The Exorcist III (1990)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Jeff "

  
  The Exorcist III should have been called by its original title, Legion. But due to marketing issues, the studio felt that it would succeed more under an Exorcist moniker. Well let me just say it's far superior to the heretic and is far more creepy and intriguing than the previous… More
  The Exorcist III should have been called by its original title, Legion. But due to marketing issues, the studio felt that it would succeed more under an Exorcist moniker. Well let me just say it's far superior to the heretic and is far more creepy and intriguing than the previous film. The cast does a fairly decent job, and the film is filled with tense moments of creepy atmosphere and suspenseful scenes. A solidly paced and directed horror film, Exorcist III is a different take on the story, but it does succeed on creating effective terror and jolts. Although not as memorable as the original masterpiece, Exorcist III is still a necessary film to watch. What's great about the film is that it still manages at delivering good scares, but unlike the original, it doesn't have the intensity that you'd want from a film like The original, but compared to the second one, this third entry is an improvement. There's plenty of good elements to deliver an effective horror film here, but in the end I felt it also was a good stand alone film as well, not a film that necessarily needed The Exorcist title on the cover. The film is very entertaining for what it is, and though is not as horrifying as the original film, it still has enough good horror bits to really make it an interesting, and scary horror film to watch. If you loved the original, was disappointed by the second; then check this one out, the film is worth your time, and will give you a few good jolts in the process.

• David L

  
  A number of brutal and ritualistic-type murders that have taken place in Georgetown has police Let. Bill Kinderman, George C. Scott, deeply concerned. Lt. Kindeman was in charge of the "Gemini Killer" serial murder case that happened fifteen years ago and the MO of these… More
  A number of brutal and ritualistic-type murders that have taken place in Georgetown has police Let. Bill Kinderman, George C. Scott, deeply concerned. Lt. Kindeman was in charge of the "Gemini Killer" serial murder case that happened fifteen years ago and the MO of these killings are identical to that of that long ago killer. The fact that the murder victims now, a 12 years-old boy and two Catholic priests, were killed exactly the same way as those victims of the "Gemini Killer" were back then. The method of his savage actions was never reviled to the newspapers and the public yet these killings could not have possibly been done by him since the "Gemini Killer" was executed back in 1973, or was he? Worthy follow-up to the original movie "The Exorcist" if you throw out the awful "The Exorcist Part II: The Heretic" made some thirteen years earlier. William Peter Blatty's "Exorcist III" starts where "The Exorcist" left off when the heroic Father Karras, Jason Miller,fell down a long flight of stairs outside the MacNeil residents taking the demon who was in possession of young Regan MacNeil's body with him to his death. At that very moment the convicted "Gemini Killer" James Venamun, "Brad Dourif" was executed for his crimes. The Devil took advantage of this moment in time by transferring the soul of Venamun into the dead Father Karras' body and at the same time bring Karras back to life. Wondering around the streets of Georgetown the now unrecognizable and comatose Father Karras was taken into a local mental institution where he spent the last fifteen years, strapped down in a padded cell, and known to those in charge only as patient X. As time went by Karras' mental facilities slowly came back to him and with Venamun in control of his body and, this is hard to take, soul has been using the mental patients to do his bloody work. Manipulating their, crippled and very impressionable, minds the patients go out in the neighborhood as well as in the hospital and commit this latest string of "Gemini " killings. "Exorcist III" has a lot of dream-like and surrealistic scenes in it which at times confuses you. As it moves to it final conclusion, in the graphic battle between "Good" and "Evil", it becomes very clear to what it's been telling you for the first 90 minutes or so. "The Devil" through the helpless Father Karras, whom he brought back from the dead, is waging his war against "Good" with one of those saintly men who stood fought and died for it. George C. Scott gives his usual top-rate performance as the troubled and gilt-ridden, he felt that he should have saved Father Karras back in 1973, police Lt. Kinderman. At first Lt. Kinderman didn't really understand what he was up against, the Devil. When he finally did, at the end of the movie, he not only cast the Devil's demons out of the tragic priest but put Karras tortured soul to rest and peace forever, in a truly shocking and memorable final sequence. Both Brad Dourif & Jason Miller were just as good as Scott as the "Gemini Killer" James Venamun and Father Karras who both occupied the same, Karras', body. Like in a titanic tug of war Venamun and Father Karras were in conflict with each other throughout the entire movie. Until the evil, that was engineered by the Devil, on the people of Georgetown and the Catholic Church was finally put to an end. This is a film that I wish we could get a director's cut. They're was a different opening and ending along with other scenes taken out by the studio. It seems this footage is lost now but hopefully it will surface one day.

• E.J. B

  
  (Review coming soon)

• Wahida K

  
  If you dont appreciate your time, watch this Movie. lol Every good creation has 3 sides The Exorcist 3 doesnt count!

• Cassandra M

  
  William Peter Blatty can really write. Prose and dialogue. No argument. But can he direct a movie? On the strength of 'Exorcist III,' yes he can. This isn't to say that the film doesn't have its problems. On the contrary, its biggest problem, the out-of-character… More
  William Peter Blatty can really write. Prose and dialogue. No argument. But can he direct a movie? On the strength of 'Exorcist III,' yes he can. This isn't to say that the film doesn't have its problems. On the contrary, its biggest problem, the out-of-character 'crowd-pleasing' SFX climax stops it from being one of the greats. So why do I have a soft spot for this film? If, like me, you appreciate horror films that are both scary and made for grown-ups, 'Exorcist III' is refreshing and memorable for its intelligent, non-ironic journey into darkness and for its refusal (bar that ending) to dumb down for the kids. If 'Scream' is your idea of a great horror movie, this isn't one for you! The cast is not nearly young and attractive enough, there are nowhere near enough gags (though Blatty's dry, sardonic wit is happily in evidence) and the film has no pretensions at being an autopsy of the genre, therefore somehow lifting it above the films it purports to comment on. 'Exorcist III' is literary beyond 'Scream's' self-referential trivia-chasing (I would love to hear Detective Kinderman critiquing that movie!) Read 'Legion' and you'll have an idea of how good the film should have been. Flaws acknowledged and accepted, don't miss out on Brad Dourif's best performance since 'Cuckoo's Nest,' scene-stealing turns by Ed Flanders and Nancy Fish, or the superlative production design, photography and sound. More than anything else, it's the atmosphere of the film that stays with me. I can recall very few films that have a better sense of the power of stillness and silence. So much of the violence is communicated only in dialogue; your mind reluctantly does the rest

• Anthony L

  
  Great horror film! Not fair it got caught in the Exorcist franchise as it can stand on its own as a great movie. The script was fantastic, the acting was superb and the story, as silly as it might be, works really well in blending thriller and horror together. The nurse scene is… More
  Great horror film! Not fair it got caught in the Exorcist franchise as it can stand on its own as a great movie. The script was fantastic, the acting was superb and the story, as silly as it might be, works really well in blending thriller and horror together. The nurse scene is classic horror at its best and the granny crawling on the ceiling is probably one of my favorite moments in cinema!

• Lafe F

  
  This movie creeped the hell out of me and gave me nightmares. I'm often afraid to re-watch it. There are a few scenes to make you jump out of your chair. I hate thinking about the dream sequence at the bus station in heaven, the hospital hallway, the statue with the painted Joker… More
  This movie creeped the hell out of me and gave me nightmares. I'm often afraid to re-watch it. There are a few scenes to make you jump out of your chair. I hate thinking about the dream sequence at the bus station in heaven, the hospital hallway, the statue with the painted Joker face, the little boy tied to the oars rising out of the floor, the priest in the confessional, the little Jesus statue, the spring loaded shears, the statue without the head, the old lady on the roof, the vials of blood - ewww! Spooky stuff. Such a creepy movie which pushed all my anti-devil buttons. IMHO, a classic as worthy as the original.

• Ken S

  
  The movie is so creepy. I mean unbelievably creepy. No seriously you don't understand...creeeeepy.

• Dean M

  
  Worst prequel of the horror flick after almost 20 years about a priest possessed by the devil from the first film.

• Alec B

  
  I hope someday we are able to see Blatty's original cut of the film (which is supposedly wildly different from this one in tone and execution) because its clear the intent is to make something that is more of a companion to 'The Exorcist' than a direct sequel, so all of… More
  I hope someday we are able to see Blatty's original cut of the film (which is supposedly wildly different from this one in tone and execution) because its clear the intent is to make something that is more of a companion to 'The Exorcist' than a direct sequel, so all of the exorcism stuff that was added on in re-shoots of the ending feel out of place. It also (thankfully) disregards Exorcist II, so calling it III doesn't make much sense. What does remain of the original idea are the most engaging sequences and makes the film watchable (even creepy at times). The scenes with Brad Dourif alone warrant the film a viewing.

• Anthony V

  
  Less talk, more show.

• Lee K

  
  creepy at times but i expected more form william freidken considering he directed the original

• Leo L

  
  Loved this movie.

• Christopher B

  
  Don't get me wrong, I love The Exorcist. I think it's truly a classic film, let alone horror film. But personally, I think this one is superior. Some really creepy and off kilter scenes and disturbing imagery, plus wonderful performances by Brad Douriff, Scott Wilson,… More
  Don't get me wrong, I love The Exorcist. I think it's truly a classic film, let alone horror film. But personally, I think this one is superior. Some really creepy and off kilter scenes and disturbing imagery, plus wonderful performances by Brad Douriff, Scott Wilson, Jason Miller and George C. Scott (for the most part) elevate this as another great Blatty film. Ninth Configuration is one of my favourite films of all time, and this excellent movie feels like almost a companion piece. Philosophically far better than the previous 2 and in terms of story, this one easily has the best, far more dimensions than the simple possession storyline. I just wish Blatty would direct another film already!

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