How to Watch The Exorcist in Order
6 movies · 1973–2023
The Exorcist franchise is one of the most influential and terrifying supernatural horror sagas in cinema history, exploring the eternal battle between good and evil through demonic possession, religious faith, and the terrifying consequences of confronting forces beyond human understanding. Beginning with William Friedkin's groundbreaking 1973 masterpiece, the story follows Regan MacNeil, a young girl whose disturbing behavior gradually reveals the presence of a powerful demonic entity. As medical explanations fail, her desperate mother turns to Catholic priests Damien Karras and Lankester Merrin, who must confront an ancient evil through the dangerous ritual of exorcism. What begins as one family's nightmare becomes a chilling exploration of spiritual warfare, human vulnerability, and the terrifying possibility that absolute evil exists.
Throughout the franchise, the mythology expands beyond Regan's possession, exploring Father Merrin's earlier encounters with demonic forces, the lasting consequences of exorcisms, and new manifestations of supernatural evil across different generations. Films such as Exorcist II: The Heretic, The Exorcist III, the prequels, and The Exorcist: Believer introduce new victims, disturbing mysteries, and increasingly dangerous confrontations between faith and darkness. Combining psychological terror, religious symbolism, disturbing imagery, and profound questions about morality, sacrifice, and redemption, the saga remains a defining landmark of possession horror. Its central message is haunting: evil can invade even the most innocent lives, and sometimes faith is humanity's last defense against unimaginable darkness.
Watching for the first time?
Start in release order: The Exorcist (1973)
Following the story?
In chronological order, the first is: Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist (2005)
The Exorcist (1973)
The groundbreaking horror classic follows young Regan MacNeil's terrifying demonic possession and the desperate efforts of Fathers Merrin and Karras to save her through an exorcism. Absolutely essential viewing, as it establishes the franchise's central mythology, its exploration of faith versus evil, and the foundation for its sequels and prequels.
Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
Regan MacNeil struggles with the psychological aftermath of her demonic possession while Father Philip Lamont investigates the mysterious circumstances surrounding Father Merrin's death. This optional sequel expands the mythology of Pazuzu and explores the lasting effects of demonic encounters, although later installments do not directly continue its storyline.
The Exorcist III (1990)
Lieutenant William Kinderman investigates a series of brutal murders connected to the mysterious Gemini Killer, uncovering terrifying supernatural secrets linked to the original exorcism. Essential for following William Peter Blatty's continuation of the story, this psychological horror film expands the franchise's themes of faith, evil, and demonic manipulation while largely disregarding the events of Exorcist II.
Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)
Father Lankester Merrin encounters the terrifying demon Pazuzu during an archaeological expedition in East Africa, revealing the experiences that shaped his future battle against evil. This optional prequel offers a more violent, supernatural interpretation of Merrin's origins and retells a similar story to Dominion rather than continuing its events.
Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist (2005)
Father Lankester Merrin confronts a mysterious demonic presence during an archaeological excavation in Kenya, forcing him to question his shattered faith. This psychological and spiritually focused prequel is an optional alternative version of the events depicted in Exorcist: The Beginning, rather than a separate chapter in the same timeline.
The Exorcist: Believer (2023)
Two young girls, Angela Fielding and Katherine West, become victims of a terrifying demonic possession, forcing their families to seek help from Chris MacNeil, who survived her daughter's possession decades earlier. This optional legacy sequel reconnects the franchise with its 1973 origins while introducing a new generation of characters and exploring the power of faith, family, and collective resistance against evil.
Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist (2005)
1947 — Alternate prequel set in post-World War II Kenya, before The Exorcist (1973).
Father Lankester Merrin confronts a mysterious demonic presence during an archaeological excavation in Kenya, forcing him to question his shattered faith. This psychological and spiritually focused prequel is an optional alternative version of the events depicted in Exorcist: The Beginning, rather than a separate chapter in the same timeline.
Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)
1949 — Alternate prequel set in East Africa, decades before The Exorcist (1973).
Father Lankester Merrin encounters the terrifying demon Pazuzu during an archaeological expedition in East Africa, revealing the experiences that shaped his future battle against evil. This optional prequel offers a more violent, supernatural interpretation of Merrin's origins and retells a similar story to Dominion rather than continuing its events.
The Exorcist (1973)
Circa 1973 — Original story set in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., decades after Merrin's early encounters with evil.
The groundbreaking horror classic follows young Regan MacNeil's terrifying demonic possession and the desperate efforts of Fathers Merrin and Karras to save her through an exorcism. Absolutely essential viewing, as it establishes the franchise's central mythology, its exploration of faith versus evil, and the foundation for its sequels and prequels.
Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
1977 — Four years after the events of The Exorcist (1973).
Regan MacNeil struggles with the psychological aftermath of her demonic possession while Father Philip Lamont investigates the mysterious circumstances surrounding Father Merrin's death. This optional sequel expands the mythology of Pazuzu and explores the lasting effects of demonic encounters, although later installments do not directly continue its storyline.
The Exorcist III (1990)
Circa 1990 — Fifteen years after the original exorcism, following an alternative continuation to Exorcist II.
Lieutenant William Kinderman investigates a series of brutal murders connected to the mysterious Gemini Killer, uncovering terrifying supernatural secrets linked to the original exorcism. Essential for following William Peter Blatty's continuation of the story, this psychological horror film expands the franchise's themes of faith, evil, and demonic manipulation while largely disregarding the events of Exorcist II.
The Exorcist: Believer (2023)
2023 — Fifty years after The Exorcist (1973), following a new legacy-sequel storyline.
Two young girls, Angela Fielding and Katherine West, become victims of a terrifying demonic possession, forcing their families to seek help from Chris MacNeil, who survived her daughter's possession decades earlier. This optional legacy sequel reconnects the franchise with its 1973 origins while introducing a new generation of characters and exploring the power of faith, family, and collective resistance against evil.