![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Exorcist-II-The-Heretic-PIC.jpg?resize=620%2C348&ssl=1\")
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Exorcist II: The Heretic<\/strong>\u00a0 (1977)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Warner Bros.\/Horror\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 RT: 117 minutes\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rated R (some language and violence, disturbing images, brief nudity, suggestive material)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Director: John Boorman\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Screenplay: William Goodhart\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Music: Ennio Morricone\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cinematography: William A. Fraker\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Release date: June 17, 1977 (US)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cast: Linda Blair, Richard Burton, Louise Fletcher, Max von Sydow, Kitty Winn, Paul Henreid, James Earl Jones, Ned Beatty, Belinha Beatty, Rose Portillo, Barbara Cason, Hank Garrett, Richard Paul, Shane Butterworth, Joely Adams, Dana Plato (uncredited).\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Box Office: $30.7 million (US)<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Rating<\/strong>: ***<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u00a0Not only is Exorcist II: The Heretic<\/strong> regarded as the worst sequel of all time, it\u2019s regarded as one of the worst movies of all time. Audiences scared by the first movie laughed derisively at it. Some actually threw stuff at the screen when it was over. Reportedly, Warner Bros. execs were chased down the street by angry theater patrons ten minutes into its first public screening (not sure if this is actually true). Director John Boorman (Excalibur) pulled it and recut it not once but twice to no avail. If anything, he made it worse. It wasn\u2019t the sequel the public wanted and they made their feelings clear in no uncertain terms. While it ultimately turned a small profit, it wasn\u2019t a blockbuster hit like its predecessor.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u00a0I\u2019ll make it simple. I like Exorcist II: The Heretic<\/strong>. Now let me qualify that statement. There are two version of it floating around. \u00a0I like the longer 117-minute cut NOT the shorter 104-minute version. For some reason, that extra 13 minutes makes all the difference.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u00a0That being said, I\u2019ll now tell you about my conflicting feelings for Exorcist II: The Heretic<\/strong>. Part of me thinks it\u2019s absolutely brilliant. I like that Boorman chooses NOT to take the sequel in the expected direction with Linda Blair\u2019s character getting repossessed and having to undergo another exorcism. Instead, he takes the story in a more cerebral direction by explaining why the demon Pazuzu chose to possess Regan. The reason is uncovered during an investigation into the death of Father Merrin. Boorman\u2019s approach to the sequel is certainly original and even intelligent.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u00a0HOWEVER, I cannot deny that Exorcist II: The Heretic<\/strong> is, at the same time, a bad movie. At times, it\u2019s laughably bad. Richard Burton (Cleopatra) turns in an especially hammy performance as Father Philip Lamont, the priest tasked by the Vatican to look into the circumstances surrounding Merrin\u2019s death while performing Regan\u2019s exorcism. He gets such choice lines as \u201cEvil is a spiritual being, alive and living, perverted and perverting, weaving its way insidiously into the very fabric of life.\u201d This is just one example of this movie\u2019s atrocious dialogue.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u00a0Exorcist II: The Heretic<\/strong> frequently veers into the realm of the ludicrous by introducing such plot elements as a machine (a \u201csynchronizer\u201d) that allows one user to examine the dreams of another by synchronizing their brainwaves. This is achieved through hypnosis by a flashing strobe light. Then there\u2019s this badly choreographed tap dance sequence that\u2019s already a disaster before Pazuzu decides to get into the act. At times (many times, actually), Exorcist II: The Heretic<\/strong> qualifies as an unintentional comedy. I LOVE it\u2019s brilliant and bad at the same time.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u00a0Set four years after the events of The Exorcist, Regan is a seemingly normal 16 YO girl; that is, normal for somebody who was once possessed by a demon. She lives in a luxurious New York apartment with her legal guardian Sharon (Winn, reprising her role from the first movie). She continues to be monitored by a psychiatrist, Dr. Gene Tuskin (Fletcher, One Flew Over the Cuckoo\u2019s Nest), at an institute for troubled kids.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u00a0When Lamont asks to speak with Regan, Tuskin doesn\u2019t allow it as dredging up repressed memories (or so Regan claims) won\u2019t do her patient any good. However, she does allow him to synch with her on the device which results in the memories and Pazuzu coming back. Lamont has to find a way to defeat the demon once and for all. To do that, he needs to travel to Africa to speak with Kokumo (Jones, Conan the Barbarian), a locust expert who was possessed by Pazuzu as a child. He\u2019s the one that Merrin exorcised in the past. While Lamont searches for Kokumo, Regan starts behaving strangely again only this time without the obscenities, crucifix-defiling, head-spinning and pea soup-spewing.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u00a0Now for the $64,000 question; do I tell you why Pazuzu possessed (and continues to plague) Regan? Okay, sure, why not? Here it comes, MAJOR SPOILER ALERT!!! <\/strong>Regan has the power to psychically heal people. In one scene, she helps an autistic girl (Plato, Diff\u2019rent Strokes) speak. Kokumo is similarly gifted. \u00a0As a child, he helped rid his village of a plague of locusts.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u00a0Locusts play a big role in Exorcist II: The Heretic<\/strong>. This will take some explaining. Lamont discovers that Merrin belonged to a secret theological society that believes psychic powers are a gift from God and will one day be shared by all people. This notion of universal thought is similar to a locust swarm. When their wings brush against each other, they become agitated and destructive. However, there\u2019s always a \u201cgood locust\u201d capable of calming down the entire swarm. Regan is a \u201cgood locust\u201d. Pazuzu often manifests himself as a giant locust which explains why Lamont says he flew someplace once before \u201con the wings of a demon\u201d. The idea of Regan being a healer is brilliant; the whole bit about locusts is somewhere between smart and silly.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u00a0The acting in Exorcist II: The Heretic<\/strong> is heinous. I\u2019ve already mentioned Burton\u2019s overacting; it\u2019s a highlight. Blair, looking older and chubbier, was in the midst of drug addiction when she made this movie. She does fine until the movie\u2019s climax when the script calls for her to play \u201cgood Regan\u201d and \u201cbad Regan\u201d, a slutty temptress who tries to win Lamont over to the dark side. This scene takes place in the Georgetown house where Regan lived at the time of her original demonic affliction. It also features a huge swarm of locusts descending on Washington DC. Her portrayal of \u201cbad Regan\u201d is like a cartoon floozy albeit an R-rated one. Fletcher manages to retain her dignity in the face of all the theological silliness. Max von Sydow reprises his role as Father Merrin in a few flashback sequences in case you\u2019re wondering how they brought him back. \u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u00a0The scenes in Africa look like they were shot on a studio backlot which they actually were since they couldn\u2019t afford to shoot Exorcist II: The Heretic<\/strong> on location. The makers couldn\u2019t even get permission to film in the original Georgetown house or on the infamous steps. The movie has a cheap look to it. The special effects are shoddy. There\u2019s not much to say about the demonic makeup since Blair refused to wear it this time. The screenplay is a mess of good and dumb ideas. The movie\u2019s one shining element is Ennio Morricone\u2019s score. It augments the tone of the movie. It\u2019s a moody piece and decidedly not for everybody. It\u2019s not the least bit scary.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u00a0Exorcist II: The Heretic<\/strong> is a very underrated movie. I get why most people hate it. I did at first but then I saw the longer cut and it all started to make sense. It\u2019s just one of those movies that either you get or you don\u2019t.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n SPECIAL NOTE: The first time I saw Exorcist II: The Heretic<\/strong>, it was as a late movie (shown after the 11pm news) on one of the regular channels in a less than two-hour time slot (summer 1983). It was chopped to hell, had a ton of commercials and made no sense. Of course I hated it on my first viewing.<\/p>\r\n Exorcist II: The Heretic\u00a0 (1977)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Warner Bros.\/Horror\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 RT: 117 minutes\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rated R (some language and violence, disturbing images, brief nudity, suggestive material)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Director: John Boorman\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Screenplay: William Goodhart\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Music: Ennio Morricone\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cinematography: William A. Fraker\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Release date: June 17, 1977 (US)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cast: Linda Blair, Richard Burton, Louise Fletcher, Max von Sydow, Kitty Winn, Paul Henreid, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1155,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,25,15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guilty-pleasures","category-horror","category-sequels-remakes"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Exorcist-II-The-Heretic-PIC.jpg?fit=620%2C348&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=391"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1156,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391\/revisions\/1156"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Exorcist-II-The-Heretic-POSTER.jpg?resize=620%2C922&ssl=1\")
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