The Release Date For Mike Flanagan’s Exorcist Movie Is So Perfect After His Last Demon Movie

Summary

• Flanagan’s Exorcist movie release date is strategic, following his successful handling of demonic horror in Ouija: Origin of Evil.
• Flanagan’s proven track record in horror makes him the perfect filmmaker to revive the Exorcist franchise, after the underwhelming 2023 sequel.
• The highly anticipated Exorcist film in 2026 will determine Flanagan’s ability to breathe new life into a classic horror franchise.

The release date for Mike Flanagan‘s new highly anticipated Exorcist movie is spot-on following the release of his last demonic horror. The new Exorcist film will be released in 2026, some ten years after Flanagan’s Ouija: Origin of Evil was released on October 21, 2016. Flanagan’s most recent production, The Fall of the House of Usher, was released exclusively on Netflix on October 12, 2023. Given its nature, Flanagan’s Exorcist film will likely be released in October 2026.

Flanagan is a prolific horror auteur whose previous works include the critically acclaimed Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House (2018), The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020), and Midnight Mass (2021). He has also created the Netflix series The Midnight Club (2022) in addition to several feature films such as Gerald’s Game (2017) and the sequel to Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining titled Doctor Sleep (2019). Flanagan is one of the most capable filmmakers working today to tackle such hallowed horror IP as The Exorcist franchise.

Mike Flanagan’s Exorcist Movie Is Being Released 10 Years After Ouija: Origin Of Evil

Ouija: Origin Of Evil was Flanagan’s last movie about demonic possession

The 2016 prequel Ouija: Origin of Evil was his last movie that took on the horror subgenre of demonic possession, so it’s fitting that his next one is being released 10 years later. Flanagan demonstrated his ability to handle horror franchises and improve them for the better following the poor critical reception of Ouija in 2014, which received an abysmal Rotten Tomatoes score of just 6%. Under Flanagan’s direction, Ouija: Origin of Evil earned a critic score of 83% and a Certified Fresh label on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Exorcist franchise has yet to produce a sequel or installment that lived up to the hype of the 1973 original directed by William Friedkin, which to this day is still considered to be one of the most iconic horror movies ever made. The franchise was expected to be revitalized by David Gordon Green, who directed the modern Halloween trilogy, with 2023’s The Exorcist: Believer. However, both the critical reception and the box office performance of The Exorcist: Believer were poor, resulting in Flanagan being brought in to take the reins.

Ouija: Origin Of Evil Already Proves Why Mike Flanagan Is Perfect To Take Over The Exorcist

Flanagan has quite an impressive track record in the horror genre

Ouija: Origin of Evil demonstrates that Flanagan has already made a solid follow-up to a horror movie that underperformed at the box office and among critics and enhanced the overall franchise. He is now poised to do the same with The Exorcist after the 2023 movie’s blunder, which also curbed a planned Exorcist trilogy by David Gordon Green, leaving the director to pursue other projects. Flanagan has quite an impressive track record when it comes to original horror series and his 2026 Exorcist movie will determine just how prolific the filmmaker can be with the fate of a classic franchise in his hands.