Category: The Exorcist

The Exorcist: Believer (2023) review

Published on by Chris Scullion1 Comment

the-exorcist-believer-posterDirector: David Gordon Green

Starring: Leslie Odom Jr, Lidya Jewett, Olivia O’Neill, Ann Dowd, Jennifer Nettles, Norbert Leo Butz, Okwui Okpokwasili, Ellen Burstyn

Potential triggers: Demonic possession, gouged out eyes, missing children, snakes, death of spouse, child death, miscarriage, psychiatric hospitals, sexual assault references, jump scares, kids generally behaving like dicks

MIRANDA: “Do you know where Jesus went after he died on the cross, Victor? He went to Hell to declare his authority over the devil. And he re-appeared three days later. Three days. Just like our girls.

VICTOR: “You think they went to Hell? Burned their feet in Hell? Got possessed by the devil?

TONY: “Pagan activity. Or talking to the dead. Wherever those girls went, they brought something back with them.”

It’s been a while since I reviewed a film – life got in the way – but now that my kid’s not a baby anymore and now that life is settling into a normal routine I can finally get back to watching horror films at night again, after more than half a decade on the sidelines.

Given that The Exorcist is one of my favourite films of all time, it stands to reason that upon my return to horror I made a bee-line for The Exorcist: Believer, the sixth film in the series but one of the few that serves as a direct sequel to the original.

While I wasn’t expecting it to be anywhere near as good as the original – and my expectations were correct – it still did enough to keep me engaged throughout. Continue reading “The Exorcist: Believer (2023) review” →

Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) review

Published on by Chris Scullion5 Comments

Exorcist II: The Heretic posterDirector: John Borman

Starring: Linda Blair, Richard Burton, Louise Fletcher, James Earl Jones

FATHER LAMONT – “I’ve flown this route before.”
HELICOPTER PILOT – “Oh yes?”
FATHER LAMONT – “Yes. It was on the wings of a demon.”

I’ve said plenty of times before that The Exorcist (and its subsequent Director’s Cut) is one of the greatest movies ever made. It’s terrifying, it’s spectacular, it’s faith-challenging and it’s supremely acted. In a way then Exorcist II: The Heretic is even more impressive, because it takes one of the finest films ever and follows it up with a sequel so brain-achingly bad it’s without doubt the biggest drop in quality in film sequel history.

Set four years after the events in Georgetown, 18-year-old Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair again) is now living in New York with her mum’s friend Sharon (Kitty Winn, also returning from the first film) while her mum is off making another movie. Regan claims she doesn’t remember any of the events of the first film, but she’s being monitored by a psychiatrist anyway. The psychiatrist, Dr Tuskin (Louise Fletcher) reckons Regan’s suppressing those memories and she wants to try hypnosis to free them.

Exorcist II: The Heretic
This facial expression sums up Exorcist II better than any mere words can

Meanwhile, a priest called Father Lamont has been assigned by the Church to investigate the death of Father Merrin at the end of the first film, so he visits Regan to try to get answers. So far, so normal. But this is still only the first ten minutes or so. Then it gets bad.

It’s said that when Exorcist II had its premiere, the audience were fine with it until the “synchroniser” was introduced. At this point the audience burst into hysterical laughter and the film could never win back their respect. It’s little wonder why – it’s the exact moment all the accolades and reputation earned by The Exorcist are flushed down the toilet and the series turns into hokey sci-fi mumbo jumbo. Continue reading “Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) review” →