The Exorcist: Believer does not look like a worthy sequel in its first trailer

Today, Universal Pictures released the first trailer for The Exorcist: Believer, the upcoming sequel to arguably the greatest horror movie ever made: The Exorcist. The new film, which will premiere in October, is the first film in the franchise that directly ties to the events of the first film from 1973 — an incredible 50 years in the making.

Before I dive into my thoughts on the trailer, feel free to check it out for yourself below:

What is The Exorcist: Believer about?

The film follows the story of two girls who, after becoming possessed, come face to face with Chris MacNeil, the parent from the first film 50 years ago.

Since the death of his pregnant wife in a Haitian earthquake 12 years ago, Victor Fielding (Tony winner and Oscar nominee Leslie Odom, Jr.; One Night in Miami, Hamilton) has raised their daughter, Angela (Lidya Jewett, Good Girls) on his own.

But when Angela and her friend Katherine (newcomer Olivia Marcum), disappear in the woods, only to return three days later with no memory of what happened to them, it unleashes a chain of events that will force Victor to confront the nadir of evil and, in his terror and desperation, seek out the only person alive who has witnessed anything like it before: Chris MacNeil.

This film doesn’t look worthy of the original

I was so excited for the trailer of this film to come out. The title was solid. The marketing and posters really harkened back to the style of the original. I remember the first time I saw The Exorcist as a kid and was amazed — not only by how terrifying the film was — but just how well acted and good the story was. That’s what I was hoping to see here — to see a horror film basically leap out of the 1970s into today’s world and shock us with its story, acting, and cinematography.

Instead, this looks much more like a Blumhouse film than an Exorcist film. The story and acting didn’t pull me in and appeared run of the mill — keen on investing in the same style and tropes we’ve come to expect in modern horror. The cinematography alone shows that this film seems more of an opportunity to cash in on the 50-year anniversary than actually create something worthy of the original.

I’ll still give it a chance, but I’m really disappointed that Universal didn’t find someone with a vision here rather than having Blumhouse seemingly crank out another horror film that, I’m sure, will rake in millions.

The Exorcist: Believer will premiere worldwide in theaters on October 13th. If you want to enjoy the film in the best quality possible when it eventually makes its way to streaming, check out our list of the Best TVs and Best Soundbars.