Mike Flanagan's The Exorcist Movie Is Following The Best Modern Horror Trend (& Can Save The Franchise)

Summary Mike Flanagan will direct the new Exorcist movie with a "radical new take" to save the franchise.

The Exorcist: Believer sequel's poor reception scrapped plans for a trilogy.

Shifting to an anthology approach with Flanagan's film will be key to properly reviving the franchise.

The Exorcist franchise will continue expanding with a new movie to be directed by Mike Flanagan, and the plan for this next movie points to the franchise following the best modern horror trend. In 1973, William Friedkin terrorized audiences worldwide with The Exorcist, based on the 1971 novel of the same name by William Peter Blatty. The Exorcist followed 12-year-old Regan (Linda Blair), who became possessed by a demon named Pazuzu. The Exorcist is regarded as one of the greatest horror movies ever and marked the beginning of a franchise.

Friedkin’s horror classic was followed by four movies and a short-lived TV series, and it has now come back to life with a reboot movie. Titled The Exorcist: Believer and directed by David Gordon Green, the film follows Victor Fielding (Leslie Odom Jr.), whose 13-year-old daughter Angela (Lidya Jewett), and her friend Katherine (Olivia O’Neill), become possessed by an unknown force. The Exorcist: Believer was intended to be the first movie in a new trilogy, but those plans have now been scrapped, and the next movie is following a modern horror trend that will save the franchise.

Related The Exorcist: Believer Ending Explained The Exorcist: Believer builds to a final exorcism to deliver an ending with twists and sequel setup. Here's everything that happens and what it means.

Mike Flanagan's The Exorcist Movie Isn't A Sequel To Believer

The Exorcist: Deceiver Is No Longer In The Franchise’s Plans

A new The Exorcist movie is now in the works with Mike Flanagan as director, writer, and producer, but it’s not a new version of Deceiver nor a sequel to Believer. Instead, it's described as a “radical new take”.

The Exorcist: Believer wasn’t the success Blumhouse needed to launch a new trilogy. While The Exorcist: Believer performed well at the box office, it was panned by critics, and it currently holds a 22% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes with a 59% audience score. The Exorcist: Believer was called “disappointing” and “forgettable” by critics, who pointed out its lack of new ideas and scares as some of its biggest flaws, along with how it failed Ellen Burstyn’s Chris MacNeil. The Exorcist: Believer was planned to be followed by two sequels, the first one being The Exorcist: Deceiver, but those plans have now been scrapped.

However, The Exorcist franchise will continue to expand without The Exorcist: Deceiver. A new The Exorcist movie is now in the works with Mike Flanagan as director, writer, and producer, but it’s not a new version of Deceiver nor a sequel to Believer. Instead, Flanagan’s The Exorcist movie is described as a “radical new take” within the franchise’s universe, with Flanagan sharing his excitement to try “something fresh, bold, and terrifying”. Although no plot details were revealed, these bits of information about Flanagan’s Exorcist movie point to the franchise taking an anthology approach, following the steps of franchises like Evil Dead.

The Exorcist Becoming An Anthology Can Save The Franchise

The Exorcist Will Benefit From Becoming An Anthology

Flanagan’s The Exorcist film moving away from the rest gives him enough room for creativity and expanding the franchise beyond Regan, Chris, and their experience with demonic possession.

If there’s one thing that The Exorcist franchise has proven is that not all horror movies need sequels. None of the movies that followed Friedkin’s film came close to its quality and success, and The Exorcist: Believer further confirmed that sequels – either direct or legacy ones – aren’t the best way to expand the franchise. Flanagan’s The Exorcist film moving away from the rest is exactly what the franchise needs to make a proper comeback, as it gives him enough room for creativity and expanding the franchise beyond Regan, Chris, and their experience with Regan’s demonic possession.

There’s a lot in the universe of The Exorcist to be explored, and Flanagan is an exciting addition to the next movie as he will surely surprise the audience with his “radical new take”, which could mean many things. Flanagan’s The Exorcist could focus on the side of the priest(s) rather than on the victim and their family, or could even focus on the demonic entity itself, giving it a completely different perspective. Becoming an anthology can make The Exorcist franchise exciting, popular, and interesting again, as there will be something different in every movie, without relying on Regan and her past.