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I’ll be the first to admit that when mention of a horror sequel comes around my ears, I tend to turn my brain off, but I am usually the first to admit when I am wrong about something two as some half decent and high unrated features can slide right under the radar. Kicking off our Horror Retro Rewind we dial it back 25 years to 1990 and The Exorcist III which almost wipes clean the memories of The Heretic from 15 years before it gives us a fresh tact from the original story.
Its years after that fateful night and Lt. William Kinderman (George C Scott) is investigating a series of murders in Georgetown that appear to have a satanic bent to them all and point towards the m.o. of the deceased Gemini killer. However things keep getting stranger and his investigation leads him to a mental ward where he ends up running into an old friend that he didn’t expect to see under any circumstance.
For this third installment, original author William Peter Blatty takes charge as both writer and director in only the second time that he has ever done it and comes through with a solid little scary flick that while not without its flaws, can stand up underneath of the weight of being an Exorcist film, even though it wasn’t originally intended to be that at all.
The story conceived of by Blatty was initially intended as a collaboration between Blatty and original film director William Friedkin soon after the release of the original, but disagreements and scheduling conflicts between the two ended up as Blatty taking the idea and turning into a novel called Legion back in 1983.
Deciding to return this story to its cinematic roots was the right call, as Blatty gives us a multilayered character piece that isn’t insulting to the characters and the audience. Despite some necessary recasts and a couple of logic gaps, Blatty lets everything play at a fairly measured pace and we get roped into this very effective story without having to lean on the archetypes and tropes from the original film. Blatty allows moments to breathe and make their own mark as the solid script gets us into more than just a procedural but the genuine emotional aftermath that these kinds of events can unleash on the human psyche. Blatty isn’t afraid to let things work at a slow burn and here with a solid lead performance he does exactly that.
George C Scott takes the bulk of the work with skill and aplomb here as it obviously isn’t a perfect movie but he’s been around the block enough to be able to get the character work to where it needs to be and is obvious example of talent elevating what is on the page. Lots of people return from the original film to give it all some weight and Scott carries the world weariness of these events as well as anyone ever could.
It doesn’t generate those obvious scares, but it makes it just creepy enough to resonate in all the spots and that makes The Exorcist III not necessarily something that you have to run out the door to go and see, but get that cringed look off of your face because it is actually a fairly solid piece of entertainment for anyone looking to get a little freaky.
The Exorcist III is available on DVD, Blu-Ray, iTunes and other on demand services.
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