted to The Los Angeles Times that he’s heard it isn’t worth the $400 million investment.
“I like what David did when he made the three Halloweens. I loved No. 2. Thought that was fabulous. I heard The Exorcist really didn’t cut it. That could be a kick-ass movie. I don’t understand how you can screw that up.”
Having under-performed at the box office while simultaneously being beaten into submission by critics, Believer will be lucky if it turns a profit in theaters, especially when it’s coming to digital and VOD at the end of next week. Carpenter hasn’t seen it, so he’s not in a position to share his unfiltered thoughts, but looking at his back catalogue makes it easy to understand why he’s qualified to pass judgement.