The Exorcist III (1990)
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
Police Lieutenant Kinderman (George C. Scott) is investigating some brutal murders, which appear to be being committed by the Gemini Killer. The only problem is that the killer has been dead for fifteen-years, which sets it back to when the MacNeil girl was possessed by a demon and Father Karras was killed. Somehow Kinderman believes the two are connected and playing out in the current time.
Writer-director William Peter Blatty's THE EXORICIST II is like a lot of movies in the fact that it was handed over to the studio and they weren't happy with it so re-shoots were done. After all, if people are coming to see THE EXORCIST III shouldn't they get an exorcism? I will leave that up to each viewer whether or not the post-production changes actually worked but for my money not only is this the best sequel in the series but I think it's a strong contender for being the best movie. Yes, you heard me right. In many ways I think this film is even better than the first movie.
Blatty's novel Legion is the source for this and there's no question that this is an extremely well-made and well-acted thriller (not horror) that manages to be quite creepy throughout and also manages to have one of the greatest jump scares from any movie ever made. What makes the film work so well is that it's basically a police thriller that has a very good story dealing with a serial killer and a mystery possibly tying it to an exorcism from years earlier. I'm certainly not going to ruin any of the twists in the movie but for me they work extremely well.
Another thing that makes this film so great are the performances. Scott, filling in for Lee J. Cobb who had passed away, does a remarkable job and certainly helps sell the film. Scott was one of our most underrated character actors and he brings a lot to the film including making you believe everything that you're seeing. With someone like Scott in the picture it just gives the movie more credit just like THE OMEN got by having Gregory Peck in it. There's a wide range of emotions that Scott has to play but he certainly nails the character. Ed Flanders, Jason Miller and Nicol Williamson are all good as is Scott Wilson and Nancy Fish. Brad Dourif is also good here, although I think the scenes with him are the weakest in the film.
THE EXORCIST III features a great score, some terrific cinematography and as I said a convincing story that holds your attention throughout. People can debate on whether or not the exorcism at the end was needed but this here is certainly a very good thriller.
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
Police Lieutenant Kinderman (George C. Scott) is investigating some brutal murders, which appear to be being committed by the Gemini Killer. The only problem is that the killer has been dead for fifteen-years, which sets it back to when the MacNeil girl was possessed by a demon and Father Karras was killed. Somehow Kinderman believes the two are connected and playing out in the current time.
Writer-director William Peter Blatty's THE EXORICIST II is like a lot of movies in the fact that it was handed over to the studio and they weren't happy with it so re-shoots were done. After all, if people are coming to see THE EXORCIST III shouldn't they get an exorcism? I will leave that up to each viewer whether or not the post-production changes actually worked but for my money not only is this the best sequel in the series but I think it's a strong contender for being the best movie. Yes, you heard me right. In many ways I think this film is even better than the first movie.
Blatty's novel Legion is the source for this and there's no question that this is an extremely well-made and well-acted thriller (not horror) that manages to be quite creepy throughout and also manages to have one of the greatest jump scares from any movie ever made. What makes the film work so well is that it's basically a police thriller that has a very good story dealing with a serial killer and a mystery possibly tying it to an exorcism from years earlier. I'm certainly not going to ruin any of the twists in the movie but for me they work extremely well.
Another thing that makes this film so great are the performances. Scott, filling in for Lee J. Cobb who had passed away, does a remarkable job and certainly helps sell the film. Scott was one of our most underrated character actors and he brings a lot to the film including making you believe everything that you're seeing. With someone like Scott in the picture it just gives the movie more credit just like THE OMEN got by having Gregory Peck in it. There's a wide range of emotions that Scott has to play but he certainly nails the character. Ed Flanders, Jason Miller and Nicol Williamson are all good as is Scott Wilson and Nancy Fish. Brad Dourif is also good here, although I think the scenes with him are the weakest in the film.
THE EXORCIST III features a great score, some terrific cinematography and as I said a convincing story that holds your attention throughout. People can debate on whether or not the exorcism at the end was needed but this here is certainly a very good thriller.