The Exorcist October 31
Aaron Perez
10/31/2026
In 1973, William Friedkin’s The Exorcist arrived like a demonic force of nature and permanently changed horror cinema. Adapted by William Peter Blatty from his own 1971 novel (itself inspired by the real 1949 “Roland Doe” exorcism case), the film follows actress Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) as her 12-year-old daughter Regan (Linda Blair) undergoes a terrifying transformation after contact with a Ouija board. When medicine fails, two priests—Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller), a man of wavering faith, and the veteran Father Lankester Merrin (Max von Sydow)—confront the ancient demon Pazuzu in a battle of faith, science, and pure evil.
The result was a cultural phenomenon. It earned ten Academy Award nominations (including Best Picture), won two Oscars, and became one of the highest-grossing films of its era. Its practical effects, unrelenting atmosphere, and psychological depth still unsettle audiences more than fifty years later. Few horror films have ever matched its impact.
The Sequels: Uneven Attempts to Follow a Masterpiece
Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
Directed by John Boorman, the first sequel picks up four years later with a teenage Regan living a seemingly normal life while Father Philip Lamont (Richard Burton) investigates Merrin’s death. The film leans into metaphysical and quasi-scientific ideas involving locusts, shared consciousness, and psychic powers. It was a critical and commercial disappointment, often ranked among the worst sequels ever made, though some later viewers (including Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese) have found strange merits in its ambition.
The Exorcist III (1990)
William Peter Blatty himself wrote and directed this one, adapting his novel Legion. Set roughly fifteen years after the original, it largely ignores The Heretic and follows Detective Kinderman (George C. Scott) investigating a series of ritualistic murders linked to the “Gemini Killer.” Jason Miller returns in a key role, and Brad Dourif delivers a memorably unhinged performance. Many fans consider this the strongest follow-up—more a psychological thriller than pure possession horror, with genuine dread and some of the franchise’s best scares.
The Prequels: Two Versions of the Same Story
In the mid-2000s the franchise produced two competing origin stories for Father Merrin (both starring Stellan Skarsgård). Paul Schrader filmed Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist first—a slower, more contemplative look at Merrin’s crisis of faith in post-WWII Africa. Studio executives rejected it as too cerebral and hired Renny Harlin to reshoot a more action-oriented version released as Exorcist: The Beginning (2004). Schrader’s cut eventually saw limited release in 2005. Neither film recovered the original’s power, and both underperformed.
The Modern Era: Legacy Sequels and Reboots
The Exorcist: Believer (2023)
Directed by David Gordon Green (who had successfully rebooted the Halloween franchise), this film positions itself as a direct legacy sequel to the 1973 original. It follows a father (Leslie Odom Jr.) whose daughter and her friend become possessed; he seeks help from an elderly Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn returning). Linda Blair also appears. The movie attempts to recapture the original’s themes of parental desperation and faith while updating the formula for a new generation. Critical reception was largely negative, and while it made money, plans for a full trilogy were scrapped.
The Exorcist: Martyrs (2027)
After Believer, the franchise shifted again. Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass, Doctor Sleep) is writing and directing a new film set decades after the events of Exorcist III. It stars Scarlett Johansson as an NYPD detective confronting a case with ties to the franchise’s mythology. Early descriptions frame it as a standalone story within the universe that blends possession horror with serial-killer thriller elements, rather than a direct continuation of Believer. It is currently scheduled for March 12, 2027.
There was also a two-season Fox television series (2016–2017) that continued the story in a more serialized format and earned generally positive reviews, though later films largely set it aside.
Why the Original Still Stands Alone
Almost every sequel and remake has struggled with the same problem: how do you follow a film that already delivered the definitive version of demonic possession? The original’s power came from its restraint, its grounding in recognizable human emotion, and Friedkin’s documentary-like intensity. Later entries often either overreached into the bizarre (The Heretic), diluted the terror with studio interference, or leaned too heavily on nostalgia and familiar tropes (Believer).
Yet the franchise endures because the core idea remains potent. Faith versus doubt, parental love versus unspeakable evil, the vulnerability of the body and soul—these themes refuse to stay buried. Whether Martyrs can recapture some of that original dread remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: half a century later, Pazuzu still has the power to make audiences look twice at the shadows in their own homes.
The pea soup, the spinning head, the cold breath in a warm room—these images are now part of the cultural bloodstream. The Exorcist didn’t just scare a generation. It defined what a horror film could be. Everything that followed has been chasing that same demon.
Sources:
Blatty, William Peter. The Exorcist. Harper & Row, 1971.
“The Exorcist.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Oct. 2026, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Exorcist.
“The Exorcist (franchise).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Oct. 2026, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Exorcist_(franchise).
“The Exorcist: Believer.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 5 Oct. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Exorcist:_Believer.
“The Exorcist Through Time: Every Film, Series and Reinvention.” FilmoFilia, 12 Oct. 2026, www.filmofilia.com/the-exorcist-franchise-timeline-229738/.
Couch, Aaron. “Next ‘Exorcist’ Movie Shifts Gears With Mike Flanagan Set to Direct a New Take.” The Hollywood Reporter, 29 May 2024, www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/the-exorcist-trilogy-canceled-mike-flanagan-new-movie-1235608632/.
“Exorcist Franchise Box Office History.” The Numbers, www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Exorcist.
“How Each Sequel Compares to The Original.” MovieWeb, 6 June 2023, movieweb.com/the-exorcist-how-each-sequel-compares/.
“Is Mike Flanagan’s The Exorcist: Martyrs a Stealth Sequel to The Exorcist III?” SYFY Wire, 13 Oct. 2026, www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/is-mike-flanagan-the-exorcist-martyrs-may-be-sequel-to-the-exorcist-3.
“The Multiple Exorcist Prequel Movies Explained.” SYFY Wire, 2 Oct. 2023, www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/why-are-there-two-different-exorcist-prequels.
“‘The Exorcist’ – Ranking Every Franchise Installment Beyond the Original Horror Classic.” Bloody Disgusting, 11 Oct. 2023, bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3783490/the-exorcist-ranking-every-franchise-installment-beyond-the-original-horror-classic/.
“Exorcist Reboot Timeline Officially Confirmed By Mike Flanagan.” ScreenRant, 10 Oct. 2026, screenrant.com/exorcist-martyrs-reboot-timeline-confirmed-mike-flanagan/.
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