Hello, all. Earlier in this “series,” I mentioned my algorithm for all things sequels [at least for horror movies] to someone who, ironically enough, was asking me about a sequel. To wit, the quality goes down, but the kill count goes up, and the gore hounds are satisfied enough for box office returns to necessitate one or two more sequels before diminishing returns start to add up. Happily, there are exceptions, and I’m recommending one of those here…
Ask anyone what the best horror movie is, and they’re probably going to respond in almost knee-jerk fashion that it’s THE EXORCIST. Maybe they’re right, but when the steaming pile of cinematic excrement that was THE EXORCIST II: THE HERETIC came rumbling into theaters, it almost cheapened the greatness of the original. So, not only is today’s recommendation an exception to my cynical attitude about the quality of sequels, but also about the motive. It’s as if they had to redeem the original by going back to the well for one more try more so than simply trying to squeeze more dollars out of the audience by piggybacking the name of such a great horror film. In my opinion, they came awfully close with THE EXORCIST III. If you’re inclined, the trailer is embedded below.
It’s as if William Peter Blatty [writer of the original] decided that the folks in Hollyweird had dropped a nice Cleveland steamer on his creation and he had to come in to fix the mess that John Boorman [of EXCALIBUR fame… lots of EX movies here (and that reminds me, EX MACHINA is a solid film)] created with the sequel to the celebrated original. Again, for all intents and purposes, he does. The plot is more than serviceable for the third film in a series, the dialogue is sharp, and the performances are also fairly solid. George C. Scott chews the screen in typical fashion, naturally, but even Patrick Ewing is effective in a brief cameo as an [perhaps *the*] angel of death in a peculiar dream sequence. Brad Dourif is… well, Brad Dourif [after his outstanding debut in ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST, it’s as if he was typecast as a freakshow, as is born out in this film, in THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, ALIEN: RESURRECTION, and so on and so on]. At times, a performance gets closer to “horror acting by-numbers” self-parody than something that grants a real sense of veritas, but the film succeeds despite the occasional misstep. Nicol Williamson also makes a few brief appearances in the film, including perhaps its most squirm worthy moment [he played Merlin in EXCALIBUR, by the way, and now you know why I threw that reference in above].
There is thankfully only one real jump scare in the film [again, I don’t want a horror film to wake me up (by throwing something on-screen, accompanied by some shrieking, piercing musical cue) but rather for it to keep me up], but it’s shot in such a way that it doesn’t feel cheap… you know, like the “I’m slowly approaching the closet and a cat jumps out [loud music]!!!” sort of scene that is served up too often in the dreck that passes for horror most of the time.
So, if you liked the original and suffered through the sequel, give this one a try… it’s like a cinematic palate cleanser. Considering the original, that’s high praise, indeed. Enjoy!
Oh, one last thing… if the exorcism niche is your thing, you may want to check out THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE. Loosely based on a true story, it’s almost more of a procedural courtroom drama than a horror film, but don’t let that fool you; there are plenty of unsettling moments in it.
Actually, one more last thing... here are the recommendations I've made thus far, complete with linkage.
[Day 1 - MARTYRS; Day 2 - TUCKER AND DALE VS EVIL; Day 3 - TRIANGLE; Day 4 - GREEN ROOM; Day 5 - CANDYMAN; Day 6 - THE STRANGERS; Day 7 - AUDITION; Day 8 - KILL LIST]
Ask anyone what the best horror movie is, and they’re probably going to respond in almost knee-jerk fashion that it’s THE EXORCIST. Maybe they’re right, but when the steaming pile of cinematic excrement that was THE EXORCIST II: THE HERETIC came rumbling into theaters, it almost cheapened the greatness of the original. So, not only is today’s recommendation an exception to my cynical attitude about the quality of sequels, but also about the motive. It’s as if they had to redeem the original by going back to the well for one more try more so than simply trying to squeeze more dollars out of the audience by piggybacking the name of such a great horror film. In my opinion, they came awfully close with THE EXORCIST III. If you’re inclined, the trailer is embedded below.
It’s as if William Peter Blatty [writer of the original] decided that the folks in Hollyweird had dropped a nice Cleveland steamer on his creation and he had to come in to fix the mess that John Boorman [of EXCALIBUR fame… lots of EX movies here (and that reminds me, EX MACHINA is a solid film)] created with the sequel to the celebrated original. Again, for all intents and purposes, he does. The plot is more than serviceable for the third film in a series, the dialogue is sharp, and the performances are also fairly solid. George C. Scott chews the screen in typical fashion, naturally, but even Patrick Ewing is effective in a brief cameo as an [perhaps *the*] angel of death in a peculiar dream sequence. Brad Dourif is… well, Brad Dourif [after his outstanding debut in ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST, it’s as if he was typecast as a freakshow, as is born out in this film, in THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, ALIEN: RESURRECTION, and so on and so on]. At times, a performance gets closer to “horror acting by-numbers” self-parody than something that grants a real sense of veritas, but the film succeeds despite the occasional misstep. Nicol Williamson also makes a few brief appearances in the film, including perhaps its most squirm worthy moment [he played Merlin in EXCALIBUR, by the way, and now you know why I threw that reference in above].
There is thankfully only one real jump scare in the film [again, I don’t want a horror film to wake me up (by throwing something on-screen, accompanied by some shrieking, piercing musical cue) but rather for it to keep me up], but it’s shot in such a way that it doesn’t feel cheap… you know, like the “I’m slowly approaching the closet and a cat jumps out [loud music]!!!” sort of scene that is served up too often in the dreck that passes for horror most of the time.
So, if you liked the original and suffered through the sequel, give this one a try… it’s like a cinematic palate cleanser. Considering the original, that’s high praise, indeed. Enjoy!
Oh, one last thing… if the exorcism niche is your thing, you may want to check out THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE. Loosely based on a true story, it’s almost more of a procedural courtroom drama than a horror film, but don’t let that fool you; there are plenty of unsettling moments in it.
Actually, one more last thing... here are the recommendations I've made thus far, complete with linkage.
[Day 1 - MARTYRS; Day 2 - TUCKER AND DALE VS EVIL; Day 3 - TRIANGLE; Day 4 - GREEN ROOM; Day 5 - CANDYMAN; Day 6 - THE STRANGERS; Day 7 - AUDITION; Day 8 - KILL LIST]
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