Movie Review: 'The Exorcist: Believer' doesn't desecrate the original but it won't compel you

There may be no holier ground in horror than “The Exorcist.” As endlessly as William Friedkin’s 1973 film has been ripped off and resurrected, its power remains unalloyed. Now, just two months after the death of Friedkin and a few months shy of the original’s 50th anniversary, comes a sequel from director David Gordon Green. The film’s main additions are that, this time, there are two possessed girls and the Catholic Church is no longer the primary demon battler. This is a multidenominational “Exorcist,” yet also a less profoundly spiritual one, writes AP Film Writer Jake Coyle in his review. If “The Exorcist” summoned demons, the best “Believer” can do is to conjure tropes.