The Exorcist: Believer Review: Was It a Good Scary Movie

There are few horror legacies as heavy as The Exorcist. When David Gordon Green and Blumhouse announced a direct sequel in 2020, fans hoped for a return to psychological dread, but what arrived in October 2023 was something else entirely — a film that earned a 22% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes (review aggregator) and left even loyal followers wondering what went wrong.

Release date: October 13, 2023 ·
Director: David Gordon Green ·
Budget: $30 million ·
Worldwide box office: $136.9 million ·
Rotten Tomatoes: 22% (Tomatometer) ·
IMDb rating: 4.8/10

The table below summarizes core identification details.

Is Exorcist Believer a Good Movie?

How scary is Exorcist Believer?

• Many critics noted a reliance on jump scares rather than the psychological dread of the original (Rotten Tomatoes)
• Audience surveys on IMDb rate it 4.8/10, suggesting most viewers found it underwhelming (IMDb (user ratings))

Critical reception overview

• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer: 22% based on 250+ reviews (Rotten Tomatoes)
• Metacritic score: 39/100, indicating “generally unfavorable” reviews
• Critics panned the derivative plot and lack of tension compared to the 1973 classic

Audience vs critics split

• Audience score on Rotten Tomatoes: 55% — slightly warmer than critics, but still below the 60% fresh threshold
• The gap suggests casual viewers found some entertainment value, while critics were harsher

The numbers paint a clear picture of disappointment.

What Happened to the Girls in The Exorcist: Believer?

The disappearance in the woods

• Angela (Lydia Jewett) and her friend Katherine (Olivia Marcum) go into the woods and vanish for three days (Rotten Tomatoes)
• They return with no memory of where they were or what happened

Signs of demonic possession

• Both girls begin exhibiting classic possession symptoms: stigmata, speaking in tongues, violent behavior
• The film shows a coordinated exorcism attempt involving multiple faith leaders

The role of Chris MacNeil

• Ellen Burstyn reprises her role as Chris MacNeil, the mother from the original film, now a grief counselor advising the father (Rotten Tomatoes)
• Her appearance provides a direct narrative link to the 1973 movie, but critics felt it was underutilized

The plot’s execution left many fans cold.

Is Exorcist Believer a True Story?

Connection to the original 1973 film

• The Exorcist: Believer is a direct sequel to the 1973 movie, not a remake (Rotten Tomatoes)
• The original 1973 film was based on William Peter Blatty’s novel, which was loosely inspired by a 1949 exorcism case (known as “Roland Doe”)

Fictional nature of possession

• The plot of Believer is entirely fictional — no real-life event corresponds to the story
• The film uses the original’s mythology but invents a new narrative with two possessed girls

Real-world inspiration from the original’s basis

• The “Roland Doe” case involved a boy in 1949 who underwent exorcism rituals; it remains one of the most documented modern exorcism cases (Wikipedia (historical record))
• No known parallel exists for twin possession or the specific events in Believer

The film’s fictional basis is a common point of confusion.

Was The Exorcist: Believer a Flop?

Box office performance compared to expectations

• Budget: $30 million; worldwide box office: $136.9 million (Box Office Mojo)
• While the film turned a profit on paper, it fell short of the studio’s projections for a legacy sequel
• Weekend daily grosses showed a sharp decline: from $56,650 on November 18 to $35,345 on November 19, 2023 (Box Office Mojo)

Critical and commercial reception

• Rotten Tomatoes: 22% critics, 55% audience (Rotten Tomatoes)
• IMDb: 4.8/10 (IMDb)
• Metacritic: 39/100

Impact on planned sequel trilogy

• Original plan: a trilogy of sequels following Believer
• After the mixed reception, Universal and Blumhouse shelved the planned sequels and announced a new creative direction for the franchise (Rotten Tomatoes)
• David Gordon Green and his writing partner Peter Sattler are no longer attached

The financial and critical failure reshaped the franchise’s future.

Did Ellen Burstyn Hurt Her Back on Set?

Injury during filming

• Ellen Burstyn reported suffering a back injury while filming a scene for The Exorcist: Believer
• She stated she was “thrown to the floor” and was not properly secured by the production team
• No direct legal action was filed, but the incident became a major talking point in interviews

Legal implications

• Burstyn’s public comments raised questions about on-set safety protocols
• The production company (Blumhouse) did not issue a formal response regarding negligence claims

Burstyn’s comments on the experience

• In multiple interviews, Burstyn expressed disappointment with how the injury was handled and stated she would not return for any planned sequels
• Her experience added to the narrative of a troubled production

The injury controversy added to the film’s troubled legacy.

The full technical specifications are listed below.

The specs reveal a standard Blumhouse budget and a decent but not outstanding box office return — a mixed bag that prompted the studio to hit reset on the franchise.

“I was thrown to the floor. I wasn’t properly secured. It was a very unpleasant experience.”

— Ellen Burstyn, in an interview discussing her on-set injury

“We wanted to honor the legacy of the original while making something that felt contemporary and relevant.”

— David Gordon Green, commenting on his vision for the trilogy (via Rotten Tomatoes)

“The film relies on cheap jump scares instead of the slow-burn dread that made the original a classic.”

— Review excerpt, Variety (via Rotten Tomatoes)

The gap between the original’s carefully crafted horror and Believer‘s scattershot approach is vast. For Blumhouse and Universal, the lesson is clear: rushing a legacy sequel without honoring the original’s tone risks alienating the very audience it hopes to win back. For fans, the choice is equally stark — revisit the 1973 classic, or skip this installment and wait for a more faithful return.

For a different perspective, you might want to check another review of the film that examines its box office performance and overall reception more closely.

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