SYNOPSIS
A series of murders bear the hallmarks of the Gemini Killer, who was executed seventeen years ago; only, none of the prints match. Meanwhile, a hospital-bound amnesiac has begun to claim that he's the Gemini Killer.
OPINION
Unpopular opinion: The Exorcist sucks. I guess I've only seen "THE VERSION YOU HAVEN'T SEEN" or whatever, but I think the structure's a mess. That being said: I did enjoy the novel, and it turns out I'm a huge fan of William Peter Blatty as a visual artist. The Exorcist III is, to me, the kind of film he would have made The Exorcist if he'd handled it himself: methodically paced, a little dry, but cataclysmic when it finally erupts. It's a real head-scratcher of a mystery for about the first hour - how can a dead serial killer be alive, be a different person, and still be killing even though he's locked up? And then the pieces fall into place as the deaths start to pile up. As with George C. Scott's other entry on this list, The Changeling, this is another film that's best known for a single, incredible image. Do yourself a favor and go in spoiler-free, if you can.
CAST + CREW
Director: William Peter Blatty (The Ninth Configuration)
Cast: George C. Scott (The Changeling, Firestarter)
Jason Miller (The Ninth Configuration, The Exorcist)
Brad Dourif (Child's Play, Alien Resurrection)
Fabio (Bubble Boy, Sharknado 5: Global Swarming)
CONTENT (spoilered; highlight for warnings)
violence against women, demonic possession, mental illness, large scissors
CAREER STATS [on a scale from 1 (least) to 10 (most)]
FUN: 6
A slow-burn, for sure, but it does get wilder as it goes on.
SCARINESS: 8
An extremely good, genuine blend of jump-scare with spookies.
INTENSITY: 7
A lot of smoldering conversations between old white dudes.
RECOMMENDABILITY: 8
A very good Exorcist film is always a surprise!
SEE ALSO:
The Ninth Configuration, Fallen, Prince of Darkness
