Well, the latest installment in The Exorcist Movie franchise is here, and well, it’s kicking off an entirely new series, disregarding all that was in the original in 1973. This movie marked the first of the three that we’re going to be getting over the next few years.
With Ellen Burstyn making a return and us seeing Angela and Catherine being possessed by a demon, the end of this The Exorcist Believer left a couple of questions out there whilst also trying to land a powerful message.
I’ll be breaking down the movie, answering the questions, and explaining what the ending meant and how it will tie into the next one.
Here is The Exorcist Believer Ending Explained:
What Did The Exorcist Believer Ending Mean?
Considering that this movie was called The Exorcist Believer, it was very much focused on beliefs on both sides of the fence. For example, Angela’s father didn’t believe in God or see the point in religion.
This was after what happened to his wife when they were in Haiti when she was killed, and also due to what happened to Angela with her needing to be put into a home for people with mental health issues after becoming possessed.
The same was also present for Catherine’s father. However, he was on the other side. He believed in God and religion and lived his life by it. But he didn’t believe in the fact that there could be these demonic spirits and that an exorcism was the thing that would be able to solve all of the issues.
However, once they both put their previous beliefs behind them, we saw that Tanner was quoting the Bible during the exorcism, and Catherine’s father took his shoes off and participated.
It truly started to work a bit better, and the goals were coming back, albeit if the demon did end up tricking everybody in the room and taking the life of Catherine instead of Angela.
The same could also be said about beliefs with the spiritual tie in the movie, something which hadn’t been done before. But the combination of Catholicism and a different form of spirituality with a belief in both came to work as a stronger power.
The Exorcist Believer Ending Explained
During the ending, with Angela looking like she had the demon cleansed from her body, we saw that she went back to school, and it appeared as though she was fully back to normal, and there wasn’t a trace of evil inside of her. However, we knew that Catherine was most definitely claimed due to the empty chair that was in the class where she’d previously sat down.
Right at the end, we saw that after we were teased that Reagan was dead following the demons speaking to Chris in the earlier parts of the movie.
With us cut to the hospital room that Chris was being kept in, we saw that it was revealed that Reagan was actually there as she embraced her mother and gave her a hug, something that I thought was a little odd. Especially considering that it seemed as though she denounced her mother following the release of the book, but hey, it is what it is.
It very much looks as though Reagan’s return is going to be something that will be present in the sequel to the movie, which is titled Deceiver and is set to come out in a couple of years’ time.
That’s the only reason I could think of there being any value in bringing the character back. Considering that she was essentially written out for a brief period of time in this movie. So her return is something that I think is going to be important for sure.
It didn’t really feel like the group’s exorcism worked; to be honest, it felt like the demon just decided to let one of them go. So it was a little strange.
Why Did Catherine Die?
At The Exorcist Believer Ending, we see that both Catherine and Angela are at peak possession, and the situation is put forward to the parents. Tanner, Angela’s father, chose to save his wife instead of Angela when she was unborn 13 years ago when the movie first opened, but the opposite ended up happening.
It meant that the demon wanted to give that option again. Only one of the two girls could be saved, either Catherine or Angela.
In a moment of panic, as it seemed as though Angela was coming back to reality, Catherine’s father shouted from the other room, “I choose you, Catherine.” And it meant that she was going to be the one that would get saved and be given back. Meaning Angela would be killed and take her place in hell.
However, when it seemed as though that was the case, we had visions of the demon and the place underneath the forest where Catherine was trapped, and she ended up being claimed instead, meaning that Angela survived and was brought back to reality.
I think this was just a small thing that tied into the fact that the demon was evil, and it should never have been trusted.
Rather than the parents working in order to save them both, the father chose to sacrifice Angela, which in turn meant that he was punished in the process, showing that you should never trust evil and think that it’s on your side when a deal gets proposed.
The Exorcist Believer Overall Review
Personally, I thought The Exorcist Believer was just OK. I don’t think it’s as bad as what a lot of the reviews say, but it is on the bad side.
The thing with this movie is that it’s always going to be compared to the original, and it’s just never going to compete.
We’re in a completely different world now, and I think what originally gave the Exorcist movie its charm, its frightening nature, and talk ability factor was that it had never really been done before in that way; it was 1973.
We are now 50 years later, in 2023, and there have been hundreds of movies that have done what this movie did for the first time 50 years ago. So it’s just hard to replicate that same feeling.
The story was OK; it felt a little bit pieced together and not the most free-flowing. There were a few jump scares in this movie, but I’d call them cheap jump scares, like a snake coming out from a rock by surprise or a door being knocked unexpectedly.
There were no true scares that occurred in the climax of the movie, and I think that’s one thing that let this installment down. For a horror movie, it’s just not really that scary. If anything, it proves to be comical.
The voice of the demon winning both Catherine and Angela proved to be comical, and I didn’t quite know how to receive it. It almost felt like the lips and voice weren’t synced up correctly; it sounded that out of place. That’s something that I thought was a shame, too, as it did take me out of the movie slightly.
I feel like this movie didn’t know whether it wanted to give us visual horror, horror in the dark in the form of jump scares, or psychological horror, and ultimately, it ended up giving nothing.
One of the best scenes was probably the scene in the church where we first saw that Catherine was possessed. I prefer that to any moment that occurred in the climax of the movie.
It was quite unsettling, a bit creepy and manic, so I was a fan of that. That’s a good way to lean into it in horror movies. Letting the image of something fester in your mind.
Is The Exorcist Believer Worth Watching?
Is this movie worth watching? Well, if you like a horror movie and you’re not too fussed about a gripping story that keeps you engaged, then it works. But if you’re looking to get into the Halloween spirit and actually get a bit creeped out, then watch the original.
This movie tries to tap into the original by bringing back familiar faces, a familiar concept, and a hook of a motif that rings in the ears. But it ultimately falls ever so slightly short.
I’m intrigued to see what they’re going to do in the following two installments that have been confirmed, as it seems as they bring back Reagan is what’s on the cards. Could she still have something inside of her still, I hope not.
But it feels like with her mother losing her sight; she may end up carrying it on in her honor and going on to save the next group of individuals that end up getting possessed.
I don’t have the highest of hopes, if I’m being honest, but I’m thinking that they’ve got a little while until it’s scheduled to be released. So they should look at what made this one fall short and try to implement any changes into the script, as there’s still plenty of time.
It costs the studio almost half a billion to acquire the rights to this franchise. Is it going to be profitable? Honestly, I really don’t know. So there you have it, The Exorcist Believer ending explained.
