Skip to main content

PILOT REVIEW: The Exorcist

THE EXORCIST













Starring: Alfonso Herrera, Ben Daniels, Hannah Kasulka, Brianne Howey, Kurt Egyiawan, with Alan Ruck, and Geena Davis

Inspired by the Novel by William Peter Blatty
Created by Jeremy Slater
Teleplay and Television Story by Jeremy Slater, Directed by Rupert Wyatt

Yes, we have another remake! FOX has an updated version of the iconic 1971 novel and 1973 film The Exorcist. The TV version is centered on a Hispanic priest, Father Thomas Ortega (Alfonso Herrera) and his dealings with people in his church like Angela and Henry Rance (Geena Davis and Alan Ruck) and their family as well as otherworldly issues like demons and the mysterious Father Marcus Keane (Ben Daniels).

I will admit I have never seen any of the movies so I have nothing to compare it to (I am much more well versed in TV shows than movies) but isn't The Exorcist supposed to be scary? I mean, I'm not really a horror fan, but if I'm going to watch a show called The Exorcist, I at least hope it will scare me a little bit and give me some thrills. Instead, this was a very slow-burn pilot with far more set-up than any actual thrills and I think that's a bad idea. Even if this show gets scarier as it continues, they needed to have more of that in the pilot so fans of the genre or the originals will come back.

The Exorcist did a decent job of mood-setting early on. There was an uneasy feeling to the show in the church and in the dark, gray-skied street scenes. The opening before the title screen seemed to not connect to the rest of the show for quite awhile and left me confused, maybe that was the point? As for the performances, I liked Alfonso Herrera in the lead role and there was some potential with the storyline involving Geena Davis and Alan Ruck. Ben Daniels was playing a type of character we see on any sort of eerie show like this, and they almost always seem to be British too!

The Exorcist was never going to be a show for me. I knew going in that it wasn't going to be my type of show and nothing in the pilot made me change that opinion. I would be curious to see what people who love that genre or the original thought of the remake. After all, it's not been getting horrible reviews. I just wondered why there were so few scares in a pilot called THE EXORCIST?

WILL I WATCH IT AGAIN?
No, I'll have to find out second-hand if it got scarier than the pilot.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

EPISODE GUIDES: Rhoda Season Five

On Thursdays, I go through classic series with a critical look at each season. Today I am looking at Season Five (the final season) of  Rhoda ! RHODA: SEASON FIVE 1978 13 episodes Rhoda' s final season was a truncated one as the show was cancelled in December 1978 after only 13 episodes had been produced (and only nine had aired). This feels like a continuation from season four in many ways except with the ill-advised split between Ida and Martin (more on that below). While  Rhoda  has an occasional good moment and even a couple decent episodes, it is a show that seems so wildly different from season one and not in a good way.  Rhoda  could never figure out what it fully wanted to be and only made it four and a half seasons as a result. Starring Valerie Harper as Rhoda Morgenstern  (13 episodes) Julie Kavner as Brenda Morgenstern  (13 episodes) Ray Buktenica as Benny Goodwin  (11 episodes) Kenneth McMillan as Jack Doyle  (9 episodes) Nancy Wa...

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1995-1996 Thursdays

On Tuesdays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Thursdays in the 1995-96 season! ABC 8:00 8:30 9:00 10:00 Sep Charlie Grace The Monroes Various Programs Oct Murder One Nov Various Programs Dec Various Programs Thursday Night Movie Jan Feb World’s Funniest Videos Before They Were Stars! Mar Apr May NBC was the powerhouse on Thursday nights but ABC still gave it the old college try in the Fall of 1995 with a trio of new dramas that they hoped would help them cut into the Peacock's dominance. Headlining their night was Murder One , a high profile new show from Steven Bochco that received much of the network's attention before the season started. The series focused on one murder case for an entire season, whi...

DECADE IN REVIEW: The Best Comedies of the 2010s

During the month of December, I will be looking back at the decade that was the 2010s on TV. I will be sharing my favorite sitcoms, dramas, the best episodes, the best performances and the worst shows of the decade. To be eligible for this list, a show had to air the majority of its episodes in the 2010s. However, for the rankings and determination, all episodes were taken into account, including ones that may have aired before 2010. I will also preface that there are comedies that have aired this decade that I haven't watched yet so this is the best of what I have watched. To be fair, that preface is more true for dramas. There's not a ton of unwatched comedies sitting in my Netflix or Amazon watchlist. So here are my Top 10 comedies of the 2010s! Close Calls:  Master of None (Netflix) - An inconsistent but occasionally fascinating commentary on many life issues done so with innovative storytelling. The Good Place (NBC) - A show that aims high with a fascinating premis...