1973’s The Exorcist, featuring Ellen Burstyn, is widely known as one of the most iconic psychological and supernatural horrors of all time. Based on William Peter Blatty’s novel of the same name, the film remains an unforgettable and chilling cinematic experience for viewers. As we approach its 50th anniversary, fans recently got the sixth installment in The Exorcist franchise as director David Gordon Green rebooted the franchise with 2023’s The Exorcist: Believer.
The 1973 movie featured actress Ellen Burstyn as Chris MacNeil and bringing her back to the franchise was a tough task. The actress was very skeptical about the project but with Green’s efforts, the actress eventually agreed to appear in the film.
Ellen Burstyn was unsure about her return to The Exorcist franchise
After 18 years, The Exorcist franchise finally got revived with 2023’s The Exorcist: Believer, which is a direct sequel to 1973’s The Exorcist. Directed by David Gordon Green, the film hit the theatres last week, earning mixed reviews from fans and critics. Earlier this month, Green appeared for an interview with NME and explained how he got actress Ellen Burstyn back to the franchise,
“I met with her and talked to her and she was exactly as everybody said: very skeptical, said ‘Thanks but no thanks’ but I wouldn’t stop bugging her,”
The director recalled that there was silence when Burstyn reached the sets for the first time, but she eventually broke the ice as the director recalled she started “having fun” on the sets.
The Exorcist: Believer received mixed reviews
2023’s The Exorcist: Believer wasn’t received well by the fans or critics. It’s been 50 years since The Exorcist came out and things are now different as Green perfectly described it,
“It could be said it’s daunting to follow in those footsteps, but I also think it’s 50 years later, and there’s a new audience, new conversations, and an evolved culture. We don’t live in a world [anymore] where the word ‘exorcist’ has the same foreign feeling as it did back then. Everybody knows what one is, everybody has seen an exorcist movie.”
Another movie, The Exorcist: Deceiver, is scheduled for release in 2025, however, due to the failure of this movie, the studios might re-think this decision. The Exorcist: Believer was released in the United States on 6th October 2023 and is all set to release on digital platforms on October 24, 2023.
