All the Reasons WhyThe Exorcist‘s Second Season Is Even Scarier Than the First

We ’ve reached the centre of The exorciser ’s 2nd season — episode five line tonight — which mean the report is well underway but there are still slew of closed book left to reveal . Last season was famously spooky , but this time of year has been even scarier in the best form of way of life . Here are three big reasons why .

The new setting is insanely ominous

Last year , Father Marcus ( Ben Daniels ) and Father Tomas ( Alfonso Herrera ) battled a monster in Chicago , which meant city sidewalks , crowded metro , and neighborhoods pack with rows of business firm . This class , the action has make a motion to Washington ’s seemingly idyllic Nachburn Island — a place that has quick break itself to be a live spot for “ eldritch shit come about in the woods,”just as The exorciser ’s producers promised at this year ’s San Diego Comic - Con . It ’s accessible only by ferry , so forget about making a overhasty escape , and its innate beauty is tainted by extreme environmental oddities : a lamb born so deformed that it calculate like a monster ; icky insect nests in the trees ; masses of bragging flinging themselves into buildings ; and deep - water fish carcase washing up where they have no business being . If that were n’t enough , Nachburn also has an eerie lawful - crime past . Local folklore speaks of a homicidal “ Island Witch ” whose desolate belongings is seamster - made for campfire ghost story , plus there was the unknown compositor’s case of an otherwise large-hearted mankind who snapped and methodically slaughtered almost his total family , as well as one sorely recent self-annihilation . You want atmosphere ? This seat is oozing over with it .

The characters are more isolated, and way more complex

Last class , Tomas had his sister and nephew , as well as his faithful , to repeal him up . ( He also had his ex - girlfriend to tempt him , but she ’s thankfully out of the picture now . ) Though he was tagged a scallywag and was eventually excommunicated , Tomas still had certain factions of the Catholic Church behind him , including a group of peculiarly empathize nuns . Now , both gentleman are on the running from the horrifying force that’ve infiltrate the Vatican , and there ’s already been one panorama straight out of an legal action movie , in which the Rome - based Father Bennett ( Kurt Egyiawan ) desperately instructs Tomas to destroy his cellphone so he wo n’t be discovered .

draw Tomas and Marcus out of their conversant world has leave us to get to know a lot more about them , which has in turned raised the show ’s stake even eminent . We care about these guys . They are both very blemished — by now , they ’ve both literally been to blaze and back — but also very sympathetic . The younger Tomas start to believe he ’s become a more powerful exorciser than Marcus , but when he realize he still has a lot to instruct ( about both demons and human beings alike ) he owns up to his mistake . Marcus believes in their partnership and their effort and his faith is still incredibly strong , but he can sense that his kinship with God is not what it used to be , and he ’s trouble by that . He ’s also still evolving as a person , particularly now that he ’s no longer a priest . In recent workweek , The Exorcist finally pay off on a first - season hint by premise a love interest for him in the form of wildlife expert Peter Morrow ( Christopher Cousins ) .

( gravely , I ca n’t be the only Exorcist fan who cheered when the long - suffer Marcus finally got to experience a brief moment of happiness and romanticism . )

Argentina’s President Javier Milei (left) and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., holding a chainsaw in a photo posted to Kennedy’s X account on May 27. 2025.

Meanwhile , in line to the Rance fellowship of last season , who were fence by Chicago classmates , Centennial State - worker , friends , and inauspicious line of business - field hockey resister , grouping - home plate leader Andy ( John Cho ) and his foster kidskin are whole cut off from the relief of the humanity — and not just because they live on Nachburn Island . The children have been polish off from their families for various reasons : Verity ( Brianna Hildebrand ) was shout by spiritual parents who believe they could “ pray the homophile out ” ; blind Caleb ( Hunter Dillon ) was deemed “ too much work ” by his cruel father ; Truck ( Cyrus Arnold ) is autistic , and one suspect his parent lack the patience to manage for him ; and Shelby ( Alex Barima ) is the only exist child of a drug - hook female parent . They do n’t have anyone except each other — and Andy .

But Andy ’s not the picture - perfect alternate father he seems to be at first . Of course , he ’s understandably obsess by his married woman ’s felo-de-se , and he ’s incur an overwhelmingly big job worry for so many youngster . But last week , we learned that one of the children — the suspiciously adorable Grace ( Amélie Eve ) , who spent her prison term hiding in her attic bedroom because of her “ agoraphobia”—wasn’t in reality real . It seems Andy ’s brokenheartedness has made him vulnerable to the island ’s supernatural threat , which has been fob him into thinking a shy picayune girl lives in his sign of the zodiac . regrettably for Andy , Grace is in reality a demon who quickly turns tight when she does n’t get her mode .

The evil is more unknowable

In time of year one , we ascertain that the fiend terrify the Rance family was really the second sexual climax of Pazuzu , back for another pass at Regan MacNeil ’s soul ( Geena Davis trifle a grown - up rendering of the character from the original film ) . Yes , it was freaky , and it was presented in a unique way , having the entity appear as a leering old human beings when it interact with its unwilling hosts . But anyone who has seen The Exorcist flick is familiar with Pazuzu , including its affectionateness for Ouija gameboard and principal - spinning .

In season two , we ’re still not sure exactly who or what we ’re dealing with , why it ’s chosen that particular island to set up workshop , or why it ’s invent such peculiar connection with Tomas and Andy . Also , while we ’ve take in Marcus and Tomas execute one exorcism already this time of year , we have n’t gotten a sentience of which of the other chief characters will become possessed — if that is , in fact , where the report is go , which seems likely , but who knows ? No matter what , nobody is dependable . As we interpret last week when Truck attacked Verity while he was under Grace ’s dominance , the character reference do n’t have to be full - on possess to be dangerous . At this point , it feel like anything could happen and anyone could be victimized — which makes The exorciser not only intensely suspenseful , but also more terrifying than ever before .

The only watery spot so far this time of year has been Father Bennett ’s subplot . He ’s been running around Italy and Belgium , accompanied by a ruthless holy warrior incredibly named Mouse ( Zuleikha Robinson ) , trying to acquire more about the Vatican ’s fiend problem . Even with a grisly possess woman and unlimited wicked Catholic muckety - mucks to interact with , their scene just are n’t as thrilling as the ones set on the island . It seems like these two may sneak back to Chicago in the coming weeks in hunting of more selective information — and at some item , they ’re going to have to converge up with Marcus and Tomas , and in all probability whatever is masquerading as Grace , too . Given the care The Exorcist has take to craft its twists and turns thus far , no doubt this seemingly extraneous storyline will generate a vainglorious yield eventually . And none of us will ever likely slumber again after we see it .

William Duplessie