In 1973, William Friedkin revolutionized the horror genre by bringing William Peter Blatty’s novel, “The Exorcist,” to the big screen. The film has remained one of the most terrifying films of all time, and now 50 years later, we’re returning to the world of demonic possession with David Gordon Green’s “The Exorcist: Believer,” a direct sequel to the original brought to you by Blumhouse.
Since speaking to Green at last year’s Halloween Ends premiere, we have been waiting for the release of the Exorcist, and we finally sat down with Green himself to dive into all things demonic. Now, living up to the legacy of the first movie wasn’t going to be easy, but Green and Blum always come through but paying homage to classics but adding contemporary themes and styles to make the film appeal to a contemporary audience, and making them future classics themselves.
If you recall, with the original film, there were so many myths surrounding the set and strange occurrences that plagued the film, including the set allegedly burning down, so we had to ask Green if there was anything strange that went down this time. Luckily, nothing to match the first film, but Green did reveal that there is a certain energy that floats on set when working on a film of this nature, but after scenes were done they were able to unplug and the two young girls who are the main characters this time around, brought the happiness back with their laughter.
As we previously shared, The Exorcist: Believer follows the story of a father whose daughter, Angela, and her friend Katherine, show signs of demonic possession, it unleashes a chain of events that forces single father Victor Fielding to confront the nadir of evil. Terrified and desperate, he seeks out Chris MacNeil, the only person alive who’s witnessed anything like it before, and that brings us to the return of Ellen Burstyn as her iconic character.
Burstyn initially was adamant about not retuning to the franchise, but with Green and Blum taking on the film, she returned and she will continue her character’s storyline in the world of demonic possession. There is something both iconic and terrifying about having a legacy character return, as we have seen with Lorie Strode in the latest Halloween films, the story comes with them, and this film is both different but similar in the way it captures you in the moment, and it is truly scary.
Press play above for the full interview, and catch The Exorcist: Believer in theaters October 6!
The post David Gordon Green On Bringing Ellen Burstyn On Board For The Exorcist: Believer & The Franchise’s Legacy appeared first on Hollywood Unlocked .
Universal Pictures