Yes, The Exorcist TV Show Will Scare the Sh*t Out of You

Updated on 9/23/2016 at 11:15 AM

When The Walking Dead soared to extreme popularity in 2010, a rash of new TV shows tried to take an equally lucrative bite out of the horror genre. A few have seen similar commercial success (American Horror Story), while others are still trying to prove themselves (The Strain, Outcast). The one thing that all of these terrifying shows have in common is the fact they're on premium networks — AMC, Showtime, Cinemax, FX — which offers them a little more creative (read: gory) freedom. This made the prospect of a TV version of The Exorcist on basic cable a little troubling. But, at the end of the dark and stormy night, the only thing that should matter for horror fans is this: is the show actually scary? It turns out this reboot, which premieres Friday night, might be exactly what we've been waiting for.

It Has a Dark, Twisted Buddy Cop Vibe

In this TV show based on a movie, based on a book, the plot is vaguely similar to its original incarnations. The story takes place in the same universe as the film, only 40 years later (which the pilot subtly nods to in a scene with a blink-and-you'll-miss-it shot of a newspaper headline).

In this story, Father Tomas Ortega (Alfonso Herrera) has become somewhat disillusioned with the church (reminiscent of the Father Karras character from the film) when he begins having vivid dreams of another priest, Father Marcus Lang (Ben Daniels), performing a violent exorcism in Mexico City halfway across the world (who seems like the Father Merrin character). Once they finally meet and Father Tomas discovers his dreams weren't dreams at all, they must work together to defeat a demon that has taken up residence in a young girl who goes to Father Tomas's church.

The Special Effects Are a Huge Upgrade From the Original Movie

The original Exorcist is a certified horror classic, but you won't see any bad prosthetics or Nickelodeon-slime-hued vomit shooting out of anyone's mouth in the update. There's a particularly gruesome scene in the pilot when one of the possessed does Reagan's iconic 360-degree neck twist, which is shown so closely and so realistically that you can see the bones of the neck breaking. Overall, it seems like the effects in the show will be more restrained than the movie, which will help keep the visual shocks fresh as they play out over the course of the 10-episode season.

There's a Huge Twist in the Pilot

There are a few well-placed jump scares throughout the first episode, but none hold a candle to the scares that go down in the last five minutes. Within those terrors is a pretty hefty twist, which is a good sign that the show isn't afraid to get creative. Here's hoping.

Geena Davis Is in It

Enough said.