‘The Exorcist: Believer’ Posters: Possession Has a New Face

Evil is taking a new form in a trio of posters for David Gordon Green’s The Exorcist: Believer. A film that will serve as the first title in the Halloween director’s upcoming trilogy, the posters reveal that the devil has returned and this time two girls are in for an excruciating demonic possession. Hearkening back to the original 1973 William Friedkin-helmed feature, one of the girls looks almost identical to Linda Blair’s character, Regan, during her dance with the Devil which kicked off the 50-year franchise. Close-ups on both of the girls’ faces reveal an even more sinister takeover with both sporting ghoulish eyes and lips that are in some serious need of balm. Furthermore, it appears as though the power of Christ isn’t compelling anyone as an unseen person holds out a cross to the afflicted with neither one so much as flinching.

Although The Exorcist: Believer will be the sixth film in the franchise, it will serve as a sequel to the movie that started it all. In Believer, a father will find himself at the end of his rope after his daughter becomes possessed by a demonic entity. Not the only one in this position, he joins another troubled parent in the same boat and together, they find the one person who may be able to help bring their children back from the edge – Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn). As of right now, Burstyn is the only member of the original cast set to appear in the film, but there’s still a possibility that we may be surprised by a cameo from Blair. Starring opposite Burstyn as the desperate father is Leslie Odom Jr. with ensemble performances by Jennifer Nettles, Ann Dowd, Raphael Sbarge, Lidya Jewett, Okwui Okpokwasili, and Olivia Marcum.

Coming off hot from the success of the Halloween trilogy, Green is the perfect director to bring another iconic franchise to the next generation. While he previously made a name for himself helming dramas including George Washington and All the Real Girls as well as comedies such as Pineapple Express and Your Highness, Green proved himself to be a strong force in the horror community by bringing the tale of Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Michael Myers (James Jude Courtney, Nick Castle) to an end in Halloween, Halloween Kills, and Halloween Ends.

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A 50-Year-Old Legacy

It’s hard to say whether Friedkin understood the fandom and global hysteria that he would create when he adapted William Peter Blatty’s 1971 novel, The Exorcist, into a motion picture. While the film went down in history as being the first horror movie to nab an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture, along with garnering nine other noms and heaps of critical praise, the subject material struck a chord with conservatives and religious groups around the world. Nevertheless, the story’s dedicated following helped to push it into a full-blown franchise with directors including John Boorman (Deliverance), Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2), and Paul Schrader (American Gigolo), with Blatty even taking a stab behind the camera for The Exorcist III.

Check out the posters below and head to a theater for the next chapter when The Exorcist: Believer arrives on October 13.