Fifty years has passed since the original film had audiences walking out of their showings and had them reinforcing their faith. Director David Gordon Green and co-writer Danny McBride are fresh off their Halloween trilogy which has some mixed reviews but concluding the Jamie Lee Curtis timeline was rewarding for fans of the original film. Now the duo goes from the most success horror franchise ever to the scariest.

The Exorcist Believer revolves around the disappearance of two young girls. Mystery surrounds their return while supernatural events begin occurring in the days after. What David Gordon Green does best is build the tension in his films which most horror films tend to skip over and replace with your usual jump scares. Something he also succeeded at with his Halloween trilogy. In this regard, his film feels like a horror film from the good old days.

The first half of the film is near perfect. With performances from stars such as Leslie Odom Jr. and the rest of the supporting cast setting up the eerie plot while the musical score elevates every scene beautifully. Ellen Burstyn is a welcoming addition to the story. Her presence feels genuine. Had she been shoehorned in, this half would fall apart completely. Where the film struggles is where even the original had some issues, the exorcism itself.

I say the original struggled due to the fact that there is no blueprint to how this should go. How long it should last, how to depict when we’ve accomplished what needs to be done, or how to keep audiences engaged while reciting Bible verses for what seems like an eternity. The latest film has some interesting elements such as bringing together people from different faiths and backgrounds that all have ideas on how to confront this evil. It’s quite an intriguing premise which makes sense as you begin to understand every culture has written stories about similar situations.

In some cultures it is said that pregnant women are asked for a blessing from Pazuzu for protection. No doubt a nod that was made in the opening scene of the film. While the community battling the demon is an intriguing idea, it never fulfills its potential. The visuals are done well enough but the film needed more action but again, how does one achieve this within an exorcism? That is the challenge. The second half mildly works but the momentum from the first half definitely had subsided.

Many attempts at a worthy sequel have been made but two things are for sure…what scared audiences in 1973 isn’t the same today and to reach that level of horror isn’t possible with modern audiences. The Exorcist Believer can still be considered a success regardless.

In a dystopian Switzerland that has fallen under the fascist rule of an evil cheese tyrant (Van Dien), Heidi (Lucy) lives a pure and simple life in the Swiss Alps. Grandfather Alpöhi (Schofield) does his best to protect Heidi, but her desire for freedom soon lands her in trouble with the dictator’s henchmen. When pushed too far the innocent Heidi transforms into a kick-ass warrior who sets out to liberate her country from the heinous cheese fascists. Mad Heidi is an action-adventure exploitation extravaganza based on the popular children’s book character Heidi and the world’s first Swissploitation film.

Hear our own Bryan Ortiz give his take on this wild and bloody good time!

For more info visit: MAD HEIDI | Watch the movie! 💥

Bryan caught an early screening of ABOUT MY FATHER which features Sebastian Maniscalco, Robert De Niro, Leslie Bibb, Anders Holm, David Rasche, Brett Dier, and Kim Cattrall. See the synopsis below and catch it in theaters starting on May 26!

Synopsis: The hottest comic in America, Sebastian Maniscalco joins forces with legendary Italian-American and two-time Oscar® winner, Robert De Niro (Best Actor, Raging Bull, 1980), in the new comedy ABOUT MY FATHER. The film centers around Sebastian (Maniscalco) who is encouraged by his fiancée (Leslie Bibb) to bring his immigrant, hairdresser father, Salvo (De Niro), to a weekend get-together with her super-rich and exceedingly eccentric family (Kim Cattrall, Anders Holm, Brett Dier, David Rasche). The weekend develops into what can only be described as a culture clash, leaving Sebastian and Salvo to discover that the great thing about family is everything about family.