William Friedkin's The Exorcist (1973) is arguably the finest horror film ever made, with it still having a power to shock 46 years after its release.
Due to its popularity it doesn’t come as a surprise that Warner Brothers tried to repeat its success. Unfortunately this led to the production of John Boorman's Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977), quite possibly the worst sequel ever made.
Due to the total failure of Boorman's sequel, further entries in the series have been mostly overlooked. This is a shame, as while the likes of Exorcist: The Beginning (2004) and Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (2005) have rightfully been met with negativity, William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist III (1990) doesn't deserve to share the same fate.
Thankfully since its initial release it has went on to build a considerable cult following, with many recognising it as one of the finest supernatural thrillers of the 90s.
Ignoring Exorcist II: The Heretic entirely, Exorcist III begins with veteran detective William Kinderman (George C. Scott taking over from Lee J. Cobb) investigating the murder of a 12 year old boy. To cheer himself up, he goes to the cinema with old friend Father Dyer (Ed Flanders). This is something they both do every year on the anniversary of their friends Damian Karras’ (Jason Miller) death.
It isn’t long until there is another murder, this time a priest who was decapitated. During this time Father Dyer ends up being admitted to hospital only to be subsequently murdered. At the scene the killer has written “It’s a Wonderful Life” on the wall, the title of the film Kinderman and Dyer had seen just days before.
It is found that none of the fingerprints at the crime scene match, with the indication being that they were all carried out by a different person. However, Kinderman knows better. He relates to the hospital staff that the recent murders match the modus operandi of the Gemini Killer who was caught and executed seventeen years before.
While investigating at the hospital, Kinderman meets with Dr Wilson (Scott Wilson), who tells him the story of one of his patients who was found wandering 17 years ago with no memory of who he was. For the last seventeen years the patient has been catatonic until recently where he has been saying that he is in fact the Gemini Killer.
To Kinderman’s horror, he finds out that patient Dr Wilson speaks of is his old friend Damian Karras, who he thought was long dead. During meeting with his old friend, Kinderman notices how his appearance changes into that of the Gemini killer (Brad Dourif). Although Gemini appears to have no knowledge of who Kinderman is, he does boast of how he murdered Father Dyer.
As the killings begin to escalate, Kinderman begins to question what he really believes in and if the man sitting in the hospital ward could really be the Gemini killer.
Exorcist 3 marks William Peter Blatty’s second and last film as director. His previous movie, The Ninth Configuration (1980) shared a similar fate as Exorcist 3, being a commercial failure only to later on become a cult success.
Blatty had originally offered horror master John Carpenter the chance to direct the film as he had shown considerable interest in Blatty’s script. Carpenter eventually stood aside when it became apparent that Blatty wanted to direct the film himself.
Blatty clearly rose to the challenge. Even with a great deal of studio interference, he does great work behind the camera. Similarly to Friedkin's classic, there is a strong focus on character and atmosphere, with Blatty slowly building a creeping sense of dread. The hospital setting where the majority of the action takes place adds to this feeling immeasurably, with Blatty effectively utilising its long corridors and cold interiors. Before getting to these more horrific elements of the story Blatty gives you a chance to get to know the characters. The opening scenes between George C. Scott and Ed Flanders are especially well done, with it perfectly showcasing Blatty’s previous skill as a comedy writer with the two actors sharing some terrific dialogue.
Unlike other popular horror films of the 90's such as Scream (1996), which took a more visceral hack and slash approach, the horror in Exorcist 3 is more psychological in nature. That is not to say that if doesn't have its own share of violence, with the aftermath of the Gemini killers murders being suitably gruesome. Blatty additionally includes a number of memorable jump scares to keep the audiences pulses racing. Let's just say you might think twice before walking down a quiet corridor at night.
Blatty adapted the script from his own novel, Legion. Like most adaptations there are notable changes, but these don’t detract much from the story being told, with Blatty still able to retain the tone and feeling of the novel.
Interestingly Blatty’s film works more as a sequel to his novel of The Exorcist rather than Friedkin’s take on it, with characters alluding to events that only took place in the printed version. In one particular scene, Kinderman speaks of how close he and Karras were, and how much he loved him. Those who have only seen the filmed version may be perplexed, as Kinderman and Karras only met once during the movie.
Even though Blatty got to add these interesting character moments, he still had to deal with the expected studio interference. At the behest of the studio, Blatty was forced to include an exorcism scene during the finale, as well as a completely new character in the form of Nicol Williamson's Father Morning.
However, the most notable change from Blatty's original cut is the inclusion of Jason Miller, reprising his role of Damian Karras from the first movie. In the original cut, his part was portrayed entirely by the excellent Brad Dourif, whose screen time was considerably cut down to make way for Miller.
In the completed version, Dourif only appears as the demonic Gemini. Still, even in this limited capacity, Dourif is mesmerising with the scenes between him and George C. Scott being truly electrifying.
Recently thanks to distributor Shout Factory, Blatty got a chance to show his directors cut of Exorcist III. Renamed Legion, it used existing footage from the work print which Blatty reorganised to be more in line with his original vision.
Perhaps it is a matter of taste, but I personally found the original theatrical cut to be the more satisfying version of the story, but there are still elements of Blatty’s cut that make it a worthwhile experience.
Like Friedkin’s movie, Exorcist 3 is filled with first-rate performances, with even the smallest characters getting to make an impression. Ridiculously, George C. Scott was nominated for a Golden Raspberry award for worst actor. How anyone could consider a performance filled with such emotion as poor is beyond me. C. Scott’s take on the Kinderman character is quite different from Lee J.Cobb’s version but is no less compelling.
Ed Flanders is terrific fun as Father Dyer, who was played in the original film by Father William O’Malley. While his screen time is limited in comparison, he is still terrific in the role. His take on the character is wittier than his predecessor, which could be more down to O’Malley’s limitations as an actor.
Jason Miller’s role comes across more as stunt casting than actually giving him a significant role. It is good to have some tentative links to the original film, but while his performance is decent, it would have been good to see Brad Dourif’s role in its entirety, something which the director’s cut somewhat rectified.
As mentioned, Dourif is chilling as the crazed Gemini, with Blatty skilfully cutting between him and Miller at the required times.
Adding immeasurably to the film is the inclusion of the gravelly tones of actress Collen Dewhurst, who was employed to create the dulcet tones of the demon Pazuzu. Similarly to Mercedes McCambridge who portrayed Pazuzu in the first film, her voice is used to create effect, with it being neither masculine of feminine sounding. Interestingly, Dewhurst was the ex-wife of leading man George C. Scott, having being married and divorced to him twice over.
Of the supporting roles, Scott Wilson is a clear standout as the nervous Dr Wilson. A jittery chain smoking wreck, Wilson is clearly a man that has seen too much. There is also the inclusion of the afore mentioned Nicol Williamson who does well considering he was a last minute addition.
A great deal of the cast mentioned had worked with Blatty previously on the Ninth Configuration. Jason Miller, Ed Flanders and Scott Wilson had all put in notable turns in Blatty’s memorable drama. Even Nicol Williamson was originally envisioned for the lead role of the Ninth Configuration before it went to Stacy Keach.
In addition to the main roles there are also memorable cameos from the likes of Samuel L Jackson, Larry King and even Fabio which may seem strange in print but work in the context of the film.
Sadly, William Peter Blatty died in 2017. Although he only directed two movies he had an interesting voice and clearly wasn’t interested in just telling straight forward stories. Both Exorcist 3 and the Ninth Configuration show a director at the top of his game and are both perfect examples of not only his work but of the genre.
Rating: 5/5
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