Released: 1990
Starring: George C. Scott, Ed Flanders, Jason Miller, Brad Dourif
Directed by: William Peter Blatty
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
“Dare you walk these steps… again?”
“Have you ever heard of the Gemini Killer?” William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist III, an adaptation of his novel Legion, is a hidden gem in The Exorcist series. The soundtrack, the dialogue, the actors, all raise this movie up as a fantastic horror and thriller film. While it may not be as out-right scary as The Exorcist, it still gives you a good chill up your spine.
This movie takes place 15 years after the events of the first film. It follows Detective William F. Kinderman (George C. Scott; Patton, Doctor Strangelove) as he begins investigating a murder of a young boy who was decapitated and crucified on some boat oars. This murder takes place on the anniversary of Father Damien Karras’ (Jason Miller; The Exorcist, Rudy) death. Father Karras was one of the priests involved in the exorcism of the first film. He was close friends with Detective Kinderman and another mutual friend, Father Joseph Dyer (Ed Flanders; The Ninth Configuration, Harry S. Truman: Plain Speaking). The two friends act as support for each other on this sad day. Another murder occurs and a pattern to an old case starts to appear. Father Dyer ends up in a hospital and another murder puts the hospital under investigation for the case. Kinderman discovers something interesting in the hospital’s disturbed ward and from there, things really start to get creepy.
Even though this is a sequel, it still stands on its own feet. You can watch The Exorcist III, not even knowing about the original film, and still enjoy the experience. The overall feel of the movie is subtly intense, and that gives it great atmosphere. By the end of the film, you may realize that your body has become tense while watching the film as you suddenly relax and when the credits roll. Casting George C. Scott as the detective was a brilliant casting choice and the rest of the cast work well together to deliver some great dialogue. The conversations between Kinderman and Father Dyer are engaging to listen to, and the lines spoken by Brad Dourif (Child’s Play, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers), playing the Gemini Killer, are almost poetic in their delivery. While the dialogue doesn’t always move the plot along, it is phenomenal at developing the characters’ personalities and relationships.
Sound plays an important part in The Exorcist III. The soundtrack cranks every scare up a notch and adds an immense amount of atmosphere to the film. There are moments of intense sound used either to escalate a fear-inducing situation and moments of absolute silence that might even be more disconcerting than the former moments. The movie starts with the perfect example of the way sound is used throughout the movie. Starting with no music and only sounds of what is occurring on screen (a team rowing a boat and another jogging). There is no spoken dialogue before the title of the film except one word by Detective Kinderman as he looks at a photo and says “Damien.” Then instantly we hear the familiar tones of The Exorcist theme song which almost abruptly stops and leads into a slowly increasing sound of growling and deep music. This music wanes as we are shown the inside of a church. Only for the doors of the church to be flung open and wind and wailing is loudly introduced. Then again a sudden silence as the title of the film is put on the screen. This rollercoaster of audio in the first three minutes of the movie lets you know what you are in for as you sit through the rest of the film and it is all going to be good.
Visually, the film doesn’t use a lot of effects to deliver scares, but its solid use of camera angles, atmospheric lighting, and clean picture give you a triple-A horror experience. There are some effects in play such as an old woman climbing across the ceiling, bleeding crucifixes, and a little gore, but these are all tastefully done and still look good almost thirty years later. Special lighting seems only to be used in scenes involving a supernatural element. We see it in the cell with the Gemini Killer, in a dream sequence, and when Kinderman is talking to a priest, but any other time, the lighting is just used to light the scene normally. This gives those scenes added elements without being a detriment to the rest of the film. Camera angles, tracking shots, and quick cuts all just add to the quality of the film and help deliver the message of the moment to the audience. Should you be relaxed, nervous, or terrified? Combining the visuals and the sounds let you know exactly when is the time to be afraid.
There is some behind-the-scenes history to this film. The original concept and story actually had no exorcism. While it still had some connections to the first film and included supernatural elements, Blatty had different elements and ending than the final released version. After he finished the film, he had to do reshoots to add in the exorcism at the studio’s behest. There had been talk of trying to find the original footage to the film and doing a director’s cut, and finally in 2016 Scream! Factory released a director’s cut of The Exorcist III (which I will be taking a look at and decide if I am going to update this review or do a completely separate one for that version).
Whether or not this is Blatty’s original vision for this film, I have to say it is my second favorite out of The Exorcist series, with the original being my favorite. The performances by Brad Dourif and George C. Scott are phenomenal. I can’t wait to see the differences between the theatrical version and the director’s cut. I think this film suffered from the bad taste left in audience’s mouth from The Exorcist II: The Heretic which is considered by many as one of the worst movies of all time. If this had been the second film in the series I feel it would be looked upon as a solid sequel. So hold onto your holy water, sit down in the comfort of your couch, enjoy the film, and save me some popcorn!
Rating:
Jack Savage:
I cannot express more how much I like this movie than to assign it a “With Butter” rating. It has very few drawbacks and I never get tired of watching it. If you like horror or psychological thrillers, then you need to watch The Exorcist III.
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