Ever since William Friedkin scared the world with “The Exorcist” in 1973, he’s set a bar so high for films about demonic possession that even decades later, very few movies manage to get close. The sequels to his film couldn’t get there, and countless exorcism pics are often more insipid than inspired. But can a TV series managed the trick of conjuring up the same level fright that Friedkin did back in ’70s? Well, Fox is going to try.
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In their corner is Rupert Wyatt (“Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes,” “The Gambler“) who has directed the pilot of this contemporary update, which sees two very different priests come together to help a woman who believes her daughter is possessed. Stylistically, the series definitely feels contemporary, for better or worse, with more quick cut style jump scares than Friedkin’s atmospheric dread. And one wonders if on network TV, “The Exorcist” will have the space to go to the same nasty places the film did; though in fairness, NBC was still able to make a plenty chilling “Hannibal.” Here’s the show’s synopsis:
Father Tomas Ortega (Alfonso Herrera, “Sense8,” “The Chosen”) is the new face of the Catholic Church: progressive, ambitious, and compassionate. He runs a small but loyal parish in the suburbs of Chicago. He has no idea that his quiet life is about to change forever. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, another priest finds himself locked in a life-and-death struggle with evil. Father Marcus Brennan (Ben Daniels, “Flesh and Bone,” “House of Cards”) is a modern-day Templar Knight, an orphan raised since childhood by the Vatican to wage war against its enemies. Father Marcus is everything Father Tomas is not: relentless, abrasive, and utterly consumed by his sacred mission. Caught in the middle is the Rance family, members of Tomas’ parish. On the surface, they’re a normal, suburban family, but all is not as it seems in this household. The patriarch, Henry Rance (guest star Alan Ruck, “Spin City,” Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), is slowly but surely losing his mind. Eldest daughter Katherine (Brianne Howey, “Scream Queens”) has become a recluse who refuses to leave her room. Her younger sister, Casey (Hannah Kasulka, “The Fosters”), thinks she’s hearing strange noises coming from inside the walls. And mother Angela (Academy Award and Golden Globe winner Geena Davis, “Commander in Chief,” Thelma & Louise) has been plagued by recurring nightmares, each more frightening than the last. Angela believes there is something in the house, a demonic presence, growing stronger by the day. Desperate, she begs Father Tomas for help, unwittingly setting the naïve young priest on a collision course with Father Marcus. Separately, each faces an insurmountable task, but together they become the only hope against an evil force that has been mobilizing for centuries.
“The Exorcist” debuts on September 23rd.
