The Exorcist III ***½ (1990, George C Scott, Ed Flanders, Brad Dourif, Nicol Williamson, Jason Miller) – Classic Movie Review 2524

Oscar-winning writer William Peter Blatty’s belated 1990 sequel (as both writer and director this time) to his 1973 blockbuster The Exorcist is advertised as ‘from the creator of the original Exorcist’. That’s to distance itself from the failed second movie, John Boorman’s Exorcist II: The Heretic, which didn’t involve Blatty.

George C Scott stars as Lieutenant William Kinderman, the Georgetown, near Washington DC, police detective (taking over from Lee J Cobb [who died in 1976] in the original), this time investigating a series of eerie murders after a demon has cast himself into the body of a young priest. A gruesome serial killer is at large, involving torture, decapitation and the desecration of religious icons, which resemble the modus operandi of the Gemini Killer, who has been dead for 15 years.

This is a thoroughly impressive and frightening mix of detective yarn, theological puzzle and study in terror and horror.

It is led by Scott’s commanding, complex performance, which is his best in years, and is backed up by committed, worthy support from Ed Flanders as his friend Father Dyer, Nicol Williamson as Father Morning, Scott Wilson as Dr Temple and the spirited Brad Dourif as the Gemini Killer.

Blatty, who had nothing to do with the unrelated Exorcist II: The Heretic, directs, as well as writes (from his 1983 novel Legion), in grand style.

Jason Miller re-creates his role as Father Damien Karras, Patient X.

Also in the cast are Nancy Fish, George DiCenzo, Don Gordon, Viveca Lindfors, Lee Richardson, Grant L Bush, Mary Jackson, Ken Lerner, Tracy Thorne, Barbara Baxley, Zohra Lampert, Harry Carey Jr, Sherrie Wills, Edward Lynch, Clifford David, Alex Zuckerman, Lois Foraker, Tyra Ferrell, James Burgess, Kevin Corrigan, and Peggy Alston.

The original GB certificate was 18 but since 2002 the GB video rating is 15.

Morgan Creek Productions ordered much of the third act to be reshot and an exorcism that wasn’t there originally to be included. In 2007 they said all the trimmed and alternate scenes had been lost but in 2015 Blatty confirmed the company is planning a Blu-ray release of his Director’s Cut.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2524

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