First released in 1973 and based on the novel byWilliam Peter Blatty,The Exorcisthas to be one of themost controversial horror films of all time. The eternal battle between good and evil is a primordial connection between every living being on earth, which is why it holds such a deep fascination for creators and audiences alike. However, the religious connotations combined with the physical and spiritual corruption of a young innocent, that demonic possession films like this center around, can be difficult for some viewers to deal with.
While some are drawn in and compelled to test their fear of the unknown, the trauma induced by these types ofmovies has made people leave thetheater.Some of these copycat films had audiences wanting to leave, but sadly, for very different reasons.
10’The Possession' (2003)
Directed by Ole Bornedal
A mysterious antique box, a malicious mythological Jewish demon and a young lead actress (Natasha Calis) who looks a lot likeLinda Blair; at first glance,The Possessionappears to have all theelements needed for a compelling re-telling of a very familiar horror story. Unfortunately, what it ended up being is a weak, watered-down imitation ofWilliam Friedkin’struly terrifying original.
“There have been some really great PG-13 horror movies made, but sadly,The Possessionis not one of them.”
There have been somereally great PG-13 horror moviesmade, but sadly,The Possessionis not one of them.While its rating broadens the potential audience, it also guarantees that viewers aren’t going to see anything too disturbing, which kind of defeats the object, particularly when it is so clearly following the demonic possession story established byThe Exorcist.
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9’The Exorcism' (2024)
Directed by Joshua John Miller
A headliner likeRussell Croweand the promise of a petrifying possession should have packed out theaters, but in fact,The Exorcismbombed at the box office. The concept seems solid enough; after a tragic death on set, a troubled actor (Crowe) gets the chance to replace the lead, playing a priest in a demonic horror movie. He becomes overwhelmed and starts displaying odd behavior and his assistant daughter (Ryan Simpkins) realizes there’s something more sinister at play.
The problem withThe Exorcismis that it feels like its trying too hard to be scary and comes off more desperate than demonic. The story drags and the moments of terror are too brief and too few. It’s disappointing because there was a lot of potential here to intensify the main character and audience’s fear by having the demon torment him about his traumatic past, but this is just glossed over and replaced with awkward conversations and uninspiring exposition.
The Exorcism
8’Exorcist: The Beginning' (2004)
Directed by Renny Harlin
One way to reignite interest in an aging horror franchise is with a compelling and equally terrifying origin story, but frustratingly,Exorcist: The Beginningfails on both counts. It follows the backstory of Father Merrin (Stellan Skarsgård) who, having abandoned the priesthood, winds up leading an archaeological excavation in Kenya, where he unearths an ancient church said to mark the spot where Lucifer himself fell to earth after the war in heaven. As well as being unimaginative, the film is a complete disservice to theExorcistfranchise, opting for commercialized action with a few gratuitous gore shots rather than any kind of semblance to the original film or book.
Unusually,The Exorcistended up with two prequelsthat were both released by Warner Bros. within a year of each other, the other beingDominion: Prequel to the Exorcist. What’s sad is that the story of how this came about is much more interesting than either of the movies, though the latter is slightly less offensive to fans of the franchise.
Exorcist: The Beginning
7’The Unborn' (2009)
Directed by David S. Goyer
The Unbornwatches like a montage of other horror films, as though the creators threw everything at the camera hoping that something would stick. Nothing does. The opening gambit is that Casey Beldon (Odette Annable) experiences a series of paranormal activities and finds out she was a twin, but her sibling died in the womb. If things had just been developed from here, the film might have stood a chance, but it heads off on some unnecessary tangent about Auschwitz during the Holocaust and a malevolent Jewish spirit (just like the one inThe Possessed).
The film culminates with a floodlit exorcism that’s about as scary as the oneLeslie Nielsen performs in the spoof movieRepossessedand an open ending in preparation of a potential sequel that many are hoping will remain unborn. Like a lot of modern day horror films,The Unborntries to be all things to all people and, as is usually the case, ends up pleasing no-one.
The Unborn
6’Lost Souls' (2000)
Directed by Janusz Kaminski
So, the coded writing of a supposedly possessed murderer (Brad Greenquist) suggests that an atheist writer named Peter (Ben Chaplin), has been chosen by the Devil to be the portal for his return to earth. Who could have possibly guessed that when a Catholic teacher (Winona Ryder) breaks the news to Peter he doesn’t believe it? The idea of the devil returning to the living world has been played out many times before, butSatan makes for a pretty good horror movie subject, except in this case.
“The story limps along without really ever living up to the dark and moody visuals, and the exposition is cringe worthy.”
The story limps along without really ever living up to the dark and moody visuals and the exposition is cringe worthy. The release ofLost Soulswas delayed due to a spate of similar apocalyptic films, and it ended up being put out the exact same day as the re-release ofThe Exorcist. Whether this was planned or just a spooky coincidence, it did not do the movie any favors, as it does not hold a candle to Friedkin’s offering.
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5’The Last Exorcism: Part II' (2013)
Directed by Ed Gass-Donnelly
After surviving her exorcism ordeal, which was documented in the previous movie, Nell Sweetzer (Ashley Bell) receives psychological treatment and is sent to a transition house with the hopes of starting a new life. What she finds is a religious sect known as the Order of The Right Hand, who claim they can protect her from evil, but the possessing demon Abalam has other ideas.
The first installment ofThe Last Exorcismwas much more gripping and entertaining to watch due to the hand-held camera filming style that was used to great effect in movies likeThe Blair Witch ProjectandParanormal Activity. This sequel, on the other hand, is just another cookie-cutter replica of every other demonic possession film that has gone before it, except for not being in the least bit scary.
The Last Exorcism Part II
4’The Devil Inside' (2012)
Directed by William Brent Bell
Maria (Suzan Crowley) is currently confined in a mental hospital after killing two priests and a nun who were trying to perform an exorcism on her. Desperate to uncover the truth about what happened, her daughter Isabella (Fernanda Andrade) decides that the best course of action is to make a documentary.
The Devil Insidemade over $100 million at the box office, so all credit to the marketing team, but don’t be fooled into thinking that the film itself is a success because it’s far from it. Rather than adding any kind of authenticity, the shaky camera work is overdone and worse than footage captured by a drunken wedding guest. And let’s not mention theworst horror movie ending ever.
The Devil Inside
3’The Haunting of Molly Hartley' (2008)
Directed by Steven R. Monroe
Molly Hartley (Haley Bennett) is about to start a new school and everyone knows how hard it is to fit in, especially when your mom (Marin Hinkle) is locked away in a mental institution for trying to kill you. But it gets worse, as soon as Molly turns 18, her soul belongs to the devil because her parents made a deal after she was stillborn.
“Selling your soul to the devil is probably a better deal than having to sit through this movie.”
The Haunting of Molly Hartleyis yet another PG-13 rated disaster, trying and failing to be scary and popular at the same time, like some kind of bizarreOutcastmeetsBeverly Hills 90210episode.Selling your soul to the devil is probably a better deal than having to sit through this movie.
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2’Camp Hell' (2010)
Directed by George VanBuskirk
Deep in the woods, far away from any distractions, a group of Catholic children attend a spiritual retreat known as Camp Hope where they learn the ways of the Lord, and the horror of the Devil. The constant focus on the perils of sin, causes an already troubled Tommy Leary (Will Denton) to manifest his inner demons.
Camp Hellwas also released under the titleCamp Hope, but unfortunately neither version had any hope of success. The film takes way too long to get started and nothing is satisfactorily concluded. Rather than focus on the possession angle, filmmakers should have thrown in a few sharp weapons and created aso-bad-it’s-good slasher movieinstead.
1’Exorcist II: The Heretic' (1977)
Directed by John Boorman and Rospo Pallenberg
In what is possibly the most ill-conceived sequel of all time, young Regan (Blair) is suffering from bad dreams and receives hypnotherapy treatment from Dr. Tuskin (Louise Fletcher), which reveals the demon, Pazuzu, still lives within her waiting to reemerge. In what was an obvious attempt to raise the film’s profile,Richard Burtontakes on the role of Father Lamont, who is sent to find out what happened to Father Merrin, who died during Regan’s prior exorcism.
No one hatedExorcist II: The Hereticmore than William Friedkin,mainly because he felt his masterpiece didn’t require a sequel and most would argue he was right. The initial movie had already concluded the story as it was told in Blatty’s novel, so why keep going? Was it perhaps the huge piles of cash executives were hoping to cash in on? It certainly wasn’t due to any artistic passion, because the film is downright awful and ought to be exorcised!
Exorcist II: The Heretic
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