One of the most hotly-anticipated horror movies of this year’s spooky season would be David Gordon Green’s bone-chilling reboot of the Exorcist franchise. With The Exorcist: Believer set to begin haunting theaters at the end of this week, die-hard devotees of the possession sub-genre are undoubtedly gearing up for an experience like no other. From OG veteran Ellen Burstyn making her long-awaited return to the franchise to the new movie borrowing obvious inspiration from William Friedkin’s ‘73 masterpiece, this spooky season is shaping up to be one for the ages.

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In preparation for the film’s release this week, Exorcist fanatics are surely interested in partaking in a major rewatch of the series. But while watching an abundance of possession movies just before another fresh-faced possession movie might feel like something nightmares are made of, I wouldn’t expect anything less from the horror community. After all, fear is our prized possession. Get it?

How many Exorcist movies are there?

As it stands, there are currently five Exorcist movies available to watch right now, while the sixth movie, The Exorcist: Believer, will be out in theaters on Friday. In addition, Blumhouse and David Gordon Green have collaborated to craft two more Exorcist movies in the updated trilogy which will be released at a later time. 

Despite there being a handful of different movies in the franchise, one common theme throughout most of these projects is demonic possession orchestrated at the hands of the ancient entity Pazuzu. As similar as most of the movies are, unknowing horror fans might be surprised to learn the separate watch orders for the franchise.

How do you watch the Exorcist movies in order?

For those looking to follow the film’s events in a specific, straight-forward timeline, then the franchise’s chronological order will present the most enjoyable viewing:

• Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist (2005)
• Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)
• The Exorcist (1973)
• Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
• The Exorcist III (1990)
• The Exorcist: Believer (2023)

On the other hand, those looking to adhere to the film series by watching the order of release date are in for a separate treat. The official release order of the Exorcist movies is as follows:

• The Exorcist (1973)
• Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
• The Exorcist III (1990)
• Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)
• Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist (2005)
• The Exorcist: Believer (2023)

Of course, it’ll be interesting to see where The Exorcist: Believer lands in regards to our official ranking of the movies, but for now, franchise fanatics should dive back in and explore the series’ roots.