Exorcist: The Beginning is a 2004 American supernatural horror film and the prequel to the 1973 film The Exorcist. It is the fourth installment of The Exorcist series. It was adapted by William Wisher Jr., Caleb Carr, and Alexi Hawley and was directed by Renny Harlin. The film stars Stellan Skarsgrd, Izabella Scorupco, James D'Arcy, Ben Cross, Ralph Brown, and Alan Ford.
Exorcist: The Beginning was retooled from Paul Schrader's already completed Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist, which Morgan Creek Productions executives feared would be unsuccessful. Reviews for Harlin's film were overwhelmingly negative, and it was not a financial success. Schrader was subsequently allowed to release his version of Dominion, which was somewhat better reviewed than Harlin's film but still earned mostly negative reviews.