Evil succeeds where “The Exorcist” fails.

I have been waiting to make this point for a long time. To put it bluntly: I do not like The Exorcist.

While that take might diverge from the mainstream horror consensus, it comes down to a fundamental storytelling mechanic. And the reason The Exorcist leaves me cold is the exact same reason I enthusiastically binged all four seasons of the streaming show Evil in a single week.

It all comes down to how a story builds its empathy engine.

The Crutch of Collective Belief

The Exorcist was a movie of its time. When it premiered in the 1970s, the core Judeo-Christian belief system underpinning its premise was broadly accepted by roughly 90% of the US population, according to data from the General Social Survey and Pew Research Center. Today, that number sits closer to 65%.

If you watched the film prior to the 1990s, especially at a young age, you likely accepted the premise of demonic possession and pastoral authority at face value. That shared cultural baseline shaped a lifetime of horror for a generation.

But what if you don't buy into the core premise? What if you are an atheist who doesn't believe in the Devil, God, or the institutional authority of Catholicism?

This is where The Exorcist fails for me. Great art functions as an empathy machine, allowing the audience to understand the thoughts and feelings of characters they might otherwise never relate to. The Exorcist doesn't do that heavy lifting. It simply assumes you already believe in God, relying on that cultural consensus as a crutch rather than crafting a universally accessible narrative — at least, that’s how it played for me. Without that baseline of faith, a subliminal flash frame of a demonic face isn't scary—it just feels like a laughable piece of Catholic propaganda.

Enter Evil: The Three-Spoked Empathy Engine

This brings us to Evil, a four-season series streaming on Paramount. On paper, it seems like a contradiction that I would love this show, considering it dives even deeper into demonic mythology and probably features far more exorcisms than the entire Exorcist franchise combined.

The difference is that Evil—created by Michelle and Robert King, the minds behind The Good Wife and the brilliant, short-lived BrainDead—treats skepticism with genuine respect. It builds a multi-faceted empathy engine through its three lead characters, who work as investigators for the Catholic Church:

• David (Mike Colter): The priest-to-be, providing an entry point for believers.

• Kristen (Katja Herbers): The skeptical psychologist, offering a lens for atheists.

• Ben (Aasif Mandvi): The scientist and technologist, representing agnostics and those outside the Christian faith.

The team's job is to investigate and literally debunk religious claims. They approach every case with skepticism, and most of the time, they succeed in finding a rational, real-world explanation for the phenomena.

Grounding the Supernatural

Because the show anchors itself in the perspective of these skeptics, the scares actually land when the rational explanations fail. Rather than relying on cheap gore, the series builds tension through the horror of the unseen and what might be lurking in the shadows of a dark room. It flirts with dream-versus-reality tropes in a way that mirrors the high stakes of A Nightmare on Elm Street, keeping the audience uncertain of what is real.

Critically, Evil doesn't force propaganda down your throat. It isn't afraid to criticize the Catholic Church as an institution, openly addressing systemic corruption and administrative doubt. Over the final two seasons, even as David gets ordained, the show consistently challenges his convictions, demonstrating that even the institution struggles with its own narrative.

By acknowledging skepticism and letting its characters actively question the framework they are playing in, Evil shatters the rigid cultural assumptions that make The Exorcist so inaccessible. It builds its own narrative truth, providing a compelling sandbox where even a hardened non-believer can care about the characters and the story.

If you haven't seen Evil yet, it is well worth adding to your list. And if you think I am entirely wrong about The Exorcist, the comment section is open.

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