What an excellent day for an Exorcist marathon. We’ve dug up the following (un)holy tome, which tells you how to watch the Exorcist movies in order before The Exorcist: Believer (in theaters Friday, October 6). As to resolving your personal demonic infestation—we’re TV experts, not exorcists. Maybe try hot yoga?
What are the Exorcist movies?
William Friedkin’s The Exorcist (1973), an adaptation of William Peter Blatty’s 1971 novel, follows Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn), a single mother whose daughter Regan (Linda Blair) has a demon living rent-free in her body. By many accounts, the film is the scariest horror movie ever. People fainted, vomited, and called for their priests.
Unfortunately, The Exorcist birthed a series of sequels and reboots that, with the exception of The Exorcist III (1990), couldn’t chill a child. Okay, they might spook children—but the shocks won’t last into adulthood like the satanic shivers the original film implanted in our psyches.
Anyway, if you wanna watch the Exorcist movies in order, even the crappy ones, we won’t stop you—some mistakes you have to make on your own. But we promise: After you get over the original film, you’ll puke pea soup on the ensuing cinematic upchuck.
List of the Exorcist movies in release order
- The Exorcist (1973)
- Exorcist II: Heretic (1977)
- The Exorcist III (1990)
- Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)
- Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist (2005)
- The Exorcist: Believer (coming Friday, Oct. 6)
Pazuzu (Eileen Dietz) in 1973’s The Exorcist. (Photo: Warner Bros.)
Pro tip: Watching every Exorcist movie in order, including the Leap of Faith documentary, will take 668 minutes. Huh. Maybe the devil leveled up?
How to watch the Exorcist movies in order
To stream the Exorcist movies via on-demand streaming TV services, use the JustWatch links below. You’ll also find links to rent or buy the Exorcist movies from video-on-demand (VOD) retailers like Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Google Play Movies, VUDU, and more.
Where to watch The Exorcist (1973)
Where to watch The Exorcist II: Heretic (1977)
Pro tip: The Exorcist III—directed by William Peter Blatty, author of the original Exorcist novels—is the best Exorcist sequel. It features a brilliant, chilling performance by Brad Dourif (the voice of Chucky) as a possessed serial killer.
Where to watch Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)
Where to watch The Exorcist: Believer (in theaters Friday, October 6)
The Exorcist: Believer, the first film in a new Exorcist trilogy from David Gordon Green, comes out Friday, October 6. Since it’s a Universal production, expect it to stream on Peacock after its theatrical run.
How to watch the Exorcist movies in chronological order
We usually recommend watching a film series in chronological order after you’ve seen the films in release order. But you know what? If you haven’t seen the films, watching the Exorcist movies in chronological order could be pretty cool.
The prequels won’t seem so bad if you watch them first, and the best Exorcist movie (the original, of course) will seem even better. Then you can give yourself a break with the unintentional comedy Exorcist II: The Heretic before screening the best Exorcist sequel, series creator William Peter Blatty’s underrated The Exorcist III. Then hit the theater for The Exorcist: Believer (and pray to Pazuzu that it doesn’t stink).
List of the Exorcist movies in chronological order
- Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist (released in 2005, set in 1947)
- Exorcist: The Beginning (released in 2004, set in 1949)
- The Exorcist (1973)
- Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
- The Exorcist III (1990)
- The Exorcist: Believer (in theaters Friday, October 6)
Pro tip: Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist (2019) is a Shudder original.
How to rent or buy the Exorcist movies digitally
If the Exorcist movies aren’t on one of your streaming services, you can rent or buy them from the video-on-demand (VOD) retailers in the JustWatch links above.
Pro tip: If your 4K TV has AI-upscaling, and you don’t need perfect 4K HDR video, rent or buy the Exorcist films in HD (digital media) or Blu-ray (physical media). Your TV will make them look almost as good as 4K—and you’ll save a few bucks.
How to watch The Exorcist TV series (2016–2017)
The Exorcist TV series ran for two seasons, and while it doesn’t beat the original film, the series—unlike the sequels—is worth watching. It streams only on Hulu, but you can rent or buy both seasons from video-on-demand (VOD) retailers like Amazon Prime Video, Google Play Movies, and VUDU. Or you can pick up both seasons on DVD (links below).
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