The Exorcist: Shocking Twist in the Believer Ending Unveiled!

William Friedkin's 1973 horror drama, The Exorcist, is widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time. It has achieved immense popularity, grossing $441 million through its numerous theatrical releases and leaving an indelible mark on the genre. The iconic image of a young girl, whose innocence is brutally corrupted, has become synonymous with the film. However, the same cannot be said for its legacy sequel, The Exorcist: Believer, directed and co-written by David Gordon Green. This modern-day installment, centered around the return of the demon Pazuzu, fails to live up to the original's legacy and contradicts its own claimed values. Serving as the first chapter in a new Exorcist trilogy produced by Universal Pictures and Blumhouse, it sets the stage for the upcoming successor, The Exorcist: Deceiver, slated for release on April 18th, 2025.

What Happens in The Exorcist: Believer?

Believer begins in Haiti, where a devastating earthquake injures Victor Felding's pregnant wife, forcing him to make a difficult decision between saving her or their unborn child. Fast forward to the present, Victor, who has lost his faith, raises his daughter Angela alone. The emotional core of the story is built on the assumption that Victor chose Angela.

Drawing parallels to Denis Villeneuve's 2013 thriller Prisoners, Angela and her friend Katherine, whose family is deeply religious, go missing after venturing into the woods to conduct a séance in an attempt to communicate with Angela's deceased mother. Three days later, they are discovered in a barn 30 miles away from their last known location with burnt feet, completely unaware of how much time has passed. Their condition quickly deteriorates when Angela, who had previously convulsed, attacks Victor. As a result, Angela is admitted to a hospital, where her nurse and neighbor Ann accuses her of demonic possession after Angela reveals intimate knowledge of Ann's past transgressions. This begs the question, when does this story turn into a sequel to The Exorcist?

How Does The Exorcist: Believer End?

After reaching out to Chris MacNeil, Victor takes a courageous step forward, placing his trust in her. Meanwhile, Ellen Burstyn, highly anticipated, returns to the franchise. Despite being advised to keep the occurrences secretive, Chris has transformed into a renowned authority on exorcisms with her book "A Mother's Explanation." However, this achievement has resulted in a shattered relationship with Regan, whose distressing past was unearthed and exploited in her mother's publication. As a consequence, Regan has been in hiding for the past four decades, concealing her traumatic memories. Despite these complications, Chris wholeheartedly commits to assisting Victor after discovering that it is unmistakably Pazuzu who has control over the afflicted girls. The question remains: how successful will their endeavors be? In a misguided decision, Chris decides to undertake a solitary exorcism on Katherine, only to have her own eyes attacked by a crucifix in an unpredicted turn of events.

In the hospital, Chris, lying blind, reveals to Victor that defeating Pazuzu requires uniting the power from various religions and cultures within a community exorcism. This approach mirrors the climactic scene in Green's Halloween Kills. The team assembled for the exorcism includes a rootwork healer/witch doctor (implied in the film's opening), Katherine's family's pastor, a Pentecostal preacher, and a defiant Catholic priest who disregards the diocese's orders to participate.

During the exorcism, Pazuzu, in an attempt to disrupt the group's efforts, reveals an unsettling truth - Victor chose to save his wife over Angela. This revelation triggers another heart-wrenching dilemma: Pazuzu threatens to kill both girls unless the amateur exorcists make a difficult choice. To further torment them, he viciously snaps the priest's neck. The families are consumed by anguish as they grapple with the impossible decision. Finally, Katherine's father summons the strength to shout that he chooses his daughter, only to have Pazuzu cruelly declare that the chosen girl would be sacrificed. And so, Katherine tragically loses her life, with her soul dragged down to hell, while Angela miraculously awakens and is reunited with Victor, experiencing a renewed sense of faith. However, there is little solace for Katherine's grieving family in this bittersweet outcome. Meanwhile, Chris is granted the long-awaited reunion she yearned for when Regan enters the room and embraces her mother, without revealing her true identity. It is a heartbreaking moment, as Chris realizes she will never lay eyes on her beloved daughter again.