It’s been fifty years since the release of the late, great William Friedkin’s horror masterpiece “The Exorcist” and we’re getting two really big, and anticipated sequels that follow after the original film. “Believer” is setting high expectations and has a high bar to hit. “The Exorcist” has yet to be topped by its follow ups, or its bevy of imitators. Here’s my list of films from “The Exorcist” series from Best to Worst. Fingers crossed “Believer” ends up wowing fans and audiences alike.
The Exorcist (1973)
William Friedkin’s horror drama is easily my favorite horror film of all time and one of my all time favorite films. It’s a complex, and emotional tale of family torn apart and infiltrated by a horrendous supernatural force. Every moment of the film is just immense with high stakes both personal and emotional, as a massive battle of faith, science, and reality unfolds before our eyes. Friedkin directs a dazzling cast including Max Von Sydow, Jason Miller, Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair in her star making performance. “The Exorcist” is just a non-stop journey in to darkness that also introduces Pazuzu, one of the most enigmatic villains of the genre. It hasn’t aged a bit since its release in 1973. It’s often imitated but has yet to be duplicated.
The Exorcist III (1990)
William Peter Blatty’s adaptation of his novel “Legion” is a wonderful horror film in its original form and in its uncut form. You really can’t go wrong with this film when all is said and done. “The Exorcist III” achieves so much of what the original held with its sense of unease, the sheer terror, and the wonderful cast from Brad Douriff, George C. Scott, and the return of Jason Miller respectively. It just excels in an engaging narrative, some wonderful bits of sheer terror, and moments that have become iconic to the horror genre. Whether it’s the elderly woman crawling on the ceiling, or the pitch perfect jump scare in the hospital, “The Exorcist III” is pitch perfect.
Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)
“The Exorcist” prequel debacle is one of the more infamous incidents of the early aughts that have just being a terrible stain on Renny Harlin and Paul Schrader’s careers. It didn’t kill their careers, but it was an unnecessary difficulty that didn’t need to happen if Morgan Creek would have decided on a film tone. Renny Harlin’s “The Beginning” is just a terrible film filled with a dull story, some awful CGI and some terribly mean spirited violence that does nothing to further the story of Father Merrin at all. “The Beginning” is a pointless attempt to expand the mythology of Friedkin’s movie and sadly just falls flat at every turn.
Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist 2005
“Dominion” is the film that Paul Schrader apparently originally intended to deliver to audiences and it’s just no better than Renny Harlin’s. Despite Schrader offering a more coherent film, “Dominion” is just as dull as Harlin’s. It also feels wholly unimportant and insignificant to the whole mythology of Friedkin’s movie. Father Merrin’s original battle with Pazuzu should have been an epic test of the body and his emotions that left him war torn for years. “Dominion” feels low in stakes and doesn’t entirely prop Pazuzu as an interesting villain. Merrin’s character just warrants a better, scarier film, and this isn’t it.
Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
Believe everything that you’ve read about “The Heretic.” It’s not just an awful sequel, but it is an awful movie altogether. John Boorman was known to have hated “The Exorcist” and allegedly sought out to deliver a sequel that was almost nothing like the original. What we get is a silly, unscary, boring and convoluted genre picture filled with idiotic mysticism, and some of the dumbest scenes ever staged. It’s all seemingly intent on ruining the ambiguity of the original film, even ruining one of the best moments of the original film. It wastes Linda Blair, it wastes Max Von Sydow, and it wastes James Earl Jones. It is just absolutely unwatchable, even with an ironic approach.