With a string of idiosyncratic filmmakers, studio interference, and more 180-degree turns than Linda Blair's head, "The Exorcist" must be one of the strangest franchises to ever come out of Hollywood. That said, its flaws are also a boon -- the films are far more interesting than the usual cookie-cutter horror sequels, with each entry feeling like a personal statement from its director, for better or worse. Well, usually for the worse.
Case in point: 1990's "The Exorcist III." After the goofy metaphysics of John Boorman's widely derided "Exorcist II: The Heretic," "The Exorcist" writer and author William Peter Blatty pitched a story called "Legion" for another sequel that would ignore the events of Boorman's film. Warner Bros. was keen, but after "The Exorcist" director William Friedkin left due to creative differences, the project ended up languishing in development hell. Blatty decided to turn "Legion" into a novel...
Case in point: 1990's "The Exorcist III." After the goofy metaphysics of John Boorman's widely derided "Exorcist II: The Heretic," "The Exorcist" writer and author William Peter Blatty pitched a story called "Legion" for another sequel that would ignore the events of Boorman's film. Warner Bros. was keen, but after "The Exorcist" director William Friedkin left due to creative differences, the project ended up languishing in development hell. Blatty decided to turn "Legion" into a novel...
- 1/29/2023
- by Lee Adams
- Slash Film
In May 2020, a former NASA engineer named Ronald Edwin Hunkeler passed away at the age of 85. During his time with the space agency, he had patented heat shields that helped put people on the moon in 1969, but he lived in constant fear that his other claim to fame would be unearthed. For during his teenage years, he was the boy who inspired "The Exorcist."
Although the case has been subject to great scrutiny and skepticism since it was reported in 1949, the "Roland Doe" exorcism remains one of the most famous possession cases, largely thanks to its relation to William Friedkin's blockbuster movie. Hunkeler, who was given pseudonyms to protect his identity, was 13 years old when the disturbances began. First, there were strange noises and moving objects. Then he started displaying increasingly unusual behavior, talking in a guttural voice unlike his own, speaking Latin phrases, and showing extreme discomfort when presented with sacred objects.
Although the case has been subject to great scrutiny and skepticism since it was reported in 1949, the "Roland Doe" exorcism remains one of the most famous possession cases, largely thanks to its relation to William Friedkin's blockbuster movie. Hunkeler, who was given pseudonyms to protect his identity, was 13 years old when the disturbances began. First, there were strange noises and moving objects. Then he started displaying increasingly unusual behavior, talking in a guttural voice unlike his own, speaking Latin phrases, and showing extreme discomfort when presented with sacred objects.
- 1/8/2023
- by Lee Adams
- Slash Film
No possession film will ever be as frightening as The Exorcist (1973) because it is a movie no one wants to make anymore. Filmmakers repeatedly try to copy it, but that’s not the same as producing a bold and groundbreaking original work, and when they do, they try to speed up the action to get to the thrills. The devil likes it slow and has never been more intimate, and real as in director William Friedkin’s multi-Oscar-nominated film. It is scary because it is studiously subdued, and daringly sloppy.
The Exorcist terrified moviegoers when it came out a day after Christmas in ‘73. William Peter Blatty’s novel was a bestseller before that, threatening to infest every bookshelf in every home in America. It was a demon just waiting for some studio to unleash it into theaters, and Warner Bros. heralded its unholy unveiling.
Word on the street warned that...
The Exorcist terrified moviegoers when it came out a day after Christmas in ‘73. William Peter Blatty’s novel was a bestseller before that, threatening to infest every bookshelf in every home in America. It was a demon just waiting for some studio to unleash it into theaters, and Warner Bros. heralded its unholy unveiling.
Word on the street warned that...
- 10/19/2022
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Few movies have the diabolical aura of "The Exorcist," and much of its reputation comes from its sensational and controversial release almost 50 years ago. William Friedkin's film had people queuing in the streets to see what all the fuss was about, as tales of moviegoers vomiting or passing out in theaters only served to emphasize its devilish allure. Critic Andrew Sarris of The Village Voice even went so far as to call it "a thoroughly evil film." Then there were the predictable rumors of an on-set curse and the subsequent ban in the UK, all of which added to its stature as one of the most frightening mainstream horrors ever made.
Despite its whiff of sulfur, I never saw the film as anything remotely evil. I approached it with caution at first but I consider it a good film in the purest sense of the word. Sure, it catalogs...
Despite its whiff of sulfur, I never saw the film as anything remotely evil. I approached it with caution at first but I consider it a good film in the purest sense of the word. Sure, it catalogs...
- 10/16/2022
- by Lee Adams
- Slash Film
The case of the Zodiac Killer–who murdered five people (that we know of) in Northern California in the late 1960s, and whose identity still remains a mystery–has fascinated filmmakers ever since his reign of terror began. This is partially because of his methods, partially because of his direct contact with investigators among the police and media, and partially because he was never caught. He was never even positively identified, which means, for all we know, he could still be alive today. Thus the Zodiac’s macabre history has gripped the imaginations of artists for decades, either with direct interpretations or tales and characters inspired by him.
In fact, it may just be a strange coincidence, but the latest movie to feature a killer patterned after the Zodiac–Matt Reeves’ The Batman, in which Reeves reinterprets classic Bat-villain the Riddler as a psychotic yet methodical murderer who likes leaving...
In fact, it may just be a strange coincidence, but the latest movie to feature a killer patterned after the Zodiac–Matt Reeves’ The Batman, in which Reeves reinterprets classic Bat-villain the Riddler as a psychotic yet methodical murderer who likes leaving...
- 3/2/2022
- by Don Kaye
- Den of Geek
It’s astonishing to think that a few judicious edits, a deletion of seconds here, or a few minutes there, can sometimes change the entire meaning, theme, and even narrative trajectory of a motion picture. But it happens more often than you may think: look at movies like Aliens, The Abyss, or Blade Runner–just to name a handful–where such excisions literally made a movie-defining difference. That’s what happened with The Exorcist too.
That religious chiller is still renowned as the greatest horror movie of all time, and it starts a run on Netflix this week. When director William Friedkin made The Exorcist in 1973, his initial cut was two hours and 20 minutes. Over several objections by producer and screenwriter William Peter Blatty (who adapted his own novel), Friedkin pruned away 20 minutes or so, bringing the film in at a tight two hours.
Some 17 years later, however, Friedkin–whose...
That religious chiller is still renowned as the greatest horror movie of all time, and it starts a run on Netflix this week. When director William Friedkin made The Exorcist in 1973, his initial cut was two hours and 20 minutes. Over several objections by producer and screenwriter William Peter Blatty (who adapted his own novel), Friedkin pruned away 20 minutes or so, bringing the film in at a tight two hours.
Some 17 years later, however, Friedkin–whose...
- 2/3/2022
- by Don Kaye
- Den of Geek
Jim Knipfel Aug 16, 2019
Three decades later, we look back at The Exorcist III, which despite everything is much better than most people remember.
Judge me harshly if you will, but I admit without shame that of all the entries in The Exorcist franchise, John Boorman’s 1977 all-star Exorcist II: The Heretic is by far my favorite. Not the greatest or most coherent of the lot, no, but my favorite. In terms of sheer brain-melting horror, I dare you to cite any scene from any of the other entries that can touch the terrifying spectacle of Linda Blair tap dancing. That said, 1990’s The Exorcist III comes in a very close second. It’s a far better film than it has any right to be, and at several turns, it even tops the original…
Based on his 1983 novel Legion, writer-director William Peter Blatty’s Exorcist III arrived 17 years after William Friedkin’s The Exorcist,...
Three decades later, we look back at The Exorcist III, which despite everything is much better than most people remember.
Judge me harshly if you will, but I admit without shame that of all the entries in The Exorcist franchise, John Boorman’s 1977 all-star Exorcist II: The Heretic is by far my favorite. Not the greatest or most coherent of the lot, no, but my favorite. In terms of sheer brain-melting horror, I dare you to cite any scene from any of the other entries that can touch the terrifying spectacle of Linda Blair tap dancing. That said, 1990’s The Exorcist III comes in a very close second. It’s a far better film than it has any right to be, and at several turns, it even tops the original…
Based on his 1983 novel Legion, writer-director William Peter Blatty’s Exorcist III arrived 17 years after William Friedkin’s The Exorcist,...
- 8/12/2019
- Den of Geek
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