Director: William Peter Blatty
Screenplay: William Peter Blatty
Based on: Legion by William Peter Blatty
Starring: George C. Scott, Ed Flanders, Jason Miller, Scott Wilson, Nicol Williamson, Brad Dourif, Nancy Fish
Country: United States
Running Time: 110 min
Year: 1990
BBFC Certificate: 15
The Exorcist is undoubtedly a landmark movie; one of the greatest and scariest horror films of all time, and one of the best of the 1970s; a great decade for classics of a variety of genres. It has sparked a number of sequels and prequels (five so far, with Mike Flanagan due to direct and write another due out in 2026), and a TV series that ran for two seasons. Yet, whilst the original is a bonafide classic, the sequels and prequels have suffered a mixed reception from critics and fans, some hailing them and others deriding them.
The Exorcist III is no different, there are many who praise its qualities and many others who aren’t fans. I fall in the former camp – for me it’s a very good and effective horror film, which follows on from the original (ignoring the derided Exorcist II: The Heretic, which I too am not a fan of, despite some of its interesting and ambitious elements) but forges its own path as a supernatural detective story. It helps that it’s got the great George C. Scott in the lead role, an all-time classic jump scare, and some genuinely creepy moments.
The film, adapted by director and screenwriter William Peter Blatty from his 1983 novel Legion, is set in Georgetown, 15 years after Regan’s exorcism in the original film and follows Lieutenant William Kinderman (Scott) who explains that he witnessed Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller) fall down the famed steps (Scott isn’t in this scene in the original movie, but it’s that fall that he refers to). Kinderman is investigating a series of murders which bear striking similarities to those carried out by a serial killer called James Venamun (Brad Dourif), known as The Gemini Killer, who was executed 15 years prior, on the same night as the demon Pazuzu was exorcised from Regan.
Kinderman’s investigation sees him in conversations with the church about possessions and Pazuzu – linking back to the first film through flashbacks, particularly of Karras’ fall down the steps – and leads him to a psychiatric hospital. Here the demon Pazuzu is seemingly possessing patients, killing them. It’s here where Kinderman comes across a patient who seems to be the late Father Karras, mixed with the spirit of serial killer Venamun.
From the outset, what makes the film work for me is the atmosphere. There is a foreboding sense of doom throughout, thanks to tracking shots and the use of sound, lack of sound and music. The tracking shots, like those in Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of The Shining, really create a sense of dread and are particularly effective.
Indeed, the opening is a particularly bravura piece of filmmaking: an ominous Steadicam shot through the streets of Georgetown, down those famed steps from the first film (linking back to the closing moments of the original movie), to a church door blowing open and the eyes of a statue of Jesus Christ opening, then an Apocalypse Now-esque shot of helicopters flying against a setting sun. We hear Mike Oldfield’s eerie Tubular Bells, the classic theme from the original film, play before it morphs into a creepy piece of music. It plays like a dream, and an unsettling one at that.
The camerawork by cinematographer Gerry Fisher frequently takes us on an interesting journey, helped no end by the effects work; for example, we get to see Karras’ fall down the stairs in point of view mode, which is a particularly impressive shot.
Another element that works is the lack of in-your-face horror – we hear a lot about the murders, rather than seeing them, allowing the viewer’s mind to imagine the murder scenes described. An example of this is a very effective sequence in which a priest is giving a confessional to a man who turns out to be the killer. We don’t see the killer or the murder, but the scene is very creepy as we realise it’s a confession of a murder, and then see the aftermath; a woman’s scream, the faces of two children, blood running alongside a pew.
There are also some very off-kilter dream sequences featuring characters we’ve either met or heard about and angels. And then there is, spoiler alert, an outstanding jump-scare sequence, considered by some to be the best in horror history. This features a slow paced few minutes with a static shot from a distance looking at a nurses’ station in the hospital. The nurse on duty hears a sound, goes to investigate and a patient screams as she wakes him. She returns to the nurses station and we watch silently from afar again. Another noise is investigated and as she returns, other characters come in and out of the shot before the nurse is left alone again. Then, from out of nowhere a figure covered in a sheet storms out quickly from one side of the screen to follow and attack the woman off-screen.
Performances are excellent, particularly Scott (was he ever not good?) and Dourif, but the whole cast play their parts well. The finale, in particular, which is essentially a three-hander with Scott, Dourif and Miller, is a tour de force of acting and a marvellous scene; just one in a film full of marvellous scenes. A note on Scott; he was nominated for a Razzie worst actor award for the film and I just don’t get it – for me he’s perfect in the role and in the mental state his character would be in. It’s a very good performance, not a terrible one.
In closing, The Exorcist III is an excellent horror film and a very good continuation of elements of The Exorcist mythos, whilst also taking the franchise in an interesting and different direction. It’s a frequently creepy and unnerving horror movie, features a number of atmospheric scenes and a highly acclaimed jump scare.
Film: 
The Exorcist III is released on limited edition 4K UHD by Arrow Films on 7th October 2024. The pictures looks fabulous throughout, it’s a great restoration with a natural grain and colour scheme and nary a blemish to see.
Content-wise this is the same as the limited edition Blu-ray edition Arrow released in 2019, right down to the bonus disc. This time we get the theatrical cut on a 4K UHD disc though and it’s great to see the Legion cut included again.
4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Richard Wells
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring writing on the film by Lee Gambin, archival articles and reviews
DISC ONE – THEATRICAL CUT (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY)
4K restoration of the theatrical cut of The Exorcist III, presented in presented on 4K Ultra HD (2160p) Blu-ray in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Audio commentary by critics Alexandra Heller Nicholas and Josh Nelson
Audio interview with writer/director William Peter Blatty
Death, Be Not Proud: The Making of The Exorcist III, an in-depth 2016 documentary divided into five chapters: Chapter One: A “Wonderfull” Time, an interview with producer Carter DeHaven and members of the supporting cast and production crew; Chapter Two: Signs of the Gemini, an interview with actor Brad Dourif; Chapter Three: The Devil in the Details, an interview with production designer Leslie Dilley and more; Chapter Four: Music for a Padded Cell, an interview with composer Barry DeVorzon; Chapter Five: All This Bleeding, interviews about the additional shoot and special effects
The Exorcist III: Vintage Interviews, archival interviews with cast and crew members including William Peter Blatty, producer James Robinson, actors George C. Scott, Jason Miller, Grand L. Bush and Ed Flanders
Falling Down a Long Flight of Steps, an interview with special effects artist Randy Moore
The Exorcist III: Vintage Featurette, making-of documentary with on-set footage and interviews
Deleted scenes, alternate takes and bloopers
Image galleries
Trailers, TV spots and radio spots
DISC TWO – ‘LEGION’ DIRECTOR’S CUT (BLU-RAY)
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of the Legion director’s cut, assembled from the best available film and video elements
Legion audio commentary with esteemed film critics Mark Kermode and Kim Newman
Deleted Prologue, an alternate opening to Legion with optional audio commentary from Mark Kermode and Kim Newman
The audio commentary with film critics Alexandra Heller Nicholas and Josh Nelson covers a lot of ground, from their first viewing of the movie, the themes that resonate with them, what draws them to it and why it’s not your typical Exorcist film. They also look at the criticism the film and the acting of Scott received, and also look at some of the other performances in the film, locations and much, much more. The pair complement each other well, and it’s a wonderful commentary.
The second audio commentary is an interview from 2016 and sees William Peter Blatty interviewed at his home by Michael Felsher. Felsher introduces the conversation before Blatty walks us through his career as an author, Exorcist III and more. There’s plenty to glean about Blatty and his career, plus the film, from this conversation and there are also some humourous moments.
Death, Be Not Proud: The Making of The Exorcist III is an outstanding one hour 45 minute documentary about the making of the film produced by Shout Factory in 2016. It features a range of cast and crew, many not featured in interviews on the rest of the disc, and covers everything from their memories of the original Exorcist to the genesis of the movie, memories of cast and crew members who have sadly passed away, recollections of the making of the film, and key elements such as the effects. A fabulous extra.
Falling Down a Long Flight of Steps is an archival interview that runs for nine minutes with special effects artist Randy Moore, which focuses on the point of view shot of Father Karras falling down the famed steps in Georgetown. It’s a fascinating look at how this shot was done. Moore also looks at a couple of the other practical effects in the film and his thoughts on the production company Morgan Creek. It’s a brief but solid interview.
The vintage interviews feature runs for 39 minutes and contains archival interviews with cast and crew members including William Peter Blatty, producer James Robinson, actors George C. Scott, Jason Miller, Grand L. Bush and Ed Flanders. There are some interesting takes and reminiscences of the making of the film from all involved.
The vintage featurette runs for seven minutes and is a typical piece of its kind, reminding us of the original film, showing some behind the scenes footage, clips from the film and interviews – taken from the same interviews featured in the vintage interviews section. The interview clips used, feature soundbites designed to sell the film without giving much insight, which is to be expected for such a promotional piece.
The deleted scenes, alternate takes and bloopers feature two brief deleted scenes, some alternate shots of the jump scare and some bloopers. This section runs for six minutes, with the bloopers taking up the majority of the runtime. A nice addition.
The image galleries section contains four galleries: one of around 70 posters and lobby cards, another with almost 50 production stills and character portraits, just over 40 behind the scenes photos, and, finally, just over 10 images showcasing the Japanese press book.
Rounding out the first disc extras are two trailers totalling three minutes, six TV spots over two-and-a-half minutes, and two radio spots running for one minute.
I wasn’t provided with the second disc for review, but it looks the same as the one included in the limited edition Blu-ray release from Arrow from 2019. It’s been a while since I watched this disc, but I recall the Legion cut being an interesting variation, but that I preferred the theatrical cut. The Legion cut includes additional scenes and alternate takes, including a different exorcism ending. I also recall the audio commentary with Mark Kermode and Kim Newman being well worth a listen.
I also wasn’t provided with the booklet, sadly.
Arrow have equalled their excellent limited edition Blu-ray of The Exorcist III with their new 4K UHD edition. All of the extras, including the bonus disc containing the Legion cut are carried over, but this time the film is included in full 4K, rather than just on Blu-ray. The wealth of extras are fantastic, picture and sound are top notch, and the film itself is a very interesting, and very good, horror film.
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