Exorcist II: The Heretic | | Cast : | Linda Blair, Richard Burton | | Director : | John Boorman | | Studio : | Warner Home Video | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | June 17, 1977 | | DVD Released Date : | September 07, 2004 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), English (Subtitled), Portuguese (Subtitled), English (Original Language), Japanese (Subtitled), Thai (Subtitled), Chinese (Subtitled), Korean (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | August 14, 2005 | | Summary | Good Sequel | Content
 | I don't understand why people diss this movie? It has a great story, great script and it continues with the story from the first one. Regan (Linda Blair) is now 17 and does not remember anything that happened during the possesion 4 years ago. A Heretic priest (Richard Burton) notices that Regan has some special powers and can still have the demon in her. He uses this machine to go back in time and investigate Father Merrins death. With the help of Regan and Dr. Gene Tuskin (Louisse Fletcher) they have a mission to save Regan and to stop the demon from coming back. A definate must see. |
| Rating | | | Date | August 11, 2005 | | Summary | As The Locusts Fly - Sometimes Possession Is Only The Beginning | Content
| I can sum up what's bad about this movie in one word, 'synchronizer.' If not for the fabrication of this silly, non-existent machine I don't believe this movie would be as badly berated as it has been since its '77 release. Demons, the Devil we can accept, but an instrument that allows a person to see the images and visions in the mind of another, RIDICULOUS! Yes, Richard Burton does ham it up quite a bit and it would have also been better without Louise Fletcher reworking her Nurse Ratched role from "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" but somethings you just have to live with.
However once you get past the negatives you are left with a wonderfully directed, visually and musically haunting film that will remain within the inner resesses of your dreaming mind for quite sometime. Director John Boorman ("Emerald Forest") smoothly and expertly moves to and fro between two interconnected worlds, the physical and the spiritual, resulting in the illusion of a heightened sense of awareness in the viewer. It's almost as though we have become privy to the mind of Pazuzu. In spite of what many critics have to say, there is depth and thought behind the storyline, only much of it's implied and left up to the viewer to discern on their own.
Flawed as it is, this film points out a very important fact concerning the spiritual dimension and the subject of demonic possession. Deliverance doesn't necessarily bring an end to confrontation, in most cases it's only the beginning. Demons are known for their persistence. This film deals with this subject matter superbly and in some cases quite insightfully. It certainly isn't as good as the original but it covers new and important ground in the ongoing storyline. That along with the visuals make "Exorcist II - The Heretic" a worthy sequel. |
| Rating | | | Date | May 17, 2005 | | Summary | Still More Entertaining Than The Other Exorcist Sequels | Content
| Strangely, there are extensive, frame-by-frame, detailed criticisms of this movie which are very entertaining and remarkably accurate. I wonder why the critics have lovingly noted every minute detail if they thought this movie was so awful (they obviously watched this enough times. Hmmm). I found this movie to be rather entertaining. I think the actors did all they could with the script. Linda Blair was/is a wonderful actress and pulled off many meaty rolls on made-for-TV-tragic-teen movies in the 70's. But how can anybody say a line like, "Oh, I was possessed by a demon, but it's okay--he's gone now," without making the audience roar with laughter? The terribly laughable voice and noises of the demon is a major liability throughout and prevents me from giving this four stars; if they re-dubbed this, it would be a MAJOR improvement. If they cut the "syncronzer" and used regular old hynosis and some Hans Holtzer techniques--it could have been great (oh well). Aside from that, the visuals, photography, sets, lighting, and arty photographic shots were pretty cool--Boorman's films always look gorgeous. And if you really watch Blair's performance and expressions, especially in the much maligned heart-warming scene with the young, uncredited, late Dana Plato, one can see that there is truly nothing lacking in her acting ability. This movie effectively plays like a strangely beautiful, avant-garde nightmare. Boorman truly gave us something different--and I think he could still recut this film and make it great.
Here is something that you may not have known: Boorman used some of the previously unseen "Eileen Dietz film" from the original Exorcist that showed Eileen Dietz, who was the other actress in the original Exocist. Dietz played all of the controversial scenes that Linda Blair was too young to play, such as the crucifix scene / slapping mother scene, the pea-soup scene, the levitation scene, and the Merin death scene (which was inter-cut with shots of Linda Blair). Eileen Dietz also played the famous ghostly demon face that flashed on the screen in the original. Point of interest: check out her web site. |
| Rating | | | Date | May 01, 2005 | | Summary | A Bit of Heresy | Content
| Exorcist II is not in the same league as the original. I am not even sure that it deserves to be in the same genre. It is neither particularly horrifying nor is it particularly edifying. The first was both.
This movie picks up several years after the first one left off. Regan is now a young woman but she is still plagued by her experience with evil. The ancient conflict between good and evil still exists within her. Enter the priest. He has been sent by church officials to investigate the circumstances of Fr. Maren's death during the original exorcism. This priest, played by Richard Burton, sees what is happening to Regan and tries to help her win her battle, thereby saving humanity.
On of the remarkable things about the original "Exorcist" was its ability to blend horror with church doctrine and the battle between good and evil. This sequel falls short of the mark. Instead of relying on Christian faith to combat evil, it uses an amagam of African shamanism and new age parapsychological neurobabble. There is nothing inherently wrong with doing this from a "story" point of view but it leaves behind the real faith which drove the Exorcist. The priest in this movie has been effectively called upon to investigate claims of heresy on the part of Fr. Maren. Instead of doing so, he falls into heresy himself.
This movie has been accused of many things, among them is a tendency towards overacting. I don't find that particular fault here. Linda Blair does a good job of portraying a sweet, young girl thrust into a bad situation. Richard Burton gives an intense performance. I fail to see the overacting involved since I think that under similar circumstances I would be at least as tense and act intensely.
In short, it is not a particularly good movie. It does not meet the standard set by the first in terms of horror, drama or orthodoxy. It is not, however, a complete loss. If you like this type of film, it may be worth your while as long as your expectations are not too high. Check out some other ones first, though. |
| Rating | | | Date | April 28, 2005 | | Summary | BEST Bad Sequel EVER Made! | Content
| This one ranks among the Top 10 Best Bad Movies of All Time in my new book, THE OFFICIAL RAZZIE MOVIE GUIDE (also available from amazon.com). An odd attempt to take the source material of THE EXORCIST and somehow turn it into a "positive message," this most famously failed sequel of all time is a hoot-filled horror fest that's short on actual horror and long on horrible touches. Burton is hilariously hammy playing Father Lamont, who's trying to reach Linda Blair's "good side" and calls his first encounter with Ol' Swivel Head "Horrible...utterly horrible. And fascinating!" Linda's psychiatrist is Louise Fletcher (who did such a fine job the inmates in CUCKOO'S NEST) and James Earl Jones has a cameo as Kokumo, a witch doctor who spits cherry tomatoes(!). Abandon all hope of logic, all ye who enter here -- But if you've come to laugh, you've come to the right place! |
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