So, this took forever to put up, and it's my fault. Salty made me say this. He's got me locked up, please help!
Maire says:
If you must watch a sequel to any movie, watch Legion (its true title). It’s really good. Like at the top of my list of favorite movies good. In fact, I’m gonna go check it out from the library again now.
Perhaps I was biased after seeing II. Perhaps I blanked that reference to Pazuzu at the end, cos let’s face it, it shouldn’t have been there anyway. Or perhaps I have an untold affinity for long staircases. But I really enjoyed this movie. It kept a good amount of creepiness with just the right amount of crazy. Kinda like Cabin in the Woods did. And it’s got George C. Scott! And Brad Dourif! And Samuel L Jackson! And Larry King! And C. Everett Coop! C’mon!
Corey says:
Ah, poor Dimmy. He had all those mommy issues, had to watch a respected and loved priest croak, and then threw himself out of a window after inducing a cross-masturbating pea soup spewing demon to transfer from a poor peeing girl’s body to his own. That seems like enough torment for a lifetime, right? RIGHT? Oh, no. Turns out ol’ Father Karras didn’t croak after that ridiculous stair-a-palooza, and washed up on a beach somewhere! But don’t worry, George C. Scott is on the scene.
The thing with III is that it has some really good stuff. George C Scott does his best trying to tie in this wacky Gemini Killer’s... uh... killings with the reappearance of someone he thought long dead. There are some awesome death (or almost death) scenes, and the agony that Dimmy goes through, knowing that he is possessed, is some incredibly moving stuff.
Then, a random exorcism!
Talked about tacked on. Shit. Who’s this weird priest in the beginning? Don’t worry about it. He won’t show up until the end of the film, where he ends up dead anyway. Christ. I guess the dialog between Dimmy and George C. Scott (and the ultimate fate of poor Dimmy’s soul) didn’t make for gripping enough film. Sheesh.
Salty says:
One of The Exorcist III’s biggest flaws is that it’s called The Exorcist III rather than Legion, the director’s original title. This is a problem because it will remind the dedicated sequel viewer that there was an Exorcist II and immediately put them off wanting to watch the movie. But it’s good! I swear!
The charm of the film is its off-kilter approach to sequel-hood that reeks of its literary origins. Rather than lamely following a growing Reagan, we are instead treated to see the torment assigned to the soul of Father Karras by the demon he so callously tricked out of its young host (even though our site is full of spoilers, if any readers unfamiliar with The Exorcist III are still reading at their own peril, I regret to inform you that his punishment is not to watch his mother suck cocks in Hell). As punishment for his martyrdom Karras’ corpse is possessed and reanimated by the soul of a long dead Zodiac-type serial killer who is killing members of the church (still, that’s a bummer). Now this may sound like a bizarre follow-up, but the film makes it work.
As a plus, the main character, an aging detective of shallow faith, is played by George C. Scott, which Stephen King fans may remember as the short old white man cast to play the scary seven-foot tall one-eyed Native American in Firestarter and I have a special place in my heart for Mr. Scott due to his role in the excellent haunted house movie The Changeling (not to be confused with the Clint Eastwood movie of the same name, which I was very disappointed to find out wasn’t a remake), a film which testifies to how scary antique wheelchairs can be - occupied or not. Not to mention Brad Dourif is also in the cast and who doesn’t love that guy? From Wise Blood to Blue Velvet to Trauma (If you don’t know what this movie is I recommend it. Creepy film fact: the girl who does all the nude scenes is the director’ daughter) Brad Dourif is an unrecognized hero of acting who always leaves a lasting impression and I, for one, am sorry that he is not in more movies today – though I’ve heard that a new Child’s Play movie is going to be made and – since he does the voice of Chucky – I am glad to know that he is getting paid.
…Anyway, Exorcist III does it’s own thing, but it’s a good thing. There is a kind of nervous anticipation and the horror goods come in quick shots and brief details, but they resonate well as long as you are paying attention. In fact, it’s a film that is best viewed alone just to make sure you’re not distracted into missing something, which is a quality that I really like and respect in a movie. The main problem with watching this kind of movie with others that are seeing it for the first time is that you have to monitor any movie-watching conversation heavily to make sure that you aren’t talking about the kill that is sort of borrowed from The Abominable Dr. Phibes right when someone is about to get decapitated with a huge pair of surgical shears, and at the same time you don’t want to abruptly halt whatever your talking about and give away the fact that something is coming, because disturbed elderly people scurrying across the ceiling are most effectively distressing when they are discovered by a first-time viewer rather than being pointed out to them. It’s a slippery slope.
Corey says:
Ah, poor Dimmy. He had all those mommy issues, had to watch a respected and loved priest croak, and then threw himself out of a window after inducing a cross-masturbating pea soup spewing demon to transfer from a poor peeing girl’s body to his own. That seems like enough torment for a lifetime, right? RIGHT? Oh, no. Turns out ol’ Father Karras didn’t croak after that ridiculous stair-a-palooza, and washed up on a beach somewhere! But don’t worry, George C. Scott is on the scene.
The thing with III is that it has some really good stuff. George C Scott does his best trying to tie in this wacky Gemini Killer’s... uh... killings with the reappearance of someone he thought long dead. There are some awesome death (or almost death) scenes, and the agony that Dimmy goes through, knowing that he is possessed, is some incredibly moving stuff.
Then, a random exorcism!
Talked about tacked on. Shit. Who’s this weird priest in the beginning? Don’t worry about it. He won’t show up until the end of the film, where he ends up dead anyway. Christ. I guess the dialog between Dimmy and George C. Scott (and the ultimate fate of poor Dimmy’s soul) didn’t make for gripping enough film. Sheesh.
Salty says:
One of The Exorcist III’s biggest flaws is that it’s called The Exorcist III rather than Legion, the director’s original title. This is a problem because it will remind the dedicated sequel viewer that there was an Exorcist II and immediately put them off wanting to watch the movie. But it’s good! I swear!
The charm of the film is its off-kilter approach to sequel-hood that reeks of its literary origins. Rather than lamely following a growing Reagan, we are instead treated to see the torment assigned to the soul of Father Karras by the demon he so callously tricked out of its young host (even though our site is full of spoilers, if any readers unfamiliar with The Exorcist III are still reading at their own peril, I regret to inform you that his punishment is not to watch his mother suck cocks in Hell). As punishment for his martyrdom Karras’ corpse is possessed and reanimated by the soul of a long dead Zodiac-type serial killer who is killing members of the church (still, that’s a bummer). Now this may sound like a bizarre follow-up, but the film makes it work.
As a plus, the main character, an aging detective of shallow faith, is played by George C. Scott, which Stephen King fans may remember as the short old white man cast to play the scary seven-foot tall one-eyed Native American in Firestarter and I have a special place in my heart for Mr. Scott due to his role in the excellent haunted house movie The Changeling (not to be confused with the Clint Eastwood movie of the same name, which I was very disappointed to find out wasn’t a remake), a film which testifies to how scary antique wheelchairs can be - occupied or not. Not to mention Brad Dourif is also in the cast and who doesn’t love that guy? From Wise Blood to Blue Velvet to Trauma (If you don’t know what this movie is I recommend it. Creepy film fact: the girl who does all the nude scenes is the director’ daughter) Brad Dourif is an unrecognized hero of acting who always leaves a lasting impression and I, for one, am sorry that he is not in more movies today – though I’ve heard that a new Child’s Play movie is going to be made and – since he does the voice of Chucky – I am glad to know that he is getting paid.
…Anyway, Exorcist III does it’s own thing, but it’s a good thing. There is a kind of nervous anticipation and the horror goods come in quick shots and brief details, but they resonate well as long as you are paying attention. In fact, it’s a film that is best viewed alone just to make sure you’re not distracted into missing something, which is a quality that I really like and respect in a movie. The main problem with watching this kind of movie with others that are seeing it for the first time is that you have to monitor any movie-watching conversation heavily to make sure that you aren’t talking about the kill that is sort of borrowed from The Abominable Dr. Phibes right when someone is about to get decapitated with a huge pair of surgical shears, and at the same time you don’t want to abruptly halt whatever your talking about and give away the fact that something is coming, because disturbed elderly people scurrying across the ceiling are most effectively distressing when they are discovered by a first-time viewer rather than being pointed out to them. It’s a slippery slope.
| Maire | Corey | Salty |
|---|---|---|
| ☆☆☆ | ☆☆ | ☆☆☆ |
