“It was horrible... utterly horrible. And fascinating.”
- Father Lamont (Richard Burton) describing a sight he saw, not describing Exorcist II: The Heretic... although it also fits!
I've reviewed this film before, and have now willingly seen it a few times in my life. While this should be Exhibit A in the dangers (right or wrong) of making a sequel to a beloved film that is far different from the original, it's always a movie that I found weird & fascinating, full of bizarre 70's touches. Locusts are a key plot point, them directly tied to evil. Psychiatrist Louise Fletcher has an institute full of glass walls that can be made opaque via lighting... a “synchronizer” that links two minds together via tones and flashing lights... Regan tap dances for a stage show... there's talk of humanity reaching a stage of collective consciousness in the future... Regan now has supernatural healing powers & seemingly cures Dana Plato of autism by making her speak...
It's all so wacky; no wonder audiences that made the first film a gigantic hit were all “WTF?” when this released in June of 1977. The numerous production problems for what was an expensive (for the time) production did not help-Boorman and several others falling seriously ill, constant script changes, etc.-were issues but a movie that wasn't as frightening as the first & was far more metaphysical, of course even back then many would want “more of the same” instead. Hiring a director who didn't even like the original movie and admitted he wasn't that concerned with satisfying the audience-again, no wonder.
The Heretic is now a difficult movie for me to rate; the story is an absolute mess and you shouldn't scrutinize it too hard. Yet, I've always been bemused by how strange it is. Father Lamont's trip to Ethiopia to talk to Kokumo-someone that survived possession by Pazuzu-was a serious subplot yet the advice sort of seemed, “That's it?” It's a shame the plot is so scattershot and doesn't coalesce (IMO) as some ingredients make sense... Father Lamont is someone else struggling w/ his faith-and knew Father Merrin-Regan still has the demon inside him, her caretaker Sharon (Kitty Winn) is damaged from the experience, etc.
Plenty of talent is in front and behind the camera. Morricone-delivering a rather bold score that naturally will be polarizing-Dick Smith, Albert J. Whitlock, and steadicam inventor Garrett Brown were all involved-those contributions were appreciated by me. In this day and age, all the practical sets and matte paintings created were cool. The Heretic isn't as enjoyable as Zardoz nor is it as good as Exorcist III by any regard... yet it is FAR better than a bizarre boondoggle like Megalopolis and is also FAR better than The Exorcist: Believer. Believer's “original” ideas is to have TWO young girls become possessed & presenting awful militant Christians.
I also haven't viewed the trailer for The Exorcist: Martyrs; evidently, it looks like the first season of True Detective... I haven't viewed a second of ANY True Detective show! Regardless, I hope Martyrs isn't bad. Many aren't like me in having such peculiar tastes (including enjoying many things 1970's) so you might not enjoy this wacky film that even I can admit is tremendously flawed. At least The Exorcist III is a sequel that has a strong reputation & despite its own production woes, many do like or love the second sequel.
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