The Exorcist III (1990) is a supernatural psychological horror film written and directed by William Peter Blatty, based on his 1983 novel Legion. It is a direct sequel to The Exorcist (1973) that ignores Exorcist II. It is also the last part of Blatty’s “Trilogy of Faith,” after The Ninth Configuration (1980). Fifteen years after Regan MacNeil‘s exorcism, Lieutenant Kinderman (George C. Scott) investigates murders in Georgetown that bear the signature of the Gemini Killer, a serial killer executed years before. Ed Flanders, Jason Miller, Scott Wilson, Nicol Williamson and Brad Dourif co-star. Morgan Creek forced last-minute changes, including an exorcism climax, which frustrated Blatty. Reviews were mixed on release, but the film has since gained a cult following and is often called the best sequel in the series.
At a glance
| Release date | August 17, 1990 (US) |
| Director | William Peter Blatty |
| Writer | William Peter Blatty |
| Based on | Legion by William Peter Blatty |
| Starring | George C. Scott, Ed Flanders, Jason Miller, Scott Wilson, Nicol Williamson, Brad Dourif |
| Runtime | 110 minutes |
| Rating | R (US) |
| Budget | $11 million |
| Box office | $44 million |
| Franchise | Exorcist: direct sequel to The Exorcist (1973) |
Plot summary
In Georgetown, fifteen years after the MacNeil exorcism, Lieutenant William Kinderman (George C. Scott) and Father Dyer (Ed Flanders) still mourn their friend Father Damien Karras. A boy, Thomas Kintry, is found murdered, his head replaced with the head of a statue of Jesus. A priest is killed and beheaded in the confessional. Then Dyer, in the hospital, is murdered and drained of his blood, which is left neatly in small bottles. The fingerprints at each scene are different. The killings match the method of James Venamun, the “Gemini Killer,” who was executed fifteen years earlier.
In the hospital’s psychiatric ward, Dr. Temple tells Kinderman about Patient X. He was found wandering with amnesia fifteen years ago and stayed catatonic until six weeks before, when he became violent and claimed to be the Gemini. The patient is Karras (Jason Miller). Speaking through him, the Gemini (Brad Dourif) boasts of the new murders and taunts Kinderman. Father Riley tells Kinderman how each victim was connected to the Regan MacNeil case.
Spoiler section: the Master
The Gemini explains that “the Master,” apparently the demon Pazuzu, took revenge on Karras for driving him out of Regan. On the night of Venamun’s execution, the Master put the killer’s spirit into Karras’s dying body, with Karras trapped inside to watch. The Gemini has been briefly possessing elderly patients to commit the murders. One of them goes after Kinderman’s family. Father Morning (Nicol Williamson), who has sensed the evil, attempts an exorcism and is badly hurt. As the Master attacks Kinderman, Morning urges Karras to fight back. Karras briefly breaks free and begs Kinderman to shoot him, and Kinderman does. Karras is buried, his tombstone dated to 1975.
Production and behind the scenes
Blatty first planned Legion as a film with William Friedkin directing. Friedkin left over creative differences, and Blatty turned the story into a novel, which became a bestseller. Studios wouldn’t let him direct it until Steve Jaffe, publicist on the original film, put together a deal. Blatty chose Morgan Creek over Carolco, which had suggested a grown-up Regan giving birth to possessed twins. John Carpenter was offered the film but backed out over creative differences, and Blatty directed it himself. Lee J. Cobb, the original Kinderman, had died in 1976, so George C. Scott took the role. Several actors from The Ninth Configuration appear. Miller returned as Karras, billed only as “Patient X.” Dourif first played both Karras and the Gemini. When Miller took over Karras and then struggled with his lines because of severe alcoholism, Dourif was brought back to reshoot all his Gemini scenes in Los Angeles.
Under the title Exorcist: Legion, the film shot for eight weeks in Georgetown in mid-1989, with interiors at DEG Studios in Wilmington, North Carolina. It finished on time and only slightly over its $11 million budget. Four months later, Morgan Creek demanded a new ending. Blatty said the owner’s secretary had insisted that “there had to be an exorcism.” Fox put up another $4 million for an effects-heavy climax with a new character, Father Morning. Morgan Creek and Fox also insisted on the Exorcist title. Blatty had begged them not to use it, warning that after Exorcist II, “people will shun the box office.”
Release and reception
Fox released the film in 1,288 theaters on August 17, 1990. It opened at No. 1 with $9,312,219 and earned $26.1 million in the US and Canada and $18 million abroad, for $44 million worldwide. Blatty blamed the title. Linda Blair claimed the film was rushed out ahead of her Exorcist spoof Repossessed, pushing the comedy back a month. Rotten Tomatoes lists 60% of 47 reviews as positive, with a consensus calling it “a talky, literary sequel with some scary moments that rival anything from the original.” CinemaScore audiences gave it a “C.” Mark Kermode called it “a restrained, haunting chiller which stimulates the adrenaline and intellect alike.” Vincent Canby of The New York Times called it “better and funnier (intentionally)” than either earlier film. It won the Saturn Award for Best Writing. Scott was nominated for a Razzie for Worst Actor.
Legacy and influence
Blatty remained proud of it, saying, “for me… it’s a more frightening film than The Exorcist.” He hoped to rebuild his original cut, but Morgan Creek said the footage was lost. In 2016, Scream Factory released a director’s cut closer to his vision, assembled from various sources. Detectives at the trial of Jeffrey Dahmer testified that he said he identified with the Gemini Killer and played the film for some of his victims. A 2018 VR game, The Exorcist: Legion VR, is loosely based on it. The series later continued with The Exorcist: Believer (2023).
Trivia
- Blatty based aspects of the Gemini Killer on the real Zodiac Killer.
- Cameos include Patrick Ewing, his college coach John Thompson, Fabio, C. Everett Koop, Larry King and an early Samuel L. Jackson in a dream sequence.
- Ed Flanders took over Father Dyer, the role William O’Malley played in the original.
- Stills show cut scenes from Blatty’s version, including Kinderman viewing Karras’s body in the morgue as the heart monitor flickers.
- Dourif was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Related links
- Regan MacNeil (character)
- The Exorcist (1973), Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) and The Exorcist: Believer (2023)
- William Peter Blatty (writer-director)
- Jason Miller (Father Karras)
- George C. Scott and Brad Dourif