The Exorcist – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

The Exorcist

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

movie2025

45%

WISE Score

Viking axes meet demonic possession in a 2025 reboot that trades the power of Christ for the blood-soaked wrath of Odin.

5.5

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The Exorcist

movie

2025

45%

WISE Score

Viking axes meet demonic possession in a 2025 reboot that trades the power of Christ for the blood-soaked wrath of Odin.

5.5

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5.5

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Screenwise Verdict

If you’re expecting the head-spinning, pea-soup-spitting nostalgia of the original, you’re in the wrong theater. This 2025 version of The Exorcist is a brutal, muddy, and deeply weird historical horror that feels more like a Viking saga than a religious thriller. It’s well-made, but it’s also mean-spirited and incredibly violent.

For parents, this is a hard 'no' for family night. It’s the kind of movie that stays with you in the wrong way if you aren't prepared for the level of ritualistic gore. It’s an interesting creative swing for the franchise, but it’s definitely not for the faint of heart or the young.

Age Fit

This is strictly for adults and very mature older teens who are already horror veterans. The combination of historical gore and spiritual trauma makes it a heavy lift for anyone under 17.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

This isn't about kindness or cooperation; it's a bleak cycle of possession and violent revenge. It’s emotionally taxing and intentionally disturbing.

Imaginative

Mixing the Exorcist IP with Viking battles and pagan rituals is a wild, creative swing that moves far beyond the standard 'priest in a bedroom' tropes.

Safe

Heavy gore, ritualistic violence, and intense psychological horror. It’s designed to be unsafe for a general audience, especially kids.

Enriching

Offers some interesting exploration of pagan folklore and historical conflict, but the focus is primarily on the visceral horror and revenge plot.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Genre Mashup: It’s rare to see high-budget horror blend historical Viking warfare with spiritual possession.
Visual Grit: The practical effects for the pagan rituals and battles are reportedly top-tier and genuinely unsettling.
Bold Direction: It refuses to play the hits; you won't find many callbacks to the 1973 original here.
Atmospheric World-Building: The setting of the new home and its 'gruesome discovery' creates a heavy, dread-filled environment.

⚠

What to Watch For

The Viking battle sequences are essentially a different movie spliced in—think The Northman levels of limb-hacking and brutality.
The possession scenes lean into 'pagan rituals' rather than Catholic ones, involving animal remains and ritualistic scarring.
The 'violent revenge' plot line is nihilistic; don't expect a redemptive or happy ending for the couple involved.

Conversation Starters

"Why do you think the filmmakers chose to mix Viking history with a possession story?"
"Does the movie make revenge look satisfying, or does it just seem like it makes everything worse?"
"How does this version of 'evil' differ from the demons we usually see in movies?"

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