When it comes to demonic possession, it’s safe to say The Exorcist is the most popular property in the world. The original 1973 Exorcist scared fans and critics out of theaters, in some cases, literally. It eventually spawned sequels and a pattern many other films would follow in the genre. To that point, it’s considered the gold standard for this pocket of the Western horror industry.It’s why many were excited to see the new path The Exorcist: Believer could take the property and the concept of good versus evil. Unfortunately, director, David Gordon Green, drops the ball by leaning into cultural appropriation. And sadly, it botches immense potential the franchise had to reinvent, innovate and differentiate from its contemporaries in an original manner.Believer opens with Victor’s (Leslie Odom Jr.) wife in Haiti, pregnant and being blessed by some women. It’s a series of Yoruba traditions, paying homage to the Orisha elements of West Africa. They make it clear it’s to protect the mother and her unborn daughter, which seems like it’s going to be a divine shield. When the woman dies and Angela (her kid) gets possessed by Lamashtu 13 years later, this angle is amplified with Beehibe coming into the movie.RELATED: How Linda Blair’s Regan MacNeil Ties Into Exorcist: Believer
When it comes to demonic possession, it’s safe to say The Exorcist is the most popular property in the world. The original 1973 Exorcist scared fans and critics out of theaters, in some cases, literally. It eventually spawned sequels and a pattern many other films would follow in the genre. To that point, it’s considered the gold standard for this pocket of the Western horror industry.
It’s why many were excited to see the new path The Exorcist: Believer could take the property and the concept of good versus evil. Unfortunately, director, David Gordon Green, drops the ball by leaning into cultural appropriation. And sadly, it botches immense potential the franchise had to reinvent, innovate and differentiate from its contemporaries in an original manner.
Believer opens with Victor’s (Leslie Odom Jr.) wife in Haiti, pregnant and being blessed by some women. It’s a series of Yoruba traditions, paying homage to the Orisha elements of West Africa. They make it clear it’s to protect the mother and her unborn daughter, which seems like it’s going to be a divine shield. When the woman dies and Angela (her kid) gets possessed by Lamashtu 13 years later, this angle is amplified with Beehibe coming into the movie.
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