The Exorcist: Believer's Rotten Tomatoes Score Proves The Franchise Needs To Die

"The Exorcist" from 1973 remains one of the greatest horror movies of all time, and provided a template for an entire genre of demonic-possession films. Unfortunately, none of the "Exorcist" sequels and prequels hold a candle to the original, and that trend seems to continue with the newest offering — "The Exorcist: Believer."

As of this writing, the newest installment of the franchise has a 24% positive score on Rotten Tomatoes from 70 reviews. This officially puts it as the third-lowest-rated "Exorcist" film in history, right above 1977's "Exorcist II: The Heretic" (9%) and 2004's "Exorcist: The Beginning" (11%). 

Rotten Tomatoes cuts 1990's "The Exorcist III" (58%) a little more slack. And while 30% is usually considered an abysmal Rotten Tomatoes score, it makes 2005's "Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist" one of the most successful films of its accursed kind. After decades of misguided attempts to live up to the legacy of "The Exorcist," maybe Hollywood should move on to a different horror franchise? Especially considering how, depending on how other reviews shake out, the most recent movie's score could continue plummeting lower than the depths of hell itself. 

The consensus appears to be that "The Exorcist: Believer" doesn't do anything more interesting or unique than its predecessors. Reviewers weren't kind, with William Bibbiani of The Wrap writing, "It's not ambitious enough to be interesting, nor is it powerful enough to get under the skin. It evades serious discussions of faith and uses the underlying depth of the series as a basis for little more than fan service and generic plot." With reviews like that, it's looking like this is one horror series that's better off dead. 

Even the return of Ellen Burstyn as Chris MacNeil from the original "Exorcist" isn't enough to save the newest sequel. "The Exorcist: Believer" apparently throws a lot at the wall, hoping for something to stick and make it stand out and feel like it's moving the franchise forward. There are two girls possessed instead of just one, and several different belief systems are put to the test. But for critics like Dylan Roth of Observer, nothing comes together as it should. "'Believer' is a film wherein everyone's effort — effort to underline a message, effort to deliver a nuanced performance, effort to be visually interesting, effort to shock the audience — is all a little too visible on screen," he wrote.

Looper's own Alistair Ryder gave credit where it's due, saying how "The Exorcist: Believer" does a good job of building up dread without relying on cheap jump scares. Even then, it can't help but feel like a pale imitation. "In a world where 'The Exorcist' doesn't exist, this film's strengths could be more deeply appreciated — but this isn't that world, and this new film's flaws are only more accentuated due to how much they'll be compared to the earlier film's strengths."

Such a reception doesn't bode well for the future of the franchise. "The Exorcist: Believer" is the first film in a planned trilogy, with the second installment, "The Exorcist: Deceiver," already scheduled for an April 18, 2025, release date. Of course, box office performance will likely have the biggest say in whether this new trilogy comes to fruition. For now, "The Exorcist: Believer" is scary for all the wrong reasons.