John Carpenter questions “how you can screw up” ‘Exorcist’ reboot
Genre maestro John Carpenter is no stranger to seeing his own creations being rebooted and franchised. His original horror Halloween, released in 1978, went on to spawn a nearly 40-year-long series but Carpenter himself would never return to helm.
In 2018, after nine sequels of varying success had been put out, the franchise was picked up and given the reboot treatment by director David Gordon Green, previously known for directing the stoner cult classic Pineapple Express and his close collaborations with Danny McBride.
It was with McBride that Green would co-write all three of the new Halloween films for Universal, which saw a second instalment, Halloween Kills in 2021 and Halloween Ends in 2022. Despite the odd pairing of Green with the material, the franchise saw a fruitful rejuvenation.
Carpenter told the Los Angeles Times he was surprised that Green’s recent reboot of The Exorcist with The Exorcist: Believer has been getting less than favourable reviews and a significantly tepid reception at the box office.
“I like what David did when he made the three Halloweens,” Carpenter stated. “I loved No. 2 [Halloween Kills]. Thought that was fabulous. I heard The Exorcist really didn’t cut it.” So far, it seems like not cutting it is an understatement.
Universal bought the rights to the franchise for $400 million, based on the late William Friedkin’s seminal 1975 horror The Exorcist, which followed the battle of a priest and mother against the ancient demon Pazuzu for the soul of her daughter Regan.
So far, however, despite a big marketing campaign, the movie has pulled in less than $30 million on its opening weekend, with little sign of doing much better. For Carpenter, this seems like a missed trick. “That could be a kick-ass movie. I don’t understand how you can screw that up.”
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