The Exorcist franchise is getting a sequel from modern horror maestro Mike Flanagan, who believes that it will be the scariest movie he’s ever made. Flanagan is best known for his work on Netflix, which includes critically acclaimed shows like Midnight Mass and The Haunting of Hill House, and the Stephen King adaptation of Gerald’s Game. A lifelong horror fan, Flanagan is lending his talents to a follow-up to The Exorcist, unrelated to David Gordon Green’s poorly-received The Exorcist: Believer legacy sequel from 2023.
Mike Flanagan tells The Hollywood Reporter that expectations are appropriately high for his take on The Exorcist, and he is not trying to shy away from them. The unique opportunity to build upon the vast legacy of The Exorcist in a way that reinvigorates the franchise by making it the scariest movie he’s ever made is something that Flanagan felt like he had to take advantage of. The director does not give away any specific plot details, but makes it clear that he intends to make something new that isn’t built on nostalgia.
“We aren’t making this easy on ourselves. (
Laughs
.) But I’ve always felt that there’s no point in going into a franchise or into a property that monolithic unless there’s something new you can bring. I chased
The Exorcist
very aggressively because I was convinced I had something that I could add. This is an opportunity to do something that I believe has never been done within the franchise — something that honors what came before it but isn’t built on nostalgia. I really just saw an opportunity to make the scariest movie I’ve ever made. I know expectations are high. No one’s more intimidated than I am.”
Flanagan Has an Even Bigger Goal in Mind for Exorcist
Mike Flanagan hopes to not only make his Exorcist sequel the most horrifying film in his directing career, but the scariest horror movie of all time, period. As someone passionate about the original film and understands how it was received by people at the time, Flanagan wants the upcoming sequel to connect with modern audiences in the same manner. The horror filmmaker even gets nauseous at the prospect of this brave endeavor.
“The original Exorcist is a formative film for me. I’ve only once in my career felt this feeling of stepping into the shadow of a monolith. I’m already nauseous every day about The Exorcist. When it came out, it was the scariest movie of all time at that time. Modern audiences don’t necessarily connect with the film the same way, so my mission for this is to try to make it the scariest movie of the time. If I can do that, then I hope it will connect with people.”
If anyone is ready to do the original Exorcist film justice for modern audiences, it’s Mike Flanagan. Throughout his work on television and in movies, Flanagan is a master at creating tension and crafting truly horrifying sequences. However, Flanagan has also always made the humanity of his characters a priority in his horror projects, no matter how messed up they may be. There is always an emotional backbone to his writing, a steady post audiences can latch onto while taking on an often heart-pounding journey. Flanagan is also no stranger to directing follow-ups to iconic horror films, as he previously delivered a bold, terrifying sequel to The Shining called Doctor Sleep.
