[Interview] David Gordon Green for THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER

In David Gordon Green ‘s latest stab at horror, THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER, we meet Victor Fielding (Leslie Odom Jr) a single parent raising his daughter, Angela (Lidya Jewett), after the death of his pregnant wife in a Haitian earthquake 12 years ago.

But when Angela and her friend Katherine (newcomer Olivia O’Neill), disappear in the woods, only to return three days later with no memory of what happened to them, it unleashes a chain of events that will force Victor to confront the nadir of evil and, in his terror and desperation, seek out the only person alive who has witnessed anything like it before: Chris MacNeil.

Leading up to the release of THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER, Nightmarish Conjurings’ Shannon McGrew chatted with director David Gordon Green. During their interview, they discussed everything from bringing Ellen Burstyn back to incorporating different religious elements into the film, and more.

Editor’s note: This interview features spoilers. Proceed with caution.

Director David Gordon Green on the set of The Exorcist: Believer.

It’s such a pleasure to be speaking with you today, David. The Exorcist holds a prominent place in cinematic history, being an iconic movie not only in the horror genre but in the broader realm of film. What drew you to the idea of revitalizing The Exorcist, and did you have any concerns about how audiences, specifically horror fans, would react to your approach to handling such a revered and iconic film?

David Gordon Green: It’s tricky because a lot of people ask is it daunting and for some reason, I just look at the opportunity of it. I look at the idea of, I can make something that is in the playground of something that means a lot to me, under the title that’s something that means a lot to a lot of people, and I could infuse that with things that are personally relevant to me and make a movie that a lot of people want to see.

I’ve spent a lot of my career with kind of these fractured ingredients of, I can make a really personal little indie drama and I can’t find the audience to turn up for it or I’ll try to make a comedy that I think infuses my strange sense of humor. I’m always trying to find what that formula is in connecting my craft with an audience because I really value the audience experience. I don’t engineer it specifically for a fan base but if I can do my job correctly I can make it really personal and meaningful to me so I’m invested in it. But then it can also be shared with people that have an appreciation.

The performances of Lidya Jewett and Olivia O’Neill, especially after their characters have been possessed, really bring this film to life. What was the casting process like and what measures did you take to prepare them for these significant roles?

David Gordon Green: It’s amazing how much these roles are their intuition. They read the scripts. Their parents read the scripts, [and] we talked about it, the meaning of it. Then we started rehearsal and we were feeling it and then we put them in makeup and we let them go. It really is just, here’s the dance floor, do your interpretative dance, do your performance art. It was very inspiring to watch Lydia and Olivia bring these characters… I almost said creatures, because sometimes it gets to that point.

Christopher Nelson, who did our makeup, looked at it in phases. When we get to our final point in the most dramatic makeup layer, very inspired by Dick Smith’s work in the original film, it’s something else. It does become almost a monster movie and so much of the film, I resist that. I’m trying to make it a human film and then there’s a point where it just gets to that point of gruesome, of where did my daughter go? That’s a question I think is fascinating to ask.

I appreciated the unique take on religion in the film. In most possession movies, the lens is often focused on the Catholic/Christian perspective. However, in this film, you incorporate various religions and faiths. What was the creative process behind this approach?

David Gordon Green: In the opening of the movie, there’s a Haitian voodoo ritual performed by an authentic Haitian priestess. It’s a blessing for a baby and a pregnant mother and it’s there for protection. All the Catholic priests are real Catholic priests. We tried to bring an authenticity to this.

The other thing that I find fascinating is the perspective. I live in the South and the perspective of hoodoo culture as it relates to voodoo culture and the evolution from traditional healing rituals in Africa and these types of very often misunderstood ceremonies, rituals, and practices. As much as we’re making a horror movie in its broadest form of terminology, I also wanted to make a movie that felt like it embraces the passion people have for whatever it is they believe without making it look scary. I don’t know why I’m thinking of Angel Heart as a movie that makes the voodoo culture very curious, same with Serpent and the Rainbow.

For this movie, I wanted to bring a beauty to it and a peacefulness to it, an organic quality that exists within it, and make a different perspective of how to deal with possession and utilize that to make our film stand out. Because it isn’t just a priest in collar and the Roman Rite. This is different perspectives from root work to [the] Baptist to medical considerations of what might be going on with our kids.

Having grown up indoctrinated into the Christian faith, I early on recognized the limited role that women typically have in the structure of organized religion. What struck me as something special in this movie was witnessing Ann Dowd being given the opportunity to conduct the exorcism, a role not typically granted to women within the church.

David Gordon Green: Did you catch the Chris MacNeil line that she added? When she’s sitting down with Victor for the first time she references Regan’s exorcism and mentions how she wasn’t even allowed in the room. And he says, why not? And she mentions the patriarchy. So she has her little subtle acknowledgment of that by mentioning not being allowed in the room 50 years ago. I always thought that was a fun little biting note that I wanted to include in the film.

Speaking of Chris MacNeil, what factors influenced the choice to reintroduce the character, and what was the experience like welcoming Ellen Burstyn back to the project?

David Gordon Green: How could you not? It was really an opportunity to get in the ring with a legend. Her ideas and input were really valuable to me, too. I was too nervous to give her the script and was pitching the idea to her and I remember there was a point where I was talking about an event that happened to her and she’s like, stop right there. I don’t die in this movie, do I, David? [Laughs]. I love having that playful rapport with her and went from being a consultant to being a collaborator to being a friend. It was really fun to be able to have her.

What would you like to convey to both dedicated Exorcist fans and the general audience to pique their interest to go and watch THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER?

David Gordon Green: I feel like if you’re a curious person, this movie has something to offer you. If you’re curious about what this filmmaker might have done to your favorite franchise, if you’re curious about what’s out there, what’s above and beyond, what’s after it all? If you’re curious about believing in what’s real or is it the power of suggestion? Is all that we’ve been spoon-fed just a placebo? I think this movie is for the curious and it asks a lot of questions. I try to use ambiguity to the benefit of the film, much like Friedkin did, although I think he got away with a lot more than we can get away with today, but part of that curiosity is my enjoyment as a filmmaker. I am hopeful that an audience can appreciate that as well.

THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER arrives in theaters on October 6.

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Shannon McGrew

Founder/Co-Owner at Nightmarish Conjurings

Shannon is the Founder of Nightmarish Conjurings and a lover of all things horror and haunt related. When she's not obsessively collecting all things "Trick 'R Treat" related, or trying to convince everyone that "Hereditary" is one of the greatest horror films ever made, you can find her designing interiors for commercial restaurants. An avid haunt fan, Shannon spends the entire year visiting haunts and immersive experiences throughout the Southern California area and hopes to one day design her own haunted attraction.

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