Why Exorcist: Believer director isn’t scared of what the fans think

❘ Published: 2023-10-03T19:50:09

Universal Pictures

The Exorcist: Believer director David Gordon Green has opened up why he’s not scared of what the fans think.

Green is the filmmaker behind the likes of Pineapple Express, Joe, and the most recent Halloween trilogy, the latter of which proved divisive amongst fans and critics alike.

While many enjoyed the fresh take on Michael Myers, others criticized the movies for how they dealt with the horror franchise’s legacy, which is perhaps why some die-hard fans feel apprehensive about a new Exorcist trilogy.

However, ahead of the release of the first entry in Green’s revival, The Exorcist: Believer, the director has opened up about why he doesn’t fear the fanbase.

Why Exorcist: Believer director isn’t scared of what the fans think

In an exclusive interview with Dexerto, we asked David Gordon Green about the reaction to his Halloween trilogy, and whether there was a level of apprehension when delving into The Exorcist universe.

“I don’t look at it like everybody else looks at it,” he told us. “A lot of people have the fear of the fanbase, but I’m as big a fan as you’ve got for any of these things. And so I just feel like I won the lottery.”

Green went on to say: “I get to take these titles and I get to take Michael Myers or Laurie Strode or Chris MacNeil and follow the mythological path of these iconic characters in a way that I want.

“If you don’t have a point of view, if you’re just trying to make every fan happy, you’re going to fail. Because everybody has a nostalgia for the period typically between 11 years old and 16 years old when people are supercharged emotionally, hormonally, for these movies.”

While the filmmaker said this is something he “can’t compete with,” what he can do is “make new movies for that age group to shake their cage a little bit.”

“My advice to myself and my crew was let’s just make what we want. Let’s make these movies really personal,” Green continued.

“I think if we make them sincerely, it may not be what you thought you were gonna buy a ticket for, but as they settle in and you understand what we made and the decisions that we made for the journey that we took, I think they’re a lot of fun.

“I meet people every day and they’re like, ‘Well, I didn’t like it the first time I saw it, but it holds up well.’ A lot of my career, even in comedy, is [like] that because they didn’t think it was funny when they saw it, but then they see it again and they start to get the weird sense of humor I have.

“I’ve always been on the fringe of all these things. And now I’ve got these iconic titles and I just feel really fortunate.”

The Exorcist: Believer drops in cinemas on October 6. You can read more about the movie here, the cast here, and check out some of our other horror coverage below: