Exorcist: The Beginning

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Exorcist: The Beginning

R

2004

1h 54m

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

10%

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131 Reviews

27%

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50,000+ Ratings

Father Merrin is haunted by his experiences in World War II, when occupying Nazi troops forced him to be complicit in their atrocities. In the aftermath, he has renounced his faith and begun working as an archaeologist. He travels to Kenya, where a fifth-century Byzantine church holds ancient relics. There he encounters Sarah, a doctor and concentration camp survivor. The strange occurrences that soon begin reunite him with the evil he sought to escape.

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Critics Consensus

A mediocre, gory horror film, nowhere near the quality of the 1973 original.

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Namrata Joshi

Outlook

Jan 7, 2019

2/4

The sfx in the climactic duel with the Devil is cheesy to say the least and the Devil's makeup render him more laughable than scary. On the face of it, the dice is loaded heavily against the movie.

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J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

Feb 27, 2007

The serious Catholic themes that made the original film genuinely disturbing have been flattened out into a cartoonish backstory pitting Merrin against Nazi storm troopers.

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Time Out

Jun 24, 2006

Reams of tedious exposition finally give way to a random jumble of horror movie clichs, rising to a shrill pitch of hysteria that is never remotely frightening.

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James Croot

The Post NZ

Oct 7, 2022

2/5

One of the most pointless prequels of all-time.

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Nigel Floyd

The List

Apr 22, 2019

1/5

Leaving aside the folly of making a prequel to William Friedkin's 1973 horror classic, this fails on every level. Ninety minutes of tedious exposition give way to a random jumble of horror clichés that rise to a shrill pitch of hysteria.

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Dorothy Woodend

The Tyee (British Columbia)

Aug 24, 2017

Unlike the first film, in which audience members fainted and threw up, the showdown between good and evil prompted more laughter amongst the audience than terror.

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Alyssa D

@RT61796684 Oct 10, 2026

It's just kinda meh. So I thought after watching both this and the Dominion that I would have a clear choice for a favourite but I don't. This one has shit storytelling and it jumps around between places just giving glimpses of a story but never giving you the full picture. At the same time though, it is more entertaining. It actually has some scares and suspense to it which is lacking from the other. So it's a toss up.

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B P

@Bradster69 Sep 1, 2026

Not Bad, but Not My Favorite

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diogo13 T

@Tua_mera Jul 11, 2026

Era melhor ter parado no clássico mesmo... Que filme chato

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thiago S

@Thiagostone Jun 8, 2026

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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Linkin E

@LinkZuh Dec 13, 2025

It Was Okay. Just Your Typical Horror/Paranormal Prequel Film. This Was The 4th Film Of ‘The Exorcist’ Franchise/Trilogy. And It’s Named/Titled: ‘Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)’. Directed By Renny Harlin.

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Anthony V

@Asv4k8 Sep 11, 2025

This is so underrated. Yes it's different from the first exorcist, but it's definitely meant to be more thriller / horror / suspense. In my opinion it's better in some ways. It deserves better, a more adult Indiana Jones if you will. The ones ranking this need to re-evaluate it not based on the first exorcist but in its own right. I think if you give it a shot you'll find it up with the likes of the original alien and predator movie sans some of the effects.

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Renny Harlin

Director

Stellan Skarsgård

Father Lankester Merrin

Izabella Scorupco

Sarah

James D'Arcy

Father Francis

Remy Sweeney

Joseph

Julian Wadham

Major Granville

Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist

29%

25%

Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist

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60%

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Exorcist: The Beginning: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Father Merrin is haunted by his experiences in World War II, when occupying Nazi troops forced him to be complicit in their atrocities. In the aftermath, he has renounced his faith and begun working as an archaeologist. He travels to Kenya, where a fifth-century Byzantine church holds ancient relics. There he encounters Sarah, a doctor and concentration camp survivor. The strange occurrences that soon begin reunite him with the evil he sought to escape.

Director: Renny Harlin
Producer: James G. Robinson
Screenwriter: William Wisher Jr., Caleb Carr, Alexi Hawley, William Peter Blatty
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Morgan Creek Productions
Rating: R (Gore|Disturbing Images and Rituals|Language|Some Sexual Dialogue|Strong Violence)
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 20, 2004, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 7, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $41.8M
Runtime: 1h 54m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby SRD, DTS, Surround
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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