Still Turning Heads: The Exorcism reviewed

A critical examination of the exorcism film genre through the lens of Russell Crowe’s recent entry into the form. The reviewer argues that exorcism pictures remain trapped in the shadow of William Friedkin’s 1973 landmark The Exorcist, unable to innovate meaningfully within a formulaic structure. The article dissects the predictable narrative beats that define the genre: possession of a young girl, priests wrestling with faith, escalating supernatural manifestations culminating in overwrought climactic sequences. The writer contends that audiences gravitate toward these repetitive structures through familiarity and comfort rather than artistic merit. Drawing parallels to how subsequent shark films pale against Jaws, the piece suggests that subsequent exorcism entries merely shuffle established tropes without introducing substantive creative contributions. The author reflects on personal skepticism toward the genre’s scares, attributing diminished impact to childhood atheism and cultural oversaturation of The Exorcist’s imagery in popular discourse.

Original article published on The Quietus — AI-generated summary. Read the full article at the source.