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The Exorcist: Believer Director David Gordon Green Teases “Synchronized Possession” in New Film
The Exorcist: Believers' "synchronized possession" is kind of like demonic Bluetooth.
What's more terrifying than one demonic child? Two demonic children, of course! David Gordon Green's The Exorcist: Believer will up the supernatural ante this October (Friday the 13th to be exact) with a pair of possessed girls ready to prove that the property famous for its redefinition of cinematic horror can still scare the pants off mainstream moviegoers 50 years later.
"The concept of this movie is two young girls disappear after school one day. When they return, they are in a different mental state and exhibiting some peculiar attributes," Green — who directed, co-wrote, and executive produced the forthcoming reboot — explained to Entertainment Weekly while breaking down the first trailer. "We come to learn that they are in a synchronized possession."
RELATED: Our Biggest Questions Digging Into The Horror Lore Revealed in First The Exorcist: Believer Trailer
In other words, the hellish entities that terrorized humanity for centuries have officially entered the 21st century with a satanic form of Bluetooth.
"I’ve read research of up to five people possessed in synchronised possessions,” Green noted to Empire. "What became interesting for me is to take two girls and put them back-to-back, with parents and communities that see the world differently, and then see how we can have a common goal and unity in our philosophy. The movie is not just a sceptic saying, ‘Can I accept the Catholic faith?’ In fact, neither of our girls are Catholic."
Ellen Burstyn returns as Regan's mother, Chris MacNeil, who has closely studied the occult ever since her daughter was freed from the clutches of evil by Father Karras (the late Jason Miller) all those years ago. She's written a book on the subject and is brought in to advise on the latest incident by Victor Fielding (Tony winner and Oscar nominee Leslie Odom, Jr.), father of one of the stricken girls.
"A lot of this movie explores the theme of belief and what that is," Green told Empire. “Are we looking into spiritual realities and placebo effects, mind over matter and elements beyond medical certainty? We’re trying to make a movie that, whatever your spiritual perspective, you’ll find a conversation to be had.”
Ann Dowd (The Handmaid’s Tale), Jennifer Nettles (The Righteous Gemstones), and Norbert Leo Butz (Bloodline) round out the cast.
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Green and Danny McBride are executive producers on The Exorcist: Believer with Stephanie Allain, Ryan Turek, and Atilla Yücer. Jason Blum, David Robinson, and James G. Robinson are producers. Scott Teems (Halloween Kills) conceived of the screen story that inspired the script credited to Green and Peter Sattler (Camp X-Ray).
The Exorcist: Believer hits theaters Friday, October 13. A sequel — officially titled The Exorcist: Deceiver — is tentatively slated to open on April 18, 2025, Variety confirms. The title and release date (tentative or otherwise) for the third movie have not been announced yet.
Want more demonic thrills in the meantime? The Exorcist III and Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist are now streaming on Peacock!
