Recently, struggling horror movie series have been trying to revitalize themselves. The Predator franchise, after several unsuccessful films, tapped director Dan Trachtenberg – known for his work on 10 Cloverfield Lane and the first episode of The Boys – to create a fresh installment called Prey. The Alien series followed suit, bringing on Fede Álvarez, the director of Don’t Breathe, and Noah Hawley, who developed the Fargo TV show, hoping to breathe new life into that iconic series. It’s not just aliens getting a boost, either.
Blumhouse and NBCUniversal are trying to revive the Exorcist franchise. While the original 1973 film remains a landmark achievement in horror, expertly combining technical skill with compelling themes, the sequels haven’t lived up to its standard, particularly in recent years. Now, horror director Mike Flanagan, known for acclaimed series like The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass, is taking on the challenge of breathing new life into the series, but it won’t be easy.
The Exorcist Is Coming Off a Major Stinker
NBCUniversal has attempted to revive the Exorcist franchise before. In 2023, director David Gordon Green, known for the recent Halloween films, tried to relaunch the series with The Exorcist: Believer, a direct sequel to the original. Bringing back Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair, stars of the first movie, seemed promising after so many years. Unfortunately, the film was widely criticized by both reviewers and audiences for lacking originality and failing to deliver genuine scares, and the attempt ultimately failed.
Even though Believer didn’t do well in theaters and received a lot of criticism, the studio originally planned a sequel with director Mike Flanagan. Those plans quickly changed, and Flanagan was instead set to lead a completely reimagined take on the franchise. Things looked promising when the studio secured a major star for the reboot. However, even with two big names involved, success isn’t guaranteed for the new The Exorcist movie.
The Exorcist Franchise Might Be a One-Hit Wonder – And That’s Okay
With her time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe behind her, Scarlett Johansson is searching for her next big franchise. While Jurassic World Rebirth let her showcase her action skills, she’s a talented actress with two Oscar nominations, and starring in Flanagan’s The Exorcist offers a chance to explore a different kind of role – reacting to a terrifying supernatural presence. However, it’s a risk, as the Exorcist franchise hasn’t had a successful installment in over half a century.
Flanagan is clearly planning a new direction for the franchise, one that wouldn’t have been possible during Friedkin’s time due to older technology. However, just because something can be done doesn’t mean it should. It’s becoming increasingly clear that audiences aren’t connecting with the themes of The Exorcist movies, and the studio should consider that. They could always support an original project from Flanagan without the weight of such a well-known and potentially problematic history.
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2025-12-01 23:40