Exorcist: The Beginning | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

11% Tomatometer 133 Reviews 27% Audience Score 50,000+ Ratings

Father Merrin (Stellan Skarsgard) is haunted by his experiences in World War II, when occupying Nazi troops forced him to be complicit in their atrocities. In the aftermath, he has renounced his faith and begun working as an archaeologist. He travels to Kenya, where a fifth-century Byzantine church holds ancient relics. There he encounters Sarah (Izabella Scorupco), a doctor and concentration camp survivor. The strange occurrences that soon begin reunite him with the evil he sought to escape. Read More Read Less

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Exorcist: The Beginning

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Critics Consensus

A mediocre, gory horror film, nowhere near the quality of the 1973 original.

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Critics Reviews

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Exorcist: The Beginning | Rotten Tomatoes (1) Namrata Joshi Outlook The sfx in the climactic duel with the Devil is cheesy to say the least and the Devil's makeup render him more laughable than scary. On the face of it, the dice is loaded heavily against the movie. Rated: 2/4 Jan 7, 2019 Full Review Exorcist: The Beginning | Rotten Tomatoes (2) J. R. Jones Chicago Reader The serious Catholic themes that made the original film genuinely disturbing have been flattened out into a cartoonish backstory pitting Merrin against Nazi storm troopers. Feb 27, 2007 Full Review Exorcist: The Beginning | Rotten Tomatoes (3) Time Out Reams of tedious exposition finally give way to a random jumble of horror movie clichs, rising to a shrill pitch of hysteria that is never remotely frightening. Jun 24, 2006 Full Review Exorcist: The Beginning | Rotten Tomatoes (4) James Croot Stuff.co.nz One of the most pointless prequels of all-time. Rated: 2/5 Oct 7, 2022 Full Review Exorcist: The Beginning | Rotten Tomatoes (5) Nigel Floyd The List Leaving aside the folly of making a prequel to William Friedkin's 1973 horror classic, this fails on every level. Ninety minutes of tedious exposition give way to a random jumble of horror clichés that rise to a shrill pitch of hysteria. Rated: 1/5 Apr 22, 2019 Full Review Exorcist: The Beginning | Rotten Tomatoes (6) Dorothy Woodend The Tyee (British Columbia) Unlike the first film, in which audience members fainted and threw up, the showdown between good and evil prompted more laughter amongst the audience than terror. Aug 24, 2017 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Rospi D Let's admit it if Exorcist: The Beginning camed before the first then the critics would be different. It has strong scenes, performances "the CGI could be better" but a perfect setting - country, actors and screenplay are the right choices for a well constructed Religious film like this. Just ignore the previous & new garbage and watch this movie directly. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/19/24 Full Review Elvis D Tras haber convertido The Exorcist en una trilogía que fue rápidamente olvidada, Warner Bros decidió excavar más a fondo ofreciendo una entrega que nos remonta varios años atrás antes de la primera película. Esta precuela toma elementos de las primeras dos películas y nos presenta la primera confrontación entre Merrin y Pazuzu. La película es evidentemente como muchas entregas del cine de terror lanzadas en los 2000, pero esta película mantiene ciertas características reconocibles de The Exorcist. Supieron replicar bien la estatua de Pazuzu, la historia logra encajar bien en el canon de la película original y la versión poseída de Sarah logra recordar un poco a Regan cuando estaba poseída. Una cuestión que queda es como la estatua de Pazuzu y su fragmento acabaron en Iraq como se vio al principio de la primera película. La película no toma en cuenta los flashbacks de la segunda película que presentaban a Merrin exorcizando a Pazuzu, pero se puede suponer que ese segundo enfrentamiento ocurrió tiempo después de lo que se presencia en esta película. Stellan Skarsgård logra encarnar una aceptable versión de Merrin antes de la versión veterana que interpreto Max Von Sydow. En aspectos técnicos y visuales, la película no logra tener ese aspecto terrorífico que tanto caracteriza a la película original, pero esta precuela de The Exorcist es una entrega decente para conocer los sucesos que darían inicio a la historia que todos conocemos. Mi calificación final para esta película es un 8/10. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/12/23 Full Review KerryWhite's S Rating: 6/10. 61/100 Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 10/05/23 Full Review Sahooon C You'll be better of if you skipped this film. I didn't hate it but no one should go out their way to watch it. Just watch the first exorcist and pretend the rest don't exist Rated 2/5 Stars • Rated 2 out of 5 stars 08/30/23 Full Review joey v Very boring/mediocre horror flick couldn't wait until it was over Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Ever remains as disturbing and sickening over scares besides some effective atmospheric creeps amid an unoriginal, uninspired direction despite a supposedly fairly better craft in being somewhat closer towards the original while Stellan Skarsgard did the best he could with given material in nicely capturing his acquainted character. (C-) Rated 2/5 Stars • Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Exorcist: The Beginning

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Cast & Crew

Renny Harlin Director Stellan Skarsgård Father Lankester Merrin James D'Arcy Father Francis Izabella Scorupco Sarah Remy Sweeney Joseph Julian Wadham Major Granville
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Exorcist: The Beginning

ALAN FORD and JAMES DÕARCY in Morgan Creek Productions' prequel to "The Exorcist," "Exorcist: The Beginning," distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. STELLAN SKARSGÅRD in Morgan Creek Productions' prequel to "The Exorcist," "Exorcist: The Beginning," distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. STELLAN SKARSGÅRD in Morgan Creek Productions' prequel to "The Exorcist," "Exorcist: The Beginning," distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. JAMES DÕARCY and STELLAN SKARSGÅRD in Morgan Creek Productions' prequel to "The Exorcist," "Exorcist: The Beginning," distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. REMY SWEENEY, JAMES DÕARCY and IZABELLA SCORUPCO Director RENNY HARLIN and cinematographer VITTORIO STORARO on the set. View more photos

Synopsis Father Merrin (Stellan Skarsgard) is haunted by his experiences in World War II, when occupying Nazi troops forced him to be complicit in their atrocities. In the aftermath, he has renounced his faith and begun working as an archaeologist. He travels to Kenya, where a fifth-century Byzantine church holds ancient relics. There he encounters Sarah (Izabella Scorupco), a doctor and concentration camp survivor. The strange occurrences that soon begin reunite him with the evil he sought to escape.

Director
Renny Harlin

Producer
James G. Robinson

Screenwriter
William Wisher Jr., William Peter Blatty, Caleb Carr, Alexi Hawley

Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures

Production Co
Morgan Creek Productions

Rating
R (Gore|Disturbing Images and Rituals|Language|Some Sexual Dialogue|Strong Violence)

Genre
Horror

Original Language
English

Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 20, 2004, Wide

Release Date (Streaming)
May 7, 2016

Box Office (Gross USA)
$41.8M

Runtime
1h 54m

Sound Mix
SDDS, Dolby SRD, DTS, Surround

Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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Exorcist: The Beginning | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

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