The Exorcist franchise is a long and varied one, with the subtitled Believer now possessing theaters. The movie, produced/released through Blumhouse and Universal, is directed by David Gordon Green, who cowrote with Peter Sattler, David McBride and Scott Teems. (As fans know, Green and his deft disciples orchestrated the acclaimed, Halloween sequel-trilogy.)
In some ways, this sequel (like the underrated, Fox, two-season series) is much more in tune with William Peter Blatty/William Friedkin's 1973 fright fest than other chapters (or their many knockoffs), delivering a clear-cut, devilish, double whammy, with two girls falling under a demon's puppetizing command.
The Regan MacNeil surrogates are schoolmates named Katherine and Angela, portrayed by Olivia Marcum and Lidya Jewett, who become "infected" after traveling into the woods one afternoon, only to reappear three, Jesus-days later (a Travis Walton abduction, one might argue, though seeping from the netherworld). Neither girl deserves the conjoined possession, of course, and their unholy disease (as was the case with Linda Blair's legendary victim) builds with subtlety, marked by the anticipated, telltale tropes.
The liturgical ascent succeeds, not merely because of Green's proficient pacing, but because of the quality of its characters. Those who leap in to combat the ethereal manipulator (maybe, just maybe, Pazuzu) are of diverse faith (with Catholicism no longer the sole weapon), all joined for a communal, eradicating cause. (For the record, a similar element occurs in Halloween Ends.)
In addition to Marcum and Jewett, there's Leslie Odom Jr. as Victor Fielding, a compassionate, intervening father (and the movie's adult lead); Tracy Graves as his voodoo-anointed wife, Sorenne; Jennifer Neetles as Miranda Marcum; Norbert Leo Butz as her husband, Tony; Okwui Okpokwsili as ritualist Dr. Beehibe; E.J. Bonilla as Father Maddox; Ann Dowd as Nurse Ann (an almost-nun); Raphael Sbarge as Baptist Pastor Don Revans; Danny McCarthy as Pentecostal Pastor Stuart; and in a much appreciated return, Ellen Burstyn as Chris MacNeil (who contrary to what some spout, holds a substantial, supporting role.)
Those who don the Van Helsing gloves for this big, demonic brawl are, in truth, performing as therapists, pulled into the maelstrom through sheer chance and then maddening desperation; but fear not! Though they may slip during their bout (and casualties occur, both in mind and body), they tap their convictions to strike back, no matter how many ploys their adversary. swings. It's all a matter of faith ... inner, personal faith, which is all one has after the religious garnishing is stripped.
Unlike this year's The Pope's Exorcist, which uses its possessed child to reveal a startling secret, Believer, like the Blatty/Friedkin classic, acts as an allegory for child abuse, as well as its remedial, committed purgation. The alluded concerns and related attempts, as featured in both submissions, should resonate in the grimy present where pedophilia is often greeted by a blind eye or blanketed by ludicrous terms that allow fiends to revel in their deeds. Indeed, at face value, the original novel/movie and this particular sequel aren't overt denouncements of such behavior (the Elm Street chapters are more apparent in this respect, if only for their repeated, teen violations), but Believer's carnal insinuation is impossible to overlook or dismiss.
With that said, Believer reminds its audience that there truly are demons in the world, whether of the spirit or the flesh. The battle waged against either audacious opposition characterizes the movie to a purposeful point, even if the content is concealed by profuse, philosophical discussions, practical effects, jolting scares and Mike Oldfield's pervading "Tubular Bells", as enclosed within David Wingo and Ammon Abbasi's intense score. The movie's not-so-secret intent (even if superfluous in the eyes of some) resonates beyond its familiarity, and on that platform is akin to a luminary seminar. Any such high-minded lesson is worth pursuing for those interested in the human condition, both the good and bad of it.
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