I’m unpopular in this but I LOVE Exorcist 2. I love how trippy it is, I love the look of it, the strange therapy rooms and sessions, the mirrored balcony, the art, all of it. And I thought Exorcist 3 was really boring. Yep. Unpopular view, lol.
What boring about it 3 was a lot better. The killer talk about what he did. Which even worse than seeing it. Not what happened today. I know looks good And alot of grass for some reason? And I feel Ms Blair only did this because Richard Burton was in it. It was something she won't forget. Being with him . And was much Love. I just wish it was better for them both. He pass away.RIP. not long after this. To better movie 🎬
I love it too! A real guilty pleasure for me because WTF even is this movie. It’s weird and takes chances and, sure, I guess it doesn’t work on many levels,but put it all together and it’s very entertaining to me. Probably accidentally, but I’ll take it! 😂
i just want to say I really love your channel, there's this plague of people giving opinions on movies with zero nuance but you actually go in depth of why you have your opinions . I'm a huge movie buff and used to write my own reviews in a personal journal hoping to one day do it professionally , which never happened.... your format is very close to how I used to write . Anyway keep it up ❤
“Exorcist II: The Heretic” is undoubtedly a very bizarre film. Personally I like it, but I can understand that people might not like it. John Boorman wanted to make a response to The Exorcist, more than a true sequel (in fact all versions of the script are called only "The Heretic"). In the end we have a sick film despite beautiful cinematography, good studio sets, and music by Ennio Morricone. anecdote: Jon Voight was supposed to play Father Lamont, but the actor ended up refusing. Indeed he wanted his character to have backround, but Boorman said there wouldn't be enough room to add backround to Lamont's character. “The Heretic” should have been a standalone film for Boorman, who is a director who after this film will make the excellent “Excalibur”. Personally I consider that the true sequel to “The Exorcist” is “Legion”. I consider "The Heretic" to be primarily a John Boorman film and I sometimes watch it as a Boorman film. In the meantime it was a good review.
There are elements of it that I think would work better standalone if they were handled a little better, but I can see why some people would enjoy this movie. Thanks for watching!
Loved your review Evan!! I have always been a 'fan' of The Heretic, but there is a valid reason! I'm in the UK and grew up in the 80's reading the novel and it totally captivated me. When I tried to rent a copy of the VHS i found it had been withdrawn and wasn't re-released on home media over here until 1999. I had no way of seeing The Exorcist. So I found Exorcist 2:The Heretic and this became my only way of visualising on screen some of what I had read in the original novel (Ie; the flashbacks to the exorcism). Totally agree, the actual plot (if you can call it that) is stupidity and the wooden acting by Richard Burton is laughable. This was definitely a cash-grab by WB. Still, I find some of the scenes still entertaining and the script at least brings out some emotion, albeit LAUGHTER 🤣 Love your channel mate!
I can definitely see the appeal for some people. It’s just so bizarre and that can entertaining, but I have zero nostalgia for it so it didn’t get that benefit lol. Thanks so much for the support!
Exorcist OG: sets up lore that once a person is possessed and survives, they cannot be possessed by that same demon again Exorcist 2: anyway what if Pazuzu was still lingering in Regan, nevermind that the first movie ends with the demon leaving her to possess someone else, Karras who?
“The real reason is because Ellen has standards” my has that quote aged badly since exorcist believer came out. Btw not hating love your videos man keep em up
The Heretic stunned me into anger. I almost couldn’t watch your review because I loathed it. It’s not even so bad it’s good. I feel like we need a safe place to talk about it, some group therapy to move on I do think that Blatty’s writing is what made the original and 3 so compelling EDIT: a live watch party of this. But like MST3K. And alcohol.
Oh puhhh-lease. It's a fun, f*cked up fantasy film. But I agree it's NOT a good sequel to The Exorcist, that's for sure. I absolutely love The Heretic, probably because I watched it BEFORE The Exorcist, when I was still a kid in the 90s.
The only good thing to come out of this movie is a Regan’s Theme by Ennio Morricone. Beautifully haunting. Otherwise f**k this movie. Funny review dude. Subbed. Greetings from Melbourne Australia.
Completely agree. Morricone was a beacon of light in this movie lol. I should’ve talked more about the score because it’s actually great. Also thank you so much!
Father Merrin died because of coronary artery disease (per the novel). What was there to investigate? Father Karras' death is the one that was, as Kinderman put it, "baffling".
He was being investigated because he was a candidate for canonization and the church typically investigates the details of the life of someone possibly up for sainthood.
@@rebeccawalton4234 I think its strange if they were looking to investigate the details of Merrin's life, why was Lamont sent to investigate the details of his death?
Same. I shouldn't like it, but, for some reason, i do, even if i agree with everything bad this movie has. If you forget about the plot and watch only the sounds and visuals, it's like a bizarre fever dream that touches something that very few movies touch.
Wonderful review! So glad i came across your channel. In case u didnr know... The woman that plays louise fletcher nurse/assistant (liz) is played by belinda beatty who is also ned beattys wife. Ned and linda both starred in repossessed in 1990 which i hope u do a review on
I love Exorcist 2 because it's the only film I know of that's "So bad it's mesmerizing". Pretty much every bad movie you can see the motivation for it getting green lit. But with this, like you said, you just can't understand how so much of went from Point A (writers head) to Point B (the theater screen). There were SO many people between those points who could, or should, have interjected but for some reason didn't. This movie is the equivalent of a man wearing a balaclava, driving a car without plates, with a sub-machine gun on the passenger seat and a bag bag with money sticking out in the back ... somehow making it through 10 police check points.
I absolutely LOVE The Heretic as a bizarre fantasy film - NOT as a sequel to The Exorcist. It has this very strange aura about it, beautiful cinematography and a lovely score by Ennio Morricone. I'm particularly fond of the scenes set in Africa, with those heavy filters that make it look like a fever dream.
No matter how many times I try to revisit this film, it never fails to elicit a facepalm. The best that can be said about it is that it feels more like one of those Italian-made ripoffs of The Exorcist (a la Beyond the Door) than it does The Exorcist.
I remember that the Sci-Fi channel used to show this movie all the time as the showing rights were really cheap, so I tried watching it and found it amazingly bad. Luckily, I cleansed my palate with a trip to the video store and rented the first Exorcist to forget about the awful sequel.
Agree that the best scene is the hypnosis machine - that little 're-enactment' of the first film, what we didn't see originally (Merrin dying in Regans room) in this feels weird and creepy but then no more creepy things happen for the rest
I would say this is not only the worst horror sequel ever made, but the worst sequel of any stripe, and quite possibly the worst movie ever. There are so many things wrong that I hardly know where to start...the stupid locusts, the idiotic dialogue ("Come, fly the teeth of the wind...share my wings.", "Por que? Por que?", and so many others), the sexualization of Regan, the meaningless characters, the illogic of the brainwave synchronization and other script elements, the fact that Dr. Tuskin's first name is spelled "Gene" not "Jean"...it's so bad, and yet I own it and every year or three I try it again. It's awful on its own, but it's especially appalling because of the transcendent excellence of The Exorcist. It asks us to "come down to its tone", but I refuse vigorously and angrily. This film had every objective reason to be excellent- talent in front of the camera (Linda Blair, Richard Burton, Louise Fletcher, Max von Sydow, Paul Henreid, James Earl Jones, even Ned Beatty!), behind the camera (John Boorman, who directed the superlative Deliverance), Ennio Morricone doing the music, but it is wholly abominable. I watched Omen IV one time when it was originally shown on TV (yes, I'm old), and I plan to give it a shot soon again. While I am open to agreeing with you that it is worse than Exorcist II, I can't imagine it will offend my sensibilities on such a visceral level as this dreck has.
This is actually "The Exorcist II: New Age Fever": a mixture of religions, silly dialogue and lots of new age imagery not yet well used as in "Midsommar". At least it can be said this film is visually ambitious and not just a cheap cardboard-copy of the original. But it's obviously failed out of its ambition. Not the kind of failed sequel we get today, anyway.
I believe there are two exorcist timelines that we can play with. The first timeline is the first movie, then exorcist 2: the heretic, then exorcist the beginning by Rennie Harlan. The second timeline would be the first exorcist, exorcist 3: Legion, and then exorcist dominion. I have not seen believer, and I don’t know where I would put the TV series yet.
I watched it again a couple of years ago and it actually wasn't as bad (for me) as I thought it was the first time I watched it. It actually made sense to me this time.
I could actually see the original idea being fairly decent in the right hands, I like the idea of it being a mockumentary, lots of scope for certain details and ideas in the first movie to be explored. Perhaps a side-story focusing on ‘Captain Howdy’
Nice ! I really liked this movie, so I look forward to your review, Evan, Mike in California. EDIT : Oh man, Exorcist III is another PERFECT movie that some die hard 'Cist Fans rate it #1 then the orifginal #2, and that is a BOLD statement. "EIII" had 17 victims according to the confession at the start of act 1, and this was Jeff(rey) Dahmer's favorite film of all time, which Tracy Edwards would've been #18, but I've always wondered if it was a deep seeded goal to equal his favorite film ? Things to ponder....
Just watched your review of Winnie the Pooh Blood and Hunger. It’s interesting how similar their failures are, and that what inherently frustrates you about both is potential wasted out of impatience. I think this movie would have benefited from (as you said about the other) leaning in to the trope and absurdity.
The thing that really bothers me about this is how much it exemplifies how badly Linda Blair was treated by Hollywood after The Exorcist. She honestly should have been given opportunities that would have made her a legitimate movie star, but instead, it seems like the powers that be either wanted to exploit or ignore her.
The first time we watched this, maybe 35 years ago, couldn't stop laughing at how ridiculous Richard Burton was. I think it was the sheer force of his personality hitched to terrible dialog and direction. I don't hate the movie because I DO find it entertaining, the same way Valley of the Dolls is. It's camp to me.
Yeah, I watched this one before going to see Believer and it set my expectations low. I mean at least Believer attempts to be scary even. Heretic can't do that even. I can imagine if such a boring confused sequel was released now the internet outrage would be immense. Why was Father Karras not mentioned here?
This movie is far from perfect, but I actually liked it for one thing. It explained Pazuzu. I never understood the archealogical dig in Iraq scene in The Exorcist until I saw this sequel. This was of course before the internet made it easy to look up that kind of stuff. I just never understood the connection of the little statue he dug up and the possession back in Georgetown. I don't think this makes it all that clear, but it does give it more of a connection than there was in the first movie.
How can you not? Did you not notice the statue appear in the room during the exorcism? As both priests lie on the floor after a localised 'Earthquake'. It's clear that it's the same statue from Iraq, and that the head medallion looks very similar to the head of the statue.
@@mechinate It's clear in the later version where they added back some deleted scenes. It's not clear in the original cut. I just think the 2nd movie made Pazuzu much clearer. It's not a great movie, but I like it for that alone.
This is a textbook example of how a studio tries to orchestrate an entire film from start to finish in order to capitalize on making one film into a franchise. You can't get anyone front the original production to get involved except for a couple actors, and they won't do the things you want, the writers can't write, the director can't direct... in that genre... it's a modern art piece that shows you how not to create a modern art piece. It's chaos, bedlam, havoc and garbage.
Currently revisiting this movie now while watching and listening to your review. I like the Exorcist II, for what it’s for, entertaining mostly, along with the visuals & Linda Blair. However nowhere near the first film of course, and personally to me better than this recent exorcist film/sequel by David Gordon. Which I have zero interest seeing or watching. I like, & appreciate your review though lol made me chuckle & smile.
Here's some more background regarding this film that you didn't cover: director/uncredited co-writer John Boorman was going through a rough patch in his his career, he had started off promising with movies like Hell on the Pacific but really hit it huge with Deliverance. Afterwards he and friend Rospo Pallenberg attempted to do an adaptation of Lord of the Rings, cramming all three books into one three hour film, and this apparently began a period in his life where Boorman was under heavy drug influence. Look up the script or synopsis of it, it's an amazingly bad trip. After that failed, he did the infamously awful Zardoz starring Sean Connery, which Connery only agreed to do to get as far away from James Bond as he possibly could and 20th Century Fox only greenlit it because he used his clout from Deliverance and threatened to take the project elsewhere if they didn't say yet in mere minutes. Zardoz is a movie that is similar to Exorcist 2: The Heretic in that it's totally batshit crazy yet utterly pretentious and dull at the same time. WB had asked him to direct the Exorcist but he refused, as he dismissed the story as child torture and didn't think there was anything else to it. Playwright William Goodhart wrote a script that focused on the idea of great good attracting great evil and Boorman accepted the chance to direct it, but he and his friend Pallenberg, still higher than kites, rewrote the script numerous times without Goodhart's knowledge and inserted stuff like the dream machine, the locusts and by the time it was obvious how bad the movie was going to be, Blair and the others in the cast couldn't back out and Goodhart couldn't take his name off the project, so he pretty much left the industry all together afterwards. Boorman would later bounce back with movies like Excalibur, The Emerald Forest, and Hope and Glory.
I love this channel. I also enjoy this movie, and fully admit it is not a good movie. I will say, you have more of an appetite for some pretty bad movies in the slasher sub genre than I do. I suppose it makes sense that you are assessing those through the prism of slasher movies, rather than in a more generalized way. Comparing Exorcist II to Exorcist or Exorcist III makes sense, but I still think II is much more entertaining than all but one or two Halloween movies, for instance. Anyhoo, keep up the good work and may the algorithm bless you.
I think you went really hard on the wroting and didn't acknowledge the amazing filmmaking that occurred. Heretic is a secret scifi movie. The cinematography gives so much information. And Regans dialogue is meant to show she is still a child and is happy and well off. I loved this movie.
In the mythology it was Pazuzus wife that brought diseases and Pazuzus him self that reign her in making the diseases go away. Ence the fighting evil with evil from the 1st movie. The healers theame has a purpose and it's not just dumb shit.
Yeah I’m aware of the mythology, but that’s not the point I’m making. The point is that it takes away from one of the things made the original so frightening, which was the idea that this could come for anyone at anytime. Making Regan “special” and giving her a target for the possession takes away from the grounded nature of the original movie while also eliminating that sense of helplessness AND it takes away from Merrin’s character arc by adding another motivation onto why he took on the exorcism. In the original it was just because he saw an omen telling him that the demon he had history with was back, and he was giving his life to fight it one last time, but that gets completely sucked dry of life by having him be motivated by Regan being some mythical healer. This plot point could’ve worked in something else but it directly hurts the themes from the original movie
When people ask me what was the worst sequal to a great original horror film people always say the Howling 2.. Yes the Howling 2 sucked bad.. But the Exorcist II was not only the worst sequal I have ever seen but one of the worst movies in Hollywood history... Its absolute garbage!!
I tried to like this movie.. I love the exorcist 1 and 3. And really tried to love this one, there’s some interesting ideas but man.. this was hard to get through
The first movie and third movie are superior films. The books are also two of my favorites ever. Honestly, I have read The Exorcist five times. I don't understand this movie at all. It sucks so much
Completely agree. Both novels are fantastic. I’m finishing up a video on The Exorcist III right now and that’s all I wanted to do when I was making this video lol
The most frustrating about this movie is that they have a 5 star cast. Academy Awards cast. And they blew it... Plus there are 4 different storylines. Just a bit too much. The tele Kinethic thing was interesting... I mean is fantasy.. But... All the other kokumo and flying locusts etc. Is just too much... By the way Exorcist believer... Another remake with a bunch of jump scares the Nunn style 🙄
I’m definitely not throwing the new movie out yet; I wanna wait until I’ve seen it… but yes you’re totally right that they had such a good cast to work with, AND Ennio Morricone did the music which is actually pretty good. It’s just goofy
@@RocklinGraves totally. It was just a waste of resources. It was incredible. This is why George Lucas when he signed Star wars... . Signed the sequels.. to have full control and avoid mess like this. Anyway let's see the new Believer. But it does not look promissing.
Hey, at least the score has its moments. BTW, congrats on making a review that is a million times more entertaining than the piece of shit Warners dropped on audiences in 77.
I would never advocate burning all copies of any film, no matter how bad. In this case, though - an exception should be made. Loved your review, though.
I know that you could not add more things about this disaster like you did with the first one, but believe me: *MARTIN SCORCESE loves this crap more than the original!* 😂😂😂😂😂
Yep. And so did Pauline Kael, who, like Boorman and his neighbor Kubrick, thoroughly hated the original film and source material. There's a lot of legend and apocryphal anecdotes regarding contemporary reactions to both films.
Imagine not shooting on location the McNeil house and steps in Georgetown, but instead building a lame ass set. That's what they did in this movie. Yep. And they did Sharon so dirty by having her die, and horribly too. Especially considering the fact that at the end of the first film she makes it clear that she's gonna quit working for the McNeils. Seriously, as a huge fan of The Exorcist, f**k this film.
The first time i saw this film i was high and thought it was fantatic. Then i saw it sober and realized how high i must have been to think this dumpster fire is good
This is a very dumb, but visually interesting film and for what it’s worth, I can see what they were going for and it might make an interesting film if it were executed better.
I've never seen Heretic, but after watching this, I find it intriguing how many parallels it has with Late Night with the Devil. It's almost like someone watched Heretic and thought "how could I make this better?"
Seen this film twice and that was enough. It’s amazing how off this film was and I originally watched out of curiosity back in 1990 after seeing the original for the first time and part iii in the theaters. I just skip it. Legion or part III is the only true sequel to the Exorcist
I don't know if all channels are reading from the same script. Though the exorcist 2 is a great story. Yes the screen play goes left but damn!. The worst horror movie ever. No Thanks. Paranormal Activities. The Nuns are the worst and Horrors ever. YIKERS SAID THIS. (ME). this is no barking at You Good Sir. Just barking at the think tank. And echo chambers ov the TH-cam World.
Look man I’m the last guy to just go with the consensus on something. I defend Halloween Ends, RZ’s Halloween II, The Last of Us Part II… plenty of things. I disagree with consensus all the time, so it’s frustrating when someone says I’m just talking in an echo chamber when I do agree. I didn’t say The Exorcist II is the worst horror movie ever. I agree that The Nun is worse, but as a sequel to The Exorcist I don’t think this movie is out of the question as the worst horror sequel. It’s fine if you like it but just because others don’t doesn’t mean they don’t have genuine and valid opinions on it
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I’m unpopular in this but I LOVE Exorcist 2. I love how trippy it is, I love the look of it, the strange therapy rooms and sessions, the mirrored balcony, the art, all of it. And I thought Exorcist 3 was really boring. Yep. Unpopular view, lol.
Let this be a lesson to all on how to share your opinion without being a complete dick about it! Thank you!
@@RocklinGraves omg! I cracked up, thank you! I’ve been bingeing your videos and subbed. You do great work!
What boring about it 3 was a lot better. The killer talk about what he did. Which even worse than seeing it. Not what happened today. I know looks good
And alot of grass for some reason? And I feel Ms Blair only did this because Richard Burton was in it. It was something she won't forget. Being with him . And was much Love. I just wish it was better for them both. He pass away.RIP. not long after this. To better movie 🎬
I love it too! A real guilty pleasure for me because WTF even is this movie. It’s weird and takes chances and, sure, I guess it doesn’t work on many levels,but put it all together and it’s very entertaining to me. Probably accidentally, but I’ll take it! 😂
I love it too. Saw them around the same time in nineties.
i just want to say I really love your channel, there's this plague of people giving opinions on movies with zero nuance but you actually go in depth of why you have your opinions . I'm a huge movie buff and used to write my own reviews in a personal journal hoping to one day do it professionally , which never happened.... your format is very close to how I used to write . Anyway keep it up ❤
It didn’t help that John Boorman really didn’t like The Exorcist
The Exorcist didn't need a sequel. Greed possessed this film.
Exorcist 3 is even better than the original
“Exorcist II: The Heretic” is undoubtedly a very bizarre film. Personally I like it, but I can understand that people might not like it. John Boorman wanted to make a response to The Exorcist, more than a true sequel (in fact all versions of the script are called only "The Heretic"). In the end we have a sick film despite beautiful cinematography, good studio sets, and music by Ennio Morricone. anecdote: Jon Voight was supposed to play Father Lamont, but the actor ended up refusing. Indeed he wanted his character to have backround, but Boorman said there wouldn't be enough room to add backround to Lamont's character. “The Heretic” should have been a standalone film for Boorman, who is a director who after this film will make the excellent “Excalibur”. Personally I consider that the true sequel to “The Exorcist” is “Legion”. I consider "The Heretic" to be primarily a John Boorman film and I sometimes watch it as a Boorman film. In the meantime it was a good review.
There are elements of it that I think would work better standalone if they were handled a little better, but I can see why some people would enjoy this movie. Thanks for watching!
After your comment I might give it another try.
That little girl Regan was talking to was the late Dana Plato who played Kimberly on Different Strokes
Oh interesting I didn’t know that
What you talking about @rickbeezer34 ??!!😂
Nice catch
Loved your review Evan!! I have always been a 'fan' of The Heretic, but there is a valid reason! I'm in the UK and grew up in the 80's reading the novel and it totally captivated me. When I tried to rent a copy of the VHS i found it had been withdrawn and wasn't re-released on home media over here until 1999. I had no way of seeing The Exorcist. So I found Exorcist 2:The Heretic and this became my only way of visualising on screen some of what I had read in the original novel (Ie; the flashbacks to the exorcism).
Totally agree, the actual plot (if you can call it that) is stupidity and the wooden acting by Richard Burton is laughable. This was definitely a cash-grab by WB. Still, I find some of the scenes still entertaining and the script at least brings out some emotion, albeit LAUGHTER 🤣 Love your channel mate!
I can definitely see the appeal for some people. It’s just so bizarre and that can entertaining, but I have zero nostalgia for it so it didn’t get that benefit lol. Thanks so much for the support!
Ellen has standards... i felt that one 😅
Ellen Bursten is 90 and was guaranteed funding for an acting scholarship where she teaches. She has 5 oscar nominations and a win...she gets a pass
@@devontehuntley6274 Are you 90 and wanting to give back? The movie is terrible, but she didn't write the dialogue.
@@devontehuntley6274 Cursed? Oh please.
yet she did exorcist believer lol
@@robertpreston2220she said no like 10 times. They wore her down.
Exorcist OG: sets up lore that once a person is possessed and survives, they cannot be possessed by that same demon again
Exorcist 2: anyway what if Pazuzu was still lingering in Regan, nevermind that the first movie ends with the demon leaving her to possess someone else, Karras who?
🤣”A movie that shudders at the depth of a puddle.”😂 Thank You!
“The real reason is because Ellen has standards” my has that quote aged badly since exorcist believer came out. Btw not hating love your videos man keep em up
She said no like 10 times... They wore her down with buckets of money.
Ellen had won an Oscar and then a Tony for Broadway play and was reprising her role in the film. She was too big for horror at the time.
The Heretic stunned me into anger. I almost couldn’t watch your review because I loathed it. It’s not even so bad it’s good. I feel like we need a safe place to talk about it, some group therapy to move on
I do think that Blatty’s writing is what made the original and 3 so compelling
EDIT: a live watch party of this. But like MST3K.
And alcohol.
Oh puhhh-lease. It's a fun, f*cked up fantasy film.
But I agree it's NOT a good sequel to The Exorcist, that's for sure.
I absolutely love The Heretic, probably because I watched it BEFORE The Exorcist, when I was still a kid in the 90s.
I’m 64 & your review is kind compared to the ones when this came out. I never bothered to see it. I want to see it now for the weirdness!
The only good thing to come out of this movie is a Regan’s Theme by Ennio Morricone. Beautifully haunting.
Otherwise f**k this movie.
Funny review dude. Subbed.
Greetings from Melbourne Australia.
Completely agree. Morricone was a beacon of light in this movie lol. I should’ve talked more about the score because it’s actually great. Also thank you so much!
Father Merrin died because of coronary artery disease (per the novel). What was there to investigate? Father Karras' death is the one that was, as Kinderman put it, "baffling".
I agree lol it’s contrived. I think it was more that they wanted him to look into the satantism ties that were being alleged
He was being investigated because he was a candidate for canonization and the church typically investigates the details of the life of someone possibly up for sainthood.
@@rebeccawalton4234 I think its strange if they were looking to investigate the details of Merrin's life, why was Lamont sent to investigate the details of his death?
@@RocklinGraves I found it easier to accept The Heretic as a sequel in some alternate universe. I'm working on a video for that. Lol
Exorcist II is silly but entertaining and it holds a special place in my heart
I can understand that. I’m sure I’ll ease up on it overtime lol
I so agree! It's like a bad dream with some very cool visuals. The music is good and who can resist seeing Georgetown being invaded by locusts?
Same
Its so bad it gives me palpitations
Same. I shouldn't like it, but, for some reason, i do, even if i agree with everything bad this movie has.
If you forget about the plot and watch only the sounds and visuals, it's like a bizarre fever dream that touches something that very few movies touch.
@@RocklinGravesDon't. It is an abomination. What a slap in the face to the original. No Blatty, No Freidkin, No place in any serious conversation.
Only discovered you channel. Love it. Working my way through your videos now. Subbed ❤
Wonderful review! So glad i came across your channel. In case u didnr know...
The woman that plays louise fletcher nurse/assistant (liz) is played by belinda beatty who is also ned beattys wife.
Ned and linda both starred in repossessed in 1990 which i hope u do a review on
Beyond the Door is a more effective Exorcist 2 than the "actual" Exorcist 2
I love Exorcist 2 because it's the only film I know of that's "So bad it's mesmerizing". Pretty much every bad movie you can see the motivation for it getting green lit. But with this, like you said, you just can't understand how so much of went from Point A (writers head) to Point B (the theater screen). There were SO many people between those points who could, or should, have interjected but for some reason didn't.
This movie is the equivalent of a man wearing a balaclava, driving a car without plates, with a sub-machine gun on the passenger seat and a bag bag with money sticking out in the back ... somehow making it through 10 police check points.
11:56 Heads up 😆 Lotus is a flower... or a car 😉
I absolutely LOVE The Heretic as a bizarre fantasy film - NOT as a sequel to The Exorcist.
It has this very strange aura about it, beautiful cinematography and a lovely score by Ennio Morricone.
I'm particularly fond of the scenes set in Africa, with those heavy filters that make it look like a fever dream.
The only great thing to come out of THE EXORCIST II is the song, “Magic and Ecstasy” on the film’s soundtrack! Pazuzu possession disco at its best! 😆👍
It's total crazy genius. Spaghetti Western Pazuzoid Disco.
@@timleopardxolo Nothing can compare to the sound of that beat and those scourging whipcracks!
@@Bravo-November7 You know it!
No matter how many times I try to revisit this film, it never fails to elicit a facepalm.
The best that can be said about it is that it feels more like one of those Italian-made ripoffs of The Exorcist (a la Beyond the Door) than it does The Exorcist.
I remember that the Sci-Fi channel used to show this movie all the time as the showing rights were really cheap, so I tried watching it and found it amazingly bad. Luckily, I cleansed my palate with a trip to the video store and rented the first Exorcist to forget about the awful sequel.
Bro killer content. Should have waaayyy more subs. Funny how the masses are drawn to tripe. Keep grinding my guy. Love from Sri Lanka 🇱🇰
Agree that the best scene is the hypnosis machine - that little 're-enactment' of the first film, what we didn't see originally (Merrin dying in Regans room) in this feels weird and creepy but then no more creepy things happen for the rest
I would say this is not only the worst horror sequel ever made, but the worst sequel of any stripe, and quite possibly the worst movie ever. There are so many things wrong that I hardly know where to start...the stupid locusts, the idiotic dialogue ("Come, fly the teeth of the wind...share my wings.", "Por que? Por que?", and so many others), the sexualization of Regan, the meaningless characters, the illogic of the brainwave synchronization and other script elements, the fact that Dr. Tuskin's first name is spelled "Gene" not "Jean"...it's so bad, and yet I own it and every year or three I try it again. It's awful on its own, but it's especially appalling because of the transcendent excellence of The Exorcist. It asks us to "come down to its tone", but I refuse vigorously and angrily.
This film had every objective reason to be excellent- talent in front of the camera (Linda Blair, Richard Burton, Louise Fletcher, Max von Sydow, Paul Henreid, James Earl Jones, even Ned Beatty!), behind the camera (John Boorman, who directed the superlative Deliverance), Ennio Morricone doing the music, but it is wholly abominable.
I watched Omen IV one time when it was originally shown on TV (yes, I'm old), and I plan to give it a shot soon again. While I am open to agreeing with you that it is worse than Exorcist II, I can't imagine it will offend my sensibilities on such a visceral level as this dreck has.
For anyone who's a fan of locusts, this is definitely the film for you!
Oh absolutely. It’s perfect for people with a fear of insects!
This is actually "The Exorcist II: New Age Fever": a mixture of religions, silly dialogue and lots of new age imagery not yet well used as in "Midsommar". At least it can be said this film is visually ambitious and not just a cheap cardboard-copy of the original. But it's obviously failed out of its ambition. Not the kind of failed sequel we get today, anyway.
I believe there are two exorcist timelines that we can play with. The first timeline is the first movie, then exorcist 2: the heretic, then exorcist the beginning by Rennie Harlan.
The second timeline would be the first exorcist, exorcist 3: Legion, and then exorcist dominion.
I have not seen believer, and I don’t know where I would put the TV series yet.
Probably the best review for exorcist 2 out there, good job
This movie would put a glass eye to sleep
Kinderman (Lee J Cobb) was supposed to be in this film but he passed away before filming.
That’s a shame. Man was so good
He took one look at the script and it was '"Goodnight Vienna"
I watched it again a couple of years ago and it actually wasn't as bad (for me) as I thought it was the first time I watched it. It actually made sense to me this time.
@11:34 the way she just posed with the 🧯 for a hot sec 😂😂😂
I could actually see the original idea being fairly decent in the right hands, I like the idea of it being a mockumentary, lots of scope for certain details and ideas in the first movie to be explored. Perhaps a side-story focusing on ‘Captain Howdy’
I suppose conceptually, but their plan was literally to just throw up scrapped footage in theaters
Nice ! I really liked this movie, so I look forward to your review, Evan, Mike in California.
EDIT : Oh man, Exorcist III is another PERFECT movie that some die hard 'Cist Fans rate it #1 then the orifginal #2, and that is a BOLD statement. "EIII" had 17 victims according to the confession at the start of act 1, and this was Jeff(rey) Dahmer's favorite film of all time, which Tracy Edwards would've been #18, but I've always wondered if it was a deep seeded goal to equal his favorite film ? Things to ponder....
Hi Mike! I’m glad you could enjoy the movie man. It’s not one I’m very fond of but that’s preference
@@RocklinGraves I get it, part II is "weird". I do LOVE the synch scenes with the brain machines.
Just watched your review of Winnie the Pooh Blood and Hunger. It’s interesting how similar their failures are, and that what inherently frustrates you about both is potential wasted out of impatience. I think this movie would have benefited from (as you said about the other) leaning in to the trope and absurdity.
The thing that really bothers me about this is how much it exemplifies how badly Linda Blair was treated by Hollywood after The Exorcist. She honestly should have been given opportunities that would have made her a legitimate movie star, but instead, it seems like the powers that be either wanted to exploit or ignore her.
Poor exorcist II😂 I’ve loved it since I was a kid! Weird as hell but so much fun to watch❤! One of the most 70s movies ever made😂
I do understand the appeal... I've developed a bit of a morbid fascination for it in some corner of my mind in the months since this video lol
They were originally going to title Exorcist 3 Exorcist 2 to erase The Heretic and act as if it never existed. I think it may have worked.
Apparently John Boorman only did this movie to get funds to make Excalibur and honestly I think that gives this film a reason to exist.
The first time we watched this, maybe 35 years ago, couldn't stop laughing at how ridiculous Richard Burton was. I think it was the sheer force of his personality hitched to terrible dialog and direction. I don't hate the movie because I DO find it entertaining, the same way Valley of the Dolls is. It's camp to me.
Yeah I get that. I’m sure overtime I’ll see it as more campy fun… maybe….
Yeah, I watched this one before going to see Believer and it set my expectations low. I mean at least Believer attempts to be scary even. Heretic can't do that even. I can imagine if such a boring confused sequel was released now the internet outrage would be immense.
Why was Father Karras not mentioned here?
The scenes of Merring in Africa are weirdly Avante Garde
I can see what you mean
“Ellen has standards.”
Would you like to revise your statement after seeing Believer?
Mmmmmm…. no I think I’ll stick with it since her standard was a bribe to help fund a program she’s running. I’ll give her a pass for that
This movie is far from perfect, but I actually liked it for one thing. It explained Pazuzu. I never understood the archealogical dig in Iraq scene in The Exorcist until I saw this sequel. This was of course before the internet made it easy to look up that kind of stuff. I just never understood the connection of the little statue he dug up and the possession back in Georgetown. I don't think this makes it all that clear, but it does give it more of a connection than there was in the first movie.
How can you not? Did you not notice the statue appear in the room during the exorcism? As both priests lie on the floor after a localised 'Earthquake'.
It's clear that it's the same statue from Iraq, and that the head medallion looks very similar to the head of the statue.
@@mechinate It's clear in the later version where they added back some deleted scenes. It's not clear in the original cut. I just think the 2nd movie made Pazuzu much clearer. It's not a great movie, but I like it for that alone.
It’s bad, but I’ll always appreciate a swing and a miss. Especially one as fucking crazy as this movie
This is a textbook example of how a studio tries to orchestrate an entire film from start to finish in order to capitalize on making one film into a franchise. You can't get anyone front the original production to get involved except for a couple actors, and they won't do the things you want, the writers can't write, the director can't direct... in that genre... it's a modern art piece that shows you how not to create a modern art piece. It's chaos, bedlam, havoc and garbage.
Richard Burton was bombed out of his mind during this film. He stayed lit
I don’t blame him lol
Currently revisiting this movie now while watching and listening to your review. I like the Exorcist II, for what it’s for, entertaining mostly, along with the visuals & Linda Blair. However nowhere near the first film of course, and personally to me better than this recent exorcist film/sequel by David Gordon. Which I have zero interest seeing or watching. I like, & appreciate your review though lol made me chuckle & smile.
Here's some more background regarding this film that you didn't cover: director/uncredited co-writer John Boorman was going through a rough patch in his his career, he had started off promising with movies like Hell on the Pacific but really hit it huge with Deliverance. Afterwards he and friend Rospo Pallenberg attempted to do an adaptation of Lord of the Rings, cramming all three books into one three hour film, and this apparently began a period in his life where Boorman was under heavy drug influence. Look up the script or synopsis of it, it's an amazingly bad trip. After that failed, he did the infamously awful Zardoz starring Sean Connery, which Connery only agreed to do to get as far away from James Bond as he possibly could and 20th Century Fox only greenlit it because he used his clout from Deliverance and threatened to take the project elsewhere if they didn't say yet in mere minutes. Zardoz is a movie that is similar to Exorcist 2: The Heretic in that it's totally batshit crazy yet utterly pretentious and dull at the same time.
WB had asked him to direct the Exorcist but he refused, as he dismissed the story as child torture and didn't think there was anything else to it. Playwright William Goodhart wrote a script that focused on the idea of great good attracting great evil and Boorman accepted the chance to direct it, but he and his friend Pallenberg, still higher than kites, rewrote the script numerous times without Goodhart's knowledge and inserted stuff like the dream machine, the locusts and by the time it was obvious how bad the movie was going to be, Blair and the others in the cast couldn't back out and Goodhart couldn't take his name off the project, so he pretty much left the industry all together afterwards. Boorman would later bounce back with movies like Excalibur, The Emerald Forest, and Hope and Glory.
I love this channel. I also enjoy this movie, and fully admit it is not a good movie. I will say, you have more of an appetite for some pretty bad movies in the slasher sub genre than I do. I suppose it makes sense that you are assessing those through the prism of slasher movies, rather than in a more generalized way. Comparing Exorcist II to Exorcist or Exorcist III makes sense, but I still think II is much more entertaining than all but one or two Halloween movies, for instance. Anyhoo, keep up the good work and may the algorithm bless you.
I have to admit I've had a fascination with this movie since making this video lmao. I appreciate the kind words!
Tho I love seeing Linda in the second movie heretic was more of a comedy then a horror
I think you went really hard on the wroting and didn't acknowledge the amazing filmmaking that occurred. Heretic is a secret scifi movie. The cinematography gives so much information. And Regans dialogue is meant to show she is still a child and is happy and well off. I loved this movie.
In the mythology it was Pazuzus wife that brought diseases and Pazuzus him self that reign her in making the diseases go away. Ence the fighting evil with evil from the 1st movie. The healers theame has a purpose and it's not just dumb shit.
Yeah I’m aware of the mythology, but that’s not the point I’m making. The point is that it takes away from one of the things made the original so frightening, which was the idea that this could come for anyone at anytime. Making Regan “special” and giving her a target for the possession takes away from the grounded nature of the original movie while also eliminating that sense of helplessness AND it takes away from Merrin’s character arc by adding another motivation onto why he took on the exorcism. In the original it was just because he saw an omen telling him that the demon he had history with was back, and he was giving his life to fight it one last time, but that gets completely sucked dry of life by having him be motivated by Regan being some mythical healer. This plot point could’ve worked in something else but it directly hurts the themes from the original movie
I have that omen pic tatted on my back
Ya
The one with the boxes behind you
😊
I also have the raven from part 2 on my hand 😂
I literally didn't know there was a second movie🤣
When people ask me what was the worst sequal to a great original horror film people always say the Howling 2.. Yes the Howling 2 sucked bad.. But the Exorcist II was not only the worst sequal I have ever seen but one of the worst movies in Hollywood history... Its absolute garbage!!
Oh wtf I didn’t even know The Howling had a sequel lol
I hope you’ll make videos about the movie Smile and the shows the haunting of hill house and bly manor
I tried to like this movie.. I love the exorcist 1 and 3. And really tried to love this one, there’s some interesting ideas but man.. this was hard to get through
Yeah I’m somewhat fascinated by it… but like…. Nahhhhh
I watched this as a kid and saw it again a little while ago to remind myself not to watch it again. It never had terror just creep factor.
The first movie and third movie are superior films. The books are also two of my favorites ever. Honestly, I have read The Exorcist five times. I don't understand this movie at all. It sucks so much
Completely agree. Both novels are fantastic. I’m finishing up a video on The Exorcist III right now and that’s all I wanted to do when I was making this video lol
The most frustrating about this movie is that they have a 5 star cast. Academy Awards cast. And they blew it... Plus there are 4 different storylines. Just a bit too much. The tele Kinethic thing was interesting... I mean is fantasy.. But... All the other kokumo and flying locusts etc. Is just too much... By the way Exorcist believer... Another remake with a bunch of jump scares the Nunn style 🙄
I’m definitely not throwing the new movie out yet; I wanna wait until I’ve seen it… but yes you’re totally right that they had such a good cast to work with, AND Ennio Morricone did the music which is actually pretty good. It’s just goofy
@@RocklinGraves totally. It was just a waste of resources. It was incredible. This is why George Lucas when he signed Star wars... . Signed the sequels.. to have full control and avoid mess like this. Anyway let's see the new Believer. But it does not look promissing.
As you suggested, the sequels may very well have been better within "Exorcist" or Roman numerals in the titles.
Hey, at least the score has its moments. BTW, congrats on making a review that is a million times more entertaining than the piece of shit Warners dropped on audiences in 77.
Ennio Morricone doesn’t miss. Also thank you haha
wouldn't watch it again even if I was paid
I don’t blame you lmao
Ellen has standards yet did Exorcist believer lol
Hell when someone's gonna keep hounding you might as well get some money out of it.
They probably drove a dump truck of cash to her house
@@Chewie1212 most likely
*The doctor was originally meant to be Chris but they scrapped that idea*
I would never advocate burning all copies of any film, no matter how bad. In this case, though - an exception should be made.
Loved your review, though.
Haha thank you!
Not even Sir Richard Burton and James Earl Jones could save this mess. It was a real letdown after the wonderfully horrifying "The Exorcist"
This movie should not exist. We can only hope that in some alternate Fringe-verse it does not. ❤
I do find it fascinating on some level lol
0:10 Why does she look a thinner Amy Schumer here? 😂
Yes, It's dog sh-t, but I own 2 different bluray releases anyway. I used to watch a library VHS copy when I was a young teen. Why? I still don't know.
It sounds like the original idea for the sequel might've been more interesting!😅
In a morbid sort of way I think you’re right lol
I know that you could not add more things about this disaster like you did with the first one, but believe me: *MARTIN SCORCESE loves this crap more than the original!* 😂😂😂😂😂
You can’t be serious….
@@RocklinGraveshaha... I'm bloody serious. And you don't need to go to dark web to know this. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Yep. And so did Pauline Kael, who, like Boorman and his neighbor Kubrick, thoroughly hated the original film and source material.
There's a lot of legend and apocryphal anecdotes regarding contemporary reactions to both films.
Better than The Begining and Believer (lol) - but still involuntary funny.
I still think it's the worst one honestly
Worst than Believer ?? Ok... @@RocklinGraves
Yes
A lotus is a flower I think you mean locust
Imagine not shooting on location the McNeil house and steps in Georgetown, but instead building a lame ass set. That's what they did in this movie. Yep.
And they did Sharon so dirty by having her die, and horribly too. Especially considering the fact that at the end of the first film she makes it clear that she's gonna quit working for the McNeils.
Seriously, as a huge fan of The Exorcist, f**k this film.
It’s truly baffling
Exorcist 2 was so bad that I forgot I watched it. I guess that was some safe switch my brain used.
The first time i saw this film i was high and thought it was fantatic. Then i saw it sober and realized how high i must have been to think this dumpster fire is good
Im from argentina and i love this sequel❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
The score is the best part.
Linda Blair is the only reason I watch this movie. She’s hot in this.
Linda Blair was 17 in this movie
Watch Angel Heart w DeNiro .. so good ‼️🙌🏻🙌🏻‼️
This is a very dumb, but visually interesting film and for what it’s worth, I can see what they were going for and it might make an interesting film if it were executed better.
I've never seen Heretic, but after watching this, I find it intriguing how many parallels it has with Late Night with the Devil. It's almost like someone watched Heretic and thought "how could I make this better?"
Unpopular opinion but I didn't like Late Night With The Devil. At all. Very sophomoric. Made for tiktok brains.
I saw this at 13 and at least got a good laugh.
The worst horror sequel ever, no qualifiers? YEP.
Yeah, this movie is a complete turd.
It's interesting you have a hard time believing in the funky technology but you're fine with a "demon" possessing a dude in the first film 😁
It's rough.
Seen this film twice and that was enough. It’s amazing how off this film was and I originally watched out of curiosity back in 1990 after seeing the original for the first time and part iii in the theaters. I just skip it. Legion or part III is the only true sequel to the Exorcist
Yep I do the same thing. Go straight to Legion
so just to clarify you didn't like it?
It’s one of my favourite movies it’s a masterpiece
lol@@RocklinGraves
Not anymore
I’ve seen a lot of people say Believer is worse than Heretic but I just don’t agree at all. To each their own though
14:50 dont do this 😂🤣🤣🤣
No, Exorcist Believer is worse. Way worse.
I don’t agree, but also this video was released before Believer came out either way.
This is not only the worst sequel it's the worst movie ever
I think it’s a toss up between this one and Superman IV.
I don't know if all channels are reading from the same script.
Though the exorcist 2 is a great story. Yes the screen play goes left but damn!. The worst horror movie ever. No Thanks. Paranormal Activities. The Nuns are the worst and Horrors ever. YIKERS SAID THIS. (ME). this is no barking at You Good Sir. Just barking at the think tank. And echo chambers ov the TH-cam World.
Look man I’m the last guy to just go with the consensus on something. I defend Halloween Ends, RZ’s Halloween II, The Last of Us Part II… plenty of things. I disagree with consensus all the time, so it’s frustrating when someone says I’m just talking in an echo chamber when I do agree. I didn’t say The Exorcist II is the worst horror movie ever. I agree that The Nun is worse, but as a sequel to The Exorcist I don’t think this movie is out of the question as the worst horror sequel. It’s fine if you like it but just because others don’t doesn’t mean they don’t have genuine and valid opinions on it