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The Exorcist (film series)

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The Exorcist
The Exorcist anthology DVD.jpg
The Exorcist: The Complete Anthology box set containing all 5 films

Directed by
William Friedkin
John Boorman
William Peter Blatty
Paul Schrader
Renny Harlin
Produced by
Carter DeHaven
John Boorman
William Peter Blatty
Noel Marshall
Written by
William Peter Blatty
 (The Exorcist, The Exorcist III)
 William Goodhart
Uncredited:
John Boorman
Rospo Pallenberg
 (The Exorcist II)
Starring
see individual articles
Music by
Barry Devorzon
Ennio Morricone
Jack Nitzsche
Mike Oldfield
Cinematography
Gerry Fisher
William A. Fraker
Editing by
Peter Lee Thompson
 Todd Ramsay
Tom Priestley
 Norman Gay
Studio
Morgan Creek Productions (III)
Distributed by
Warner Bros. (I and II and current rights holder of III)
20th Century Fox (III)
Release date(s)
1973, 1977, 1989, 2000, 2004, 2005
Country
United States
Language
English
Box office
$661,478,540
 (worldwide total, all five films)
The Exorcist is an American horror film series consisting of five installments based on the fictional story from the novel The Exorcist, created by William Blatty. The films have been distributed by Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox.
The films have grossed over $661 million at the worldwide box office. Critics have given the films mixed reviews. In 2004, a prequel (Exorcist: The Beginning) was released. This was the second version of the prequel film made at that time as the first version (directed by Paul Schrader) was deemed unsatisfactory by the studio upon completion, and the entire project was refilmed by director Renny Harlin. However, Schrader's version received a limited release in 2005, after Harlin's, and was titled Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Films 1.1 The Exorcist
1.2 Exorcist II: The Heretic
1.3 The Exorcist III
1.4 Exorcist: The Beginning
1.5 Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist
2 Curse
3 Cut scenes 3.1 The "Spider-Walk Scene"
3.2 III
4 Reception 4.1 Box office
5 Awards and honors 5.1 Academy Awards
5.2 Others
6 Homemedia release 6.1 On the DVD
6.2 In the box
6.3 Blu-ray
7 References
8 External links
Films[edit]
The Exorcist[edit]
Main article: The Exorcist (film)
Based on the 1971 novel by William Peter Blatty, The Exorcist marries three scenarios into one plot.
The movie opens with Father Merrin (Max von Sydow) on an archaeological dig in Al-hadar near Nineveh in Iraq. He is then brought to a near-by hole where a small stone is found, resembling a grimacing, bestial creature. After talking to one of his supervisors, he then travels to a spot where a strange statue stands, specifically Pazuzu, with a head similar to the one he found earlier. He sees an ominous figure and two dogs fight loudly nearby, setting the tone for the rest of the film.
Exorcist II: The Heretic[edit]
Main article: Exorcist II: The Heretic
Father Philip Lamont (Richard Burton), who is struggling with his faith, is assigned by the Cardinal (Paul Henreid) to investigate the death of Father Lankester Merrin (Max von Sydow), who had been killed four years prior in the course of exorcising the Assyrian demon Pazuzu from Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair). The Cardinal informs Lamont (who has had some experience at exorcism, and has been exposed to Merrin's teachings) that Merrin is up on posthumous heresy charges. Some Church authorities are not sure the exorcism should have been performed (even though it had been officially approved by the local Bishop); also, Merrin’s writings are considered very controversial. Apparently, Church authorities are trying to modernize and do not want to acknowledge that Satan (in terms of an actual evil entity) exists.
The Exorcist III[edit]
Main article: The Exorcist III
It is a film adaptation of his 1983 novel Legion, and stars George C. Scott including several cast members — Jason Miller, Ed Flanders, Scott Wilson and George DiCenzo — from his previous film The Ninth Configuration.
The story takes place 15 years after the events of The Exorcist (ignoring Exorcist II: The Heretic[1]) and centers around the philosophical police detective William F. Kinderman from the first film, who is investigating a baffling series of murders in Georgetown that appear to have a satanic motive behind them and furthermore have all the hallmarks of "The Gemini", a deceased serial killer (portrayed by Brad Dourif).
Originally titled Legion, the film was drastically changed in post-production after re-writes and re-shoots ordered by the studio executives of Morgan Creek Productions,[2] demanding the last-minute addition of an exorcism sequence, and the film was released as The Exorcist III in order to be more commercial. The final version differed from Blatty's vision; and all of the original footage is apparently lost.[3]
Exorcist: The Beginning[edit]
Main article: Exorcist: The Beginning
The plot revolves around the crisis of faith suffered by Father Merrin (Stellan Skarsgård) following the horrific events he witnessed during World War II.
After WWII, Merrin is an archaeologist in Cairo, when he is approached by a collector of antiquities who asks him to come to a British excavation in the Turkana region of Kenya. This dig is excavating a Christian Byzantine church from the 5th century—long before Christianity had reached that region. Further, the church is in perfect condition, as though it had been buried immediately after the construction was completed. Merrin is asked to participate in the dig and find an ancient relic hidden in the ruins before the British do. Merrin takes the job, but soon discovers that all is not well—something evil lies in the church and is infecting the region. The local tribesman hired to dig refuse to enter the building, and there are stories of an epidemic that wiped out an entire village. However, when Merrin, growing suspicious of these rumors, digs up one of the graves of the supposed victims of this plague, he discovers it is empty. Meanwhile, the evil grows, turning people against each other and resulting in violence, atrocities, and more bloodshed
Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist[edit]
Main article: Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist
Many years before the events in The Exorcist, the young Father Lankester Merrin (played by Skarsgård, who played the same part in the Exorcist: The Beginning) travels to East Africa. Merrin has taken a sabbatical from the Church and devoted himself to history and archaeology as he struggles with his shattered faith. He is haunted especially by an incident in small village in occupied Holland during World War II, where he served as parish priest. Near the end of the war, a sadistic Nazi SS commander, in retaliation for the murder of a German trooper, forces Merrin to participate in arbitrary executions in order to save a full village from slaughter.
He meets up with a team of archaeologists, who are seeking to unearth a church that they believe has been buried for centuries. At first, Merrin resists the idea that supernatural forces are in play, but eventually helps them, and the ensuing events result in an encounter with Pazuzu, the same demon referenced in The Exorcist.
Curse[edit]
Some claim the first film was cursed. Blatty has stated on video[4] some strange occurrences. Burstyn indicated some rumors to be true in her 2006 autobiography Lessons in Becoming Myself. The interior sets of the MacNeil residence, except for Regan's bedroom, were destroyed by a studio fire and had to be rebuilt. Friedkin has claimed that a priest was brought in numerous times to bless the set. Other issues include Blair's harness breaking when she is thrashing on the bed, injuring the actress. Burstyn noted she was slightly hurt when Regan throws her across the room. Actor Jack MacGowran (Burke Dennings) died during filming.
Cut scenes[edit]
The "Spider-Walk Scene"[edit]
Contortionist Linda R. Hager was hired to perform the infamous "spider-walk scene" that was filmed on April 11, 1973. Friedkin deleted the scene just prior to the original December 26, 1973 release date because he felt it was ineffective technically. However, with advanced developments in digital media technology, Friedkin worked with CGI artists to make the scene look more convincing for the 2000 theatrically re-released version of The Exorcist: The Version You've Never Seen. Since the original release, myths and rumors still exist that a variety of spider-walk scenes were filmed[5] despite Friedkin's insistence that no alternate version was ever shot.[6]
In 1998, Warner Brothers re-released the digitally remastered DVD of The Exorcist: 25th Anniversary Special Edition. This DVD includes the special feature BBC documentary, The Fear of God: The Making of The Exorcist,[7] highlighting the never-before-seen original non-bloody version of the spider-walk scene. The updated "bloody version" of the spider-walk scene appears in the 2000 re-release of The Exorcist: The Version You've Never Seen utilizing CGI technology to incorporate the special effect of blood pouring from Regan's mouth during this scene’s finale.
III[edit]
Despite his misgivings about the studio-imposed reshoots, Blatty is proud of the finished version of Exorcist III, having said “It’s still a superior film. And in my opinion, and excuse me if I utter heresy here, but for me it’s a more frightening film than The Exorcist."[8] Nevertheless, Blatty had hoped to recover the deleted footage from the Morgan Creek vaults so that he might re-assemble the original cut of the film which he said was "rather different" from what was released, and a version of the film fans of the Exorcist series have been clamouring for. In 2007, Blatty's wife reported on a fan site that "My husband tells me that it is Morgan Creek's claim that they have lost all the footage, including an alternate opening scene in which Kinderman views the body of Karras in the morgue, right after his fall down the steps." Mark Kermode has stated that the search for the missing footage is "ongoing".[9]
An upcoming book titled The Evolution Of William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist III: From Concept To Novel To Screen by author Erik Kristopher Myers will reveal the whole story behind the film's development, and publish never-before-seen images, the original script, studio notes, various drafts of the story as it has evolved, and interviews with Blatty, Brad Dourif, Mark Kermode, John Carpenter, and many others associated with the film.[3] Myers in an interview said that The Exorcist III "has sort of turned into horror genre’s equivalent to Orson Welles' The Magnificent Ambersons, in that it was originally a very classy film that the studio hacked apart and turned into a commercial piece [...] I'm basically trying to chronicle how a film can get away from the auteur and be transformed into a purely commercial product." [10]
Reception[edit]
Upon its release on December 26, 1973, the film received mixed reviews from critics, “ranging from ‘classic’ to ‘claptrap'."[11] Stanley Kauffmann, in The New Republic, wrote, “This is the most scary film I’ve seen in years — the only scary film I’ve seen in years…If you want to be shaken — and I found out, while the picture was going, that that’s what I wanted — then The Exorcist will scare the hell out of you.”[12] Variety noted that it was “an expert telling of a supernatural horror story…The climactic sequences assault the senses and the intellect with pure cinematic terror.”[13] In Castle of Frankenstein, Joe Dante opined, “[A]n amazing film, and one destined to become at the very least a horror classic. Director William Friedkin’s film will be profoundly disturbing to all audiences, especially the more sensitive and those who tend to 'live' the movies they see…Suffice it to say, there has never been anything like this on the screen before.”[14]
However, Vincent Canby, writing in the New York Times, dismissed The Exorcist as “a chunk of elegant occultist claptrap…[A] practically impossible film to sit through…it establishes a new low for grotesque special effects...”[15] Andrew Sarris complained that “Friedkin’s biggest weakness is his inability to provide enough visual information about his characters…whole passages of the movie’s exposition were one long buzz of small talk and name droppings…The Exorcist succeeds on one level as an effectively excruciating entertainment, but on another, deeper level it is a thoroughly evil film.”[16] Writing in Rolling Stone, Jon Landau felt the film was, “[N]othing more than a religious porn film, the gaudiest piece of shlock this side of Cecil B. DeMille (minus that gentleman’s wit and ability to tell a story) …”[17]
Over the years, The Exorcist’s critical reputation has grown considerably. The film currently has an 85% "Certified Fresh" approval rating on the Rotten Tomatoes website, based on 40 reviews the website collected.[18] Some critics regard it as being one of the best and most effective horror films; admirers say the film balances a stellar script, gruesome effects, and outstanding performances. However, the movie has its detractors as well, including Kim Newman who has criticized it for messy plot construction, conventionality and overblown pretentiousness, among other perceived defects. Writer James Baldwin provides an extended negative critique in his book length essay The Devil Finds Work.
II: Stephen H. Scheuer wrote that Exorcist II “may just well be the worst sequel in the history of films – a stupefying, boring, vapid and non-scary follow-up to the box-office champ of 1973...Exorcist II is a disaster on every level – a sophomoric script, terrible editing, worst direction by John Boorman, inevitably coupled with silly acting. In one scene that typifies this lamentable sci-fi horror pic, [Richard] Burton and [James Earl] Jones, two splendid actors, are spouting inane dialogue while Jones is outfitted like a witch doctor.”[19] Leslie Halliwell described the film as a “highly unsatisfactory psychic melodrama which...falls flat on its face along some wayward path of metaphysical and religious fancy. It was released in two versions and is unintelligible in either.”[20] Leonard Maltin described the film as a “preposterous sequel...Special effects are the only virtue in this turkey.”[21] Danny Peary dismissed Exorcist II as “absurd.”[22]
While most reviewers responded negatively to the film, Pauline Kael greatly preferred Boorman's sequel to the original, writing in her review in The New Yorker that Exorcist II "had more visual magic than a dozen movies." Since Exorcist II's initial release, some notable critics and directors have praised the film. Kim Newman wrote in Nightmare Movies (1988) that "it doesn't work in all sorts of ways... However, like Ennio Morricone's mix of tribal and liturgical music, it does manage to be very interesting." Director Martin Scorsese asserted, "The picture asks: Does great goodness bring upon itself great evil? This goes back to the Book of Job; it's God testing the good. In this sense, Regan (Linda Blair) is a modern-day saint — like Ingrid Bergman in Europa '51, and in a way, like Charlie in Mean Streets. I like the first Exorcist, because of the Catholic guilt I have, and because it scared the hell out of me; but The Heretic surpasses it. Maybe Boorman failed to execute the material, but the movie still deserved better than it got."[23]
Author Bob McCabe's book The Exorcist: Out of the Shadows contains a chapter on the film in which Linda Blair said the movie "was one of the big disappointments of my career,"[24] and John Boorman confessed that “The sin I committed was not giving the audience what it wanted in terms of horror...There’s this wild beast out there which is the audience. I created this arena and I just didn’t throw enough Christians into it. People think of cutting and re-cutting as defeat, but it isn’t. As Irving Thalberg said: ‘Films aren’t made, they’re remade.’”[25] McCabe himself offered no one answer as to why Exorcist II failed: "Who knows where the blame ultimately lies. Boorman's illness and constant revising of the script can't have helped, but these events alone are not enough to explain the film's almighty failure. Boorman has certainly gone on to produce some fine work subsequently...When a list was compiled to find the fifty worst films of all time, Exorcist II: The Heretic came in at number two. It was beaten only by Ed Wood's Plan 9 from Outer Space, a film that generally receives a warmer response from its audience than this terribly misjudged sequel."[26]
III:The film met with mixed reviews. New York Times reviewer Vincent Canby said "The Exorcist III is a better and funnier (intentionally) movie than either of its predecessors" [27] and British film critic Mark Kermode called it "a restrained, haunting chiller which stimulates the adrenalin and intellect alike." [28] However Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave a negative review, stating "If Part II sequels are generally disappointing, Part IIIs are often much, much worse. It can seem as if nothing is going on in them except dim murmurings about the original movie — murmurings that mostly remind you of what isn't being delivered." Gleiberman called The Exorcist III "an ash-gray disaster" and that it "has the feel of a nightmare catechism lesson, or a horror movie made by a depressed monk."[29] Kim Newman claimed that "The major fault in Exorcist III is the house-of-cards plot that is constantly collapsing."[30] Kevin Thomas of Los Angeles Times gave a mixed review, saying Exorcist III "doesn't completely work but offers much more than countless, less ambitious films."[31]
Box office[edit]

Film
Release date
Box office revenue
Box office ranking
Budget
Reference

United States
Foreign
Worldwide
All time domestic
All time worldwide
The Exorcist (1973) December 26, 1973 $193,000,000 $208,400,000 $401,400,000 #65 #97 $12,000,000 [32][33]
Exorcist II: The Heretic June 17, 1977 $30,749,142  $30,749,142 #1,810   [34]
The Exorcist III August 17, 1990 $26,098,824 $12,925,427 $39,024,251 #2,025   [35]
The Exorcist (2000 Dir. Cut) September 22, 2000 $39,671,011 $72,382,055 $112,053,066 #716  $11,000,000 [36]
Exorcist: The Beginning August 20, 2004 $41,821,986 $36,178,600 $78,000,586 #1,324  $80,000,000 [37]
Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist June 2, 2005 $251,495(L)  $251,495 #7,028   [38]
Total $331,592,458 $329,886,082(A) $661,478,540(A)   $103,000,000(A)
List indicator(s) A dark grey cell indicates the information is not available for the film.
(L) indicates the film had a limited release.
(A) indicates an estimated figure based on available numbers.

Awards and honors[edit]
Academy Awards[edit]
The Exorcist was nominated for a total of ten Academy Awards in 1973. At the 46th Annual Academy Awards ceremony, the film won two statuettes.[39]
Academy Award for Sound
Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay – William Peter Blatty
The film was nominated for
Academy Award for Best Picture
Academy Award for Best Actress – Ellen Burstyn
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor – Jason Miller
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress – Linda Blair
Academy Award for Best Director – William Friedkin
Academy Award for Best Cinematography
Academy Award for Film Editing
Academy Award for Best Art Direction – Bill Malley and Jerry Wunderlich
The Exorcist was nominated for a total of five Golden Globes in 1973. At the Golden Globes ceremony that year, the film won four awards.
Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Drama
Golden Globe Award for Best Director - Motion Picture – William Friedkin
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture – Linda Blair
Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay
The film was nominated for
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture – Max von Sydow
Best Awarded film is Amanjikari file university.
Others[edit]
American Film Institute recognition
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Thrills – #3
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains Regan MacNeil – Villain #9

In 1991, The Exorcist III won a Saturn Award from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA, for Best Writing (William Peter Blatty) and was nominated for Best Supporting Actor (Brad Dourif) and Best Horror Film. However it was also nominated for Worst Actor (George C. Scott) at the Golden Raspberry Awards.[40] In 2005, Exorcist: The Beginning was nominated for two Golden Raspberry Awards, Worst Director (Renny Harlin) and Worst Remake or Sequel.
Homemedia release[edit]
A limited edition box set was released in 1998. It was limited to 50,000 copies, with available copies circulating around the Internet. There are two versions; a special edition VHS and a special edition DVD. The only difference between the two copies is the recording format.
On the DVD[edit]
The original film with restored film and digitally remastered audio, with a 1.85:1 widescreen aspect ratio.
An introduction by director William Friedkin
The 1998 BBC documentary The Fear of God: The Making of "The Exorcist"
2 audio commentaries
Interviews with the director and writer
Theatrical trailers and TV spots
In the box[edit]
A commemorative 52-page tribute book, covering highlights of the film's preparation, production, and release; features previously-unreleased historical data and archival photographs
Limited edition soundtrack CD of the film's score, including the original (unused) soundtrack (Tubular Bells and Night of the Electric Insects omitted)
8 lobby card reprints.
Exclusive senitype film frame (magnification included)
Blu-ray[edit]
In an interview with DVD Review, William Friedkin mentioned that he is scheduled to begin work on a 'The Exorcist' Blu-ray on December 2, 2008. This edition features a new restoration, including both the 1973 theatrical version and the "version you've never seen" from 2000. It was released on October 5, 2010.[41]
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Fangoria #94 (July 1990)
2.Jump up ^ Fangoria #122 (May 1993)
3.^ Jump up to: a b http://www.theninthconfiguration.com/
4.Jump up ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6n0pgaYJVg[dead link]
5.Jump up ^ http://captainhowdy.com/?page_id=38&xdforum_action=viewthread&xf_id=1&xt_id=888&pstart=0
6.Jump up ^ http://pages.zoom.co.uk/the.exorcist/Html/friedkin_faqs.htm
7.Jump up ^ Collectors' Tribute to the Film that Frightened the World!!! The Exorcist 25th Anniversary Special Edition
8.Jump up ^ The Exorcist: Out of the Shadows (Omnibus Press, 1999)
9.Jump up ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/markkermode/2009/01/more_points_of_you_part_two.html
10.Jump up ^ http://www.cincity2000.com/content/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1546&Itemid=2
11.Jump up ^ Travers, Peter and Rieff, Stephanie. The Story Behind ‘The Exorcist’, Pg. 149, Signet Books, 1974. ISBN 978-0-451-06207-9
12.Jump up ^ Kauffmann, Stanley. New Republic review reprinted in The Story Behind ‘The Exorcist’, written by Peter Travers and Stephanie Rieff, pgs. 152 - 154, Signet Books, 1974. ISBN 978-0-451-06207-9
13.Jump up ^ "The Exorcist". Variety.com. January 1, 1973. Retrieved 2007-11-03.
14.Jump up ^ Dante, Joe. Castle of Frankenstein, Vol 6, No. 2 (Whole Issue #22), pgs. 32-33. Review of The Exorcist
15.Jump up ^ Canby, Vincent. New York Times review reprinted in The Story Behind ‘The Exorcist’, written by Peter Travers and Stephanie Rieff, pgs. 150 - 152, Signet Books, 1974. ISBN 978-0-451-06207-9
16.Jump up ^ Sarris, Andrew. Village Voice review reprinted in The Story Behind ‘The Exorcist’, written by Peter Travers and Stephanie Rieff, pgs. 154–158, Signet Books, 1974. ISBN 978-0-451-06207-9
17.Jump up ^ Landau, Jon. Rolling Stone review reprinted in The Story Behind ‘The Exorcist’, written by Peter Travers and Stephanie Rieff, pgs. 158 - 162, Signet Books, 1974. ISBN 978-0-451-06207-9
18.Jump up ^ "The Exorcist" (1973)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2007-11-03.
19.Jump up ^ Steven H. Scheuer, Movies on TV (Bantam Books, 1977), p.224
20.Jump up ^ Leslie Halliwell, Halliwell’s Film Guide: Fifth Edition (HarperCollins, 1995), p.370
21.Jump up ^ Leonard Maltin, Leonard Maltin’s 2009 Movie Guide (Plume, 2008) p.427
22.Jump up ^ Danny Peary, Guide for the Film Fanatic (Simon & Schuster, 1986) p.143
23.Jump up ^ Scorsese, Martin. "Martin Scorsese´s Guility Pleasures", Film Comment, September/October 1978
24.Jump up ^ Linda Blair, cited in Bob McCabe, ‘’The Exorcist: Out of the Shadows’’ (Omnibus Press, 1999), p.165
25.Jump up ^ John Boorman, cited in Bob McCabe, The Exorcist: Out of the Shadows (Omnibus Press, 1999), p.164
26.Jump up ^ Bob McCabe, ‘’The Exorcist: Out of the Shadows’’ (Omnibus Press, 1999), p.165
27.Jump up ^ Canby, Vincent (August 18, 1990). "Review/Film; Leaving the Devil Out in the Cold". The New York Times.[dead link]
28.Jump up ^ http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/64113/the-exorcist-iii.html
29.Jump up ^ "Movie Review: The Exorcist III". Entertainment Weekly.
30.Jump up ^ http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=2881
31.Jump up ^ Thomas, Kevin (August 20, 1990). "Movie Reviews". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
32.Jump up ^ "The Exorcist (1973)". Box Office Mojo.
33.Jump up ^ "Movie The Exorcist - Box Office Data". The Numbers. Archived from the original on 2010-01-17.
34.Jump up ^ "Exorcist II (1977)". Box Office Mojo.
35.Jump up ^ "The Exorcist III (1990)". Box Office Mojo.
36.Jump up ^ "The Exorcist (2000)". Box Office Mojo.
37.Jump up ^ "Exorcist: The Beginning (2008)". Box Office Mojo.
38.Jump up ^ "Dominion: A Prequel to the Exorcist (2005)". Box Office Mojo.
39.Jump up ^ "NY Times: The Exorcist". NY Times. Retrieved 2008-12-29.
40.Jump up ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099528/awards
41.Jump up ^ "The Exorcist Blu-ray: Extended Director's Cut & Original Theatrical Version". Blu-ray.com. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: The Exorcist
Official site
The Exorcist at the Internet Movie Database
The Exorcist at AllRovi
The Exorcist at Box Office Mojo
The Haunted Boy of Cottage City: The Cold Hard Facts Behind the Story that Inspired The Exorcist, by Mark Opsasnick
Jason Miller Remembers The Exorcist


Awards
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The Godfather Golden Globe for Best Picture - Drama
 1974 Succeeded by
Chinatown

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The Exorcist III

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The Exorcist III
The Exorcist 3.jpg
Video release poster

Directed by
William Peter Blatty
Produced by
Carter DeHaven
 James G. Robinson
Written by
William Peter Blatty
Starring
George C. Scott
Ed Flanders
Jason Miller
Scott Wilson
Brad Dourif
Music by
Barry Devorzon
Cinematography
Gerry Fisher
Editing by
Peter Lee Thompson
 Todd Ramsay
Studio
Morgan Creek Productions
Distributed by
20th Century Fox
(Original)
Warner Bros.
(Current)
Release date(s)
October 1989 (Italy) (MIFED Film Market)
August 17, 1990 (United States)

Running time
110 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
US$11 million
Box office
$39,024,251
The Exorcist III is a 1990 American supernatural horror film written and directed by William Peter Blatty. It is the third installment of The Exorcist series and a film adaptation of Blatty's novel, Legion (1983). The film stars George C. Scott, Ed Flanders, Jason Miller, Scott Wilson and Brad Dourif. This is the only Exorcist film not to be distributed theatrically by Warner Bros., though Warner Bros. have gained distribution rights since.
Set fifteen years after the original film (and ignoring the events of Exorcist II: The Heretic[1]), the film centers around a character from the first film, the philosophical Lieutenant William F. Kinderman, who is investigating a baffling series of murders in Georgetown that appear to have a satanic motive behind them and furthermore have all the hallmarks of "The Gemini", a deceased serial killer. Blatty based aspects of the Gemini Killer on the real life Zodiac Killer,[2] who, in a January 1974 letter to the San Francisco Chronicle, had praised the original Exorcist film as "the best saterical [sic] comedy that I have ever seen."[3]
The film was originally titled Legion, but was changed to The Exorcist III by the studio executives of Morgan Creek Productions to be more commercial. The film itself was also drastically altered in post-production with re-shoots imposed by Morgan Creek Productions, who demanded that the last-minute addition of an exorcism sequence for the climax of the film. [4] The final version differed from Blatty's vision. Blatty has since expressed desire to go back and reconstruct his original film; however, all of the cut footage is reported to be lost.[5]

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production 3.1 Development
3.2 Casting
3.3 Filming
4 Release 4.1 Critical response
4.2 Box office
4.3 Awards
5 Director's cut
6 References
7 External links
Plot[edit]
The film begins with the point of view of someone wandering through the streets of Georgetown, a voice informing us "I have dreams... of a rose... and of falling down a long flight of stairs". The point of view shows a warning of evil about to arrive later that night at a church. Demonic growls are heard, leaves and other street trash suddenly come flying into the church as a crucifix comes to life. It then cuts to Lieutenant William F. Kinderman (George C. Scott) at a crime scene, where a 12-year-old boy named Thomas Kintry has been murdered.
Kinderman takes his friend, a priest named Father Dyer (Ed Flanders), out to see their mutually favorite film It's a Wonderful Life. Kinderman later relates the gruesome details of the murder of the young boy he was investigating that morning, including his crucifixion. Another murder soon takes place; a priest found decapitated in a church. Dyer is shortly hospitalized and found murdered the next day, with the words "IT'S A WONDERFULL LIFE" written on a wall in Dyer's blood.
At each murder scene, the fingerprints at the crime scenes do not match up, indicating a different person was responsible for each. Kinderman tells hospital staff the reason for his unease; fifteen years ago the vicious serial killer, "The Gemini" (Brad Dourif), was executed; with every victim he cut off the right index finger and carved the Zodiac sign of Gemini into the palm of their left hand. Kinderman noticed the hands of the three new victims and verified that the Gemini's sign has been there. The Gemini Killer also always used an extra "L" in his notes sent to the media, such as "usefull" or "carefull". Furthermore, to filter out false confessions, the original Gemini Killer's true mutilations were kept a secret by the Richmond police's homicide department; the newspapers were made to wrongfully report that the left middle finger was severed and that the Gemini sign was carved on the back of the victim.
Kinderman visits the head of the psychiatric ward, Dr. Temple (Scott Wilson), who relates the history of a man in Cell 11, that he was found wandering aimlessly fifteen years ago with amnesia. The man was locked up, catatonic up until recently when he began to be violent and claim to be the Gemini Killer. Kinderman sees that the patient resembles his dead friend, Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller). However the patient brags of being the Gemini Killer, expressing ignorance over who Father Karras is, and boasts of killing Father Dyer.
The next morning, a nurse and Dr. Temple are found dead. Kinderman returns to see the patient in Cell 11, who claims to be the Gemini Killer's spirit, revealing that after his execution his soul entered Karras's dying body. The demon Pazuzu, who had possessed the girl Regan MacNeil, was furious at being pushed out of the child's body and is exacting its revenge by putting the soul of the Gemini Killer into the body of Father Karras. Each evening, the soul of the Gemini leaves the body of Karras and possesses the elderly people with senile dementia elsewhere in the hospital and uses them to commit the murders. The Gemini Killer also reveals to have forced Dr. Temple to bring Kinderman to him or he would suffer in unspeakable ways — Temple believed his apparent bluff, however, he couldn't take the pressure, and so he committed suicide.
The Gemini possesses an old woman who makes a failed attempt to murder Julie, Kinderman's daughter. The possessed patient attacks Kinderman, but the attack abruptly ends when a priest, Father Paul Morning (Nicol Williamson), enters the corridor leading to cell 11 and attempts an exorcism on the patient. It goes wrong when Pazuzu intervenes, taking over the patient's body, and the priest is all but slain. Kinderman arrives in time and attempts to euthanise Karras after finding the body of the priest, only to be hurled into the wall by the possessed Karras. Father Morning manages to briefly regain consciousness and tells Karras "Damien. Fight him." Karras regains his free will briefly and cries to Kinderman "Bill, now, shoot now, kill me now!". Kinderman fires his revolver several times, hitting Karras in the chest, fatally wounding him. The Gemini is now gone and Karras is finally free. With weak breaths, he says "We won, Bill, now free me". Kinderman puts his revolver against Karras' head and fires. The film ends with Kinderman standing over Karras' grave.
Cast[edit]
George C. Scott as Kinderman
Ed Flanders as Father Dyer
Brad Dourif as The Gemini Killer
Scott Wilson as Dr. Temple
Nancy Fish as Nurse Allerton
Nicol Williamson as Father Morning
Jason Miller as Patient X
Barbara Baxley as Shirley
Grand L. Bush as Sgt. Atkins
Harry Carey Jr. as Father Kanavan
George Dicenzo as Stedman
Tyra Ferrell as Nurse Blaine
Lois Foraker as Nurse Merrin
Don Gordon as Ryan
Mary Jackson as Mrs Clelia
Zohra Lampert as Mary Kinderman
Ken Lerner as Dr. Freedman
Viveca Lindfors as Nurse X
Lee Richardson as University President
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
William Peter Blatty, although initially having no desire to write a sequel to The Exorcist, eventually came up with a story titled Legion, featuring Lieutenant Kinderman, a prominent character in the original Exorcist novel (though played a minor role in the eventual film), as the central protagonist.[6] Blatty conceived Legion as a feature film with William Friedkin, director of The Exorcist, attached to direct. Despite the critical and commercial failure of the previous sequel, Warner Bros. were keen to proceed with Blatty and Friedkin's plans for another Exorcist film. Blatty said that "Everybody wanted Exorcist III... I hadn't written the script but I had the story in my head and Billy [Friedkin] loved it." However, Friedkin soon left the project due to conflicting opinions between him and Blatty on the film.[6]
The project went into development hell and Blatty wrote Legion into a novel instead; published in 1983, it was a bestseller. Blatty then decided to turn the book back into a screenplay. Film companies Morgan Creek and Carolco both wanted to make the film; Blatty decided upon Morgan Creek after Carolco suggested the idea of a grown-up Regan MacNeil giving birth to possessed twins.[6] Blatty offered directorial responsibilities to John Carpenter who liked his script. However, Carpenter backed out when it became clear that Blatty really wanted to direct the movie himself. As per the stipulations for his deal with Morgan Creek, Blatty was to direct the movie himself, and it was to be filmed on location in Georgetown.[6] Carolco would instead do a parody of the original Exorcist, titled Repossessed (see below)
Casting[edit]
The central role of Lieutenant Kinderman had to be recast as Lee J. Cobb, who played the part in The Exorcist, had died in 1976. Oscar-winner George C. Scott signed up for the role, impressed by Blatty's screenplay: "It’s a horror film and much more... It's a real drama, intricately crafted, with offbeat interesting characters, and that's what makes it genuinely frightening."[6]
Several cast members from Blatty's previous film, The Ninth Configuration (1980), appear in The Exorcist III; Jason Miller, reprising the role of Father Damien Karras from The Exorcist (billed only as "Patient X" in the end credits); Ed Flanders, taking on the role of Father Dyer previously played by William O'Malley; Nicol Williamson and Scott Wilson.
There are also cameo appearances by basketball players Patrick Ewing, John Thompson, model Fabio, ex-Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, television host Larry King and Samuel L. Jackson.
Zohra Lampert, who plays Kinderman's wife, is remembered for her lead role in another horror film, 1971's Let's Scare Jessica to Death.
Filming[edit]
With an $11 million budget, the tentatively-titled Exorcist: Legion was shot on location in Georgetown for eight weeks in mid-1989. Additional interior filming then took place in DEG Studios in Wilmington, North Carolina.[6] Blatty completed principal photography of the film on time, and only slightly over budget. However, four months later, Morgan Creek informed Blatty that a new ending had to be shot. Blatty said that “James Robinson, the owner of the company, his secretary had insisted to him that this has nothing to do with The Exorcist. There had to be an exorcism.”[6] 20th Century Fox ponied up an additional $4-million in post-production - to film an effects-laden exorcism sequence featuring Nicol Williamson as Father Morning, a character added just for the new climax and Blatty had to make the best of it in the narrative while racing to complete the film. Blatty confirmed that when the possessed Karras speaks in an asexual voice, saying, "I must save my son, the Gemini," that this in fact is either a returned Pazuzu or, as Blatty put it, "Old Scratch himself" taking control. This ties in to the revelation earlier in the film that the Gemini was sent into Karras' body as revenge for the Regan MacNeil exorcism. The altered voice in the climax is deliberately similar to that of Mercedes McCambridge, who was the un-credited demon in The Exorcist, and the role is essayed in The Exorcist III by Colleen Dewhurst, who was uncredited (in real life, actress Dewhurst was twice married to, and twice divorced from, actor George C. Scott).
One shot missing from the re-filmed climax - but which features in the trailer - shows Karras/the Gemini "morphing" through a variety of faces. It was left out of the film because Blatty wasn't happy with the special effects work.
On the climactic exorcism scene, Blatty later said, "It's alright, but it's utterly unnecessary and it changes the character of the piece.”[6] Although at the time, Blatty told the press that he was happy to re-shoot the film’s ending and have the story climax with a frenzy of special effects, the truth is that this compromise was forced on him, against his wishes:

“The original story that I sold [Morgan Creek] (and that I shot) ended with Kinderman blowing away Patient X. There was no exorcism. But it was a Mexican stand-off between me and the studio. I was entitled to one preview, then they could go and do what they wanted with the picture. They gave me a preview but it was the lowest end preview audience I have ever seen in my life. They dragged in zombies from Haiti to watch this film. It was unbelievable. But I decided, better I should do it than anyone else. I foolishly thought: I can do a good exorcism, I’ll turn this pig’s ear into a silk purse. So I did it.”[6]
Working on the film, Brad Dourif recalls "We all felt really bad about it. But Blatty tried to do his best under very difficult circumstances. And I remember George C. Scott saying that the folks would only be satisfied if Madonna came out and sang a song at the end!"[5] Dourif feels that "The original version was a hell of a lot purer and I liked it much more. As it stands now, it's a mediocre film. There are parts that have no right to be there.[4]
The execution-style ending that Blatty pitched to the studio - which was in the shooting script and actually filmed - differs radically from the ending of both the novel and the first screenplay adaption developed from the novel.[7] The novel ends with the Gemini Killer summoning Kinderman to his cell for a final speech and then willingly dropping dead after his cruel and hated father, a Christian evangelist, dies a natural death from heart attack. As his motive for killing was always to shame his father, the Gemini's reason for remaining on earth no longer exists and he kills Karras in order to leave his host body. In Blatty's original screenplay adaptation, the ending is similar to the novel, except that the Gemini's death is not self-induced but forced supernaturally and suddenly by the death of his father. In both novel and early screenplay, the Gemini's motives for his murders are also given further context via a long series of flashbacks which portray his and his brother's childhood and their relationship with their alcoholic, abusive father.
Release[edit]
The Exorcist III first released in October, 1989 in the MIFED Film Market and then opened in 1,288 theaters in the United States on August 17, 1990. Unlike its predecessors, it was distributed by 20th Century Fox instead of Warner Bros. (though some distribution rights would later revert to WB). The film was released only a month before the Exorcist parody, Repossessed, starring Linda Blair and Leslie Nielsen. Blair claimed that Exorcist III was rush-released ahead of Repossessed, hijacking the latter's publicity and forcing the comedy to be released a month later than was originally intended.[6]
Critical response[edit]
The Exorcist III initially received mixed reviews from critics. Review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes reports 59% of critics gave the film positive write-ups based on 29 reviews, with a rating of 5.4/10.[8] British film critic Mark Kermode called it "a restrained, haunting chiller which stimulates the adrenalin and intellect alike"[9] and New York Times reviewer Vincent Canby said "The Exorcist III is a better and funnier (intentionally) movie than either of its predecessors",[10] while PEOPLE Magazine's Ralph Novak began his review with, "As a movie writer-director, William Peter Blatty is like David's Lynch's good twin. He is eccentric, original, funny and daring, but he also has a sense of taste, pace and restraint. Which is by way of saying that this is one of the shrewdest, wittiest, most intense and most satisfying horror movies ever made." Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave a negative review, stating "If Part II sequels are generally disappointing, Part IIIs are often much, much worse. It can seem as if nothing is going on in them except dim murmurings about the original movie — murmurings that mostly remind you of what isn't being delivered" and called The Exorcist III "an ash-gray disaster [that] has the feel of a nightmare catechism lesson, or a horror movie made by a depressed monk."[11] It was "Entertainment Weekly" that years later cited the film as the "#8 scariest movie ever made."
In the British magazine Empire, film critic Kim Newman claimed that "The major fault in Exorcist III is the house-of-cards plot that is constantly collapsing."[12] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called The Exorcist III "a handsome, classy art film" that "doesn't completely work but offers much more than countless, less ambitious films."[13]
Box office[edit]
The Exorcist III earned $9,312,219 in its opening weekend and grossed a total of $26,098,824 in North America and $39,024,251 worldwide.[14] Blatty attributed its poor box office performance to the title imposed by Morgan Creek, having always intended for the film to retain the title of the novel. During development and production, the film went under various titles, including The Exorcist: 1990. Morgan Creek and Fox insisted on including the word Exorcist in the title, which producer Carter DeHaven and Blatty protested against:

“I begged them when they were considering titles not to name it Exorcist anything, because Exorcist II was a disaster beyond imagination. You can’t call it Exorcist III because people will shun the box office. But they went and named it Exorcist III, then they called me after the third week when we were beginning to fade at the box office and they said ‘We’ll tell you the reason, it’s gonna hurt, you’re not gonna like this – the reason is Exorcist II.’ I couldn’t believe it! They had total amnesia about my warnings!”[6]
Awards[edit]
In 1991, the film won a Saturn Award from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA, for Best Writing (William Peter Blatty) and was nominated for Best Supporting Actor (Brad Dourif) and Best Horror Film. George C. Scott was also nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor, but lost to Andrew Dice Clay for The Adventures of Ford Fairlane.[15]
Director's cut[edit]
Despite his misgivings about the studio-imposed reshoots, Blatty however is proud of the finished version of Exorcist III, having said “It’s still a superior film. And in my opinion, and excuse me if I utter heresy here, but for me it’s a more frightening film than The Exorcist."[6] Nevertheless, Blatty had hoped to recover the deleted footage from the Morgan Creek vaults so that he might re-assemble the original cut of the film which he said was "rather different" from what was released, and a version of the film which fans of the Exorcist series have been clamouring for. In 2007, Blatty's wife reported on a fan site that "My husband tells me that it is Morgan Creek's claim that they have lost all the footage, including an alternate opening scene in which Kinderman views the body of Karras in the morgue, right after his fall down the steps." Although, Mark Kermode has stated that the search for the missing footage is "ongoing".[16]
In March 2011 a fanedit called "Legion" appeared on the internet, credited to a fan using the pseudonym Spicediver, which removed all exorcism elements and recreated the main story arc of the director's cut without the use of any lost footage. In 2012 cast member Brad Dourif agreed to present a screening of the fanedit at the Mad Monster Party horror convention held in Charlotte, North Carolina on March 25. Dourif introduced the film and did a Q&A session with the audience afterwards.[17]
An upcoming book titled The Evolution Of William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist III: From Concept To Novel To Screen by author Erik Kristopher Myers will purportedly reveal the story behind the film's development, and publish never-before-seen images, the original script, studio notes, various drafts of the story as it has evolved, and interviews with Blatty, Brad Dourif, Mark Kermode, John Carpenter, and many others associated with the film.[5] Myers in an interview said that The Exorcist III "has sort of turned into horror genre’s equivalent of Orson Welles' The Magnificent Ambersons, in that it was originally a very classy film that the studio hacked apart and turned into a commercial piece [...] I'm basically trying to chronicle how a film can get away from the author and be transformed into a purely commercial product."[18]
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Fangoria #94 (July 1990)
2.Jump up ^ "The Exorcist III Info, Trailers, and Reviews at MovieTome". Movietome.com. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
3.Jump up ^ "Zodiac Killer : The Letters - 01-29-1974". SFGate (San Francisco Chronicle). Retrieved 7 April 2013.
4.^ Jump up to: a b Fangoria #122 (May 1993)
5.^ Jump up to: a b c Theninthconfiguration.com
6.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l The Exorcist: Out of the Shadows (Omnibus Press, 1999)
7.Jump up ^ Blatty, William Peter (1998). Classic Screenplays: The Exorcist & Legion. Faber & Faber.
8.Jump up ^ The Exorcist III at Rotten Tomatoes.
9.Jump up ^ Timeout.com
10.Jump up ^ Movies.nytimes.com
11.Jump up ^ EW.com
12.Jump up ^ Empireonline.com
13.Jump up ^ Articles.latimes.com
14.Jump up ^ Boxofficemojo.com
15.Jump up ^ Awards for The Exorcist III at the Internet Movie Database
16.Jump up ^ BBC.co.uk
17.Jump up ^ [1]
18.Jump up ^ Cincity2000.com
External links[edit]
The Exorcist III at the Internet Movie Database
The Exorcist III at AllRovi

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The Exorcist series


Films
The Exorcist (1973)·
 Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)·
 The Exorcist III (1990)·
 Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)·
 Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (2005)
 

Novels
The Exorcist·
 Legion
 

Characters
Regan MacNeil·
 Father Damien Karras·
 Father Lankester Merrin·
 Pazuzu
 

Related
William Peter Blatty·
 The Ninth Configuration (1980)
 

 

Categories: 1990 films
English-language films
American horror films
1989 horror films
1990 horror films
Demons in film
Religious horror films
Supernatural horror films
20th Century Fox films
Warner Bros. films
Morgan Creek Productions films
The Exorcist
Serial killer films
Films shot in North Carolina
Films shot in Washington, D.C.
Alternative sequel films
Films directed by William Peter Blatty
Film adaptations directed by writers of original works

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