When it comes to the subject of The Exorcist movies it is just as inescapable to find one talking about how bad the second movie is, as it is to find someone talking about how brilliant the first film is. But what tends to get overlooked is The Exorcist III. With the release of Exorcist II: The Heretic came a tough thirteen years of die hard fans (such as Mark Kermode) having to live with the knowledge that it even existed. So much so that William Peter Blatty took back The Exorcist property for himself in 1990 and brought The Exorcist III to the world.
While IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes would lead you to believe The Exorcist III is unworthy of your time, don’t judge a film by its Google results.
Deciding to helm the director’s chair himself, Blatty gave himself a large task, especially living up to the standards that William Friedkin had laid down seventeen years earlier. Blatty definitely offers less flare than that provided by Friedkin, but still manages to execute his role excellently, and his script offers more than enough quality for when his direction falters.
As for the acting it takes the film to a whole other level. George C. Scott, Ed Flanders and Brad Dourif putting out some of their best performances, making good use of the juicy dialogue scenes that Blatty has laid out throughout the movie.
Having been released twenty nine years ago there are moments which are dated by today’s standards but these moments really are plucking at straws to find flaws with the film. The Exorcist should have never become a franchise, there is no doubt about that. With that being said, however, we should be grateful that it did, as it brought the world The Exorcist III.
On Blu-ray Mon 9 Dec 2019