Halloween is upon us once again and my viewing season would not be complete without an annual re-watch of the criminally underrated Exorcist III. I’ve come to appreciate the film on a deeper level since I first saw it when I was a kid back in 1990. From the acting to the writing to some of the weird shit that’s happened to me while watching it, Exorcist III is a horror flick that deserves multiple viewings — or a first-watch if you haven’t already seen it.
Better Than the Original?
The Exorcist is lauded as one of the best horror films of all time. It was revolutionary when it first came out in 1973, with movie-goers fainting and/or puking in theaters during showings. My mother saw it in its original run and was terrified, talking up the film as having kept her awake for several nights after watching it.
Of course, that piqued my interest in The Exorcist. I begged to see it. Mom didn’t relent until I was 10 or 11 years old, right before Exorcist III came out. I was finally allowed to watch the O.G. Exorcist, so long as there was a cross in the room and I wore a saint medal during the viewing. (Seriously.)
However, the original was lampooned so thoroughly that by the time I saw it that it felt like more of a comedy than a horror film. I cackled at possessed preteen Regan MacNeil doing “power sit-ups” on her bed. I howled with laughter when she projectile vomited. And all bets were off when I heard the line, “Your mother sucks cocks in hell.”
Suffice to say, I didn’t get possessed while watching The Exorcist. But I gained an even greater appreciation for the Saturday Night Live sketch where Richard Pryor gets blasted with pea soup by Laraine Newman.
Afterwards, I bypassed Exorcist II and went straight to Exorcist III. Let’s face it: everyone wants to forget that Exorcist II happened. And rightly so. Not even James Earl Jones could save that one.
Being a child of the late ’80s and early ’90s, Exorcist III was more my speed. Based on William Peter Blatty’s novel, Legion, Exorcist III is the true spiritual successor to the original film. This time around, George C. Scott takes on the role of Detective Bill Kinderman, stepping into his gumshoes after original actor Lee J. Cobb had passed. Kinderman was only a supporting character in The Exorcist, but the threequel elevates him to center stage.
Scott’s Kinderman (who should really switch to decaf) is a dyed-in-the-wool agnostic who questions whether God can exist in a world plagued by murder and “the numbing of the human spirit.” He also pals around with a lot of Catholic priests.
Kinderman is everything you want in a leading character: He has integrity and a strong moral compass. He has a sense of right, wrong, and conflicted feelings about spirituality. And yet, he’s sarcastic, diligent, and will not hesitate to loudly flip the fuck out on someone who is out of line. The film hints less explicitly than the book that, in addition to being agnostic, Kinderman is also Jewish. This makes his relationships with the characters of Father Karras and Father Dyer even more interesting, serving as a backdrop for various philosophical discussions.
The Theatrical Version: The Superior Version. It’s a Matter of Taste, I Think. Don’t You?
While claiming that Exorcist III is better than the original is a hill I’m willing to die on, I’m also willing to impale myself on the sword that the theatrical release is much better than the director’s cut. Author William Peter Blatty directed Exorcist III himself and was intent on it staying true to his vision. Normally, I’ll side with a writer all day. But in this instance, I think the theatrical version made for a stronger movie.
In the theatrical release, Jason Miller reprises the role of Father Damien Karras, who was believed to have died 15 years prior after getting launched out the window like a bottle rocket during the exorcism of young Regan MacNeil. While both the director’s cut and theatrical release feature a brilliant performance by Brad Douriff as Patient X — AKA James Venamun, an institutionalized serial murderer with daddy issues known as “The Gemini Killer” — the theatrical cut makes it clear to the viewer that there is something supernatural afoot, rather than leave it up for grabs as to the true nature of Patient X.
Father Karras now finds his body as a vessel for spirit of The Gemini Killer who’s slicing and dicing his way through people in Kinderman’s orbit and forcing Karras’s tormented soul to witness these acts from inside Venamun’s body. In the theatrical cut, Detective Kinderman ponders whether or not the dude in the psych ward who looks like his old, presumed-dead pal is truly Karras, or just some nut who happen to look like the dead priest and is pulling his leg. This delivers far more emotional resonance and underscores the question of faith with evil taking the face of a friend he’d long believed to be dead.
The theatrical release also has a much bigger, climactic showdown with fire, snakes, and a priest getting flayed alive while attempting to perform an exorcism in a padded cell. (Pity the orderly who has to get blood and entrails out of the soft, not-so-white walls.)
This was the right move, as the director’s cut had performed poorly with test audiences. And while it’s “the cool thing” to say the director’s cut is better, I’ll say it loud and proud that the theatrical version was far more satisfying. This isn’t exactly a hot take, as a number of horror fans have expressed that they prefer the theatrical release, too.) While the ending was more cinematic and rooted in traditional horror, it still felt true to the story and didn’t veer into Michael Bay ‘splodey stuff territory.
This version also gave us an 11th-hour addition of the character of Father Morning, a priest whose hair had turned white after having performed an exorcism in the Philippines. Played by Nicol Williamson, a British actor with a booming voice best known for his role as Merlin in Excaliber, Father Morning is truly a deus ex machina sent in to exorcise Father Karras.
Normally, any scramble to rewrite and cobble together a big ending could smack of ham-fisted storytelling or resentment on the part of the writer/director having to alter his vision. Instead, the insertion of Father Morning felt fairly seamless. The character is mentioned to Kinderman by Father Riley, before the viewers are introduced to the exorcist priest hanging out in his humble room. The next time we see him, Morning is decked out in full regalia to purge Karras of his unwanted inhabitant in the film’s final moments.
The sequence doesn’t just bring the gore factor to an otherwise psychological horror film (with a few well-placed jump scares). It also serves up even more outstanding dialogue and performances from Scott, Douriff, Miller, and Williamson. Had the director’s cut ending prevailed, we’d have missed out on one of George C. Scott’s best film soliloquies when he addresses the tag team of both The Gemini Killer and the demon in his friend’s body. (Also, whoever voted to give George C. Scott a Razzie for his performance in Exorcist III can eat an entire box of my corn-speckled turds.)
How Exorcist III: Legion (The Director’s Cut) Differs
The director’s cut — sometimes distinguished as Exorcist III: Legion — is far more psychological horror that plays more to Detective Kinderman’s “unbelief” in the supernatural. This version was only recently pasted together from lost footage and added to a Blu-Ray edition of Exorcist III. You can definitely see where the grainy, non-HD footage was added, marking it as different from the theatrical release.
This director’s cut did not have Jason Miller, the character of Father Morning, or a big fire-and-brimstone ending. Instead, the film’s conclusion delivers a quieter resolution to Detective Kinderman’s question of faith.
What Legion does have is more Brad Douriff, which is never a bad thing. He’s still outstanding in this version, but you have to take it at face value when the character claims he harbors the soul of Damien Karras in the body of a much-younger man. You don’t know if this guy is a garden-variety loony who believes he’s evil incarnate, or if he truly is possessed. Douriff’s delivery is chilling when he tells Kinderman, “If you looked with the eyes of faith, you’d see me.”
The adjustments made to the theatrical version offer greater emotional stakes for Kinderman. Sure, the character has the challenge of trying to learn how a part-time catatonic keeps getting out of his cell to brutally murder people. However, it’s more unsettling when the viewer (and Kinderman) hears the horrifying details of these crimes coming from the body of a man who was once known for his kindness and self-sacrifice. The theatrical cut’s see-sawing between the two actors in the role makes Kinderman’s conflict more palpable.
I Like Plays… The Good Ones: Exorcistic Excellence in Writing & Casting
As a kid, the Exorcist III stood out to me for its suspense and creepy scenes. As an adult who watches it every year at Halloween, I’ve come to love it even more for its layered performances and unique writing style. Like any good give-and-take conversation, the film has both lengthy monologues and rapid-fire patter between characters. The soliloquies underscore just how much of a character study Exorcist III is, while the back-and-forth dialogues feel like real-life chats with people you know. There’s also a good amount of witty and/or gallows humor tucked into the writing, offering up well-timed comic beats to break up the tension.
There’s not a bad performance in the film. Even lesser-known names like Ed Flanders as kind-yet-snarky priest Father Dyer and Nancy Fish as prickly Nurse Allerton make big contributions to the film in supporting roles. These characters alternately provide a counterbalance to the conflicted Detective Kinderman. While Father Dyer attempts to temper Kinderman’s cynicism and rage at the injustices of the world, Nurse Allerton serves as combination of exposition fairy, foil, and red herring at various points throughout the film.
It’s the Smiles That Keep Us Going: Because Truth is Stranger Than Fiction
While I’ve fallen in and out of love with several flicks I’d previously considered Spooky Season staples (I’m looking at you, The Sentinel and Halloween III: Season of the Witch.), Exorcist III is one I consistently come back to every year. Nothing can dim my love for the film — not even a bizarre incident in 2011 where my TV caught fire during the pivotal final exorcism scene.
There I was, sitting on my couch and nearing the end of Exorcist III. Father Morning was casting out unclean spirits, surrounded by demon fire and snakes.
I’m fixated on the screen. I could swear I’m hallucinating, but I see what looks like faint, grey smoke wafting from the flat screen.
I shrug it off and keep watching, listening to Nicol Williamson’s resonant voice intone the Roman Ritual above infernal screams and hissing serpents. I chalk it up to seeing fire as part of the film and my brain rolling merrily along with the vibe.
Then, the smoke I thought I saw emanating from my TV set began to look darker. I look over at my boyfriend and say, “Do you see that, too?”
Suddenly, the screen flickers to black and smoke is now pouring from the top of the TV. Even though the image was gone, the sound was still kickin’. So, Jason Miller is screaming. Demons are screaming. And I’m sure as shit screaming. I unplugged the TV and, thankfully, it stopped smoking. However, it was definitely fried.
One hour, a shitload of cash, and a trip to H.H. Gregg later, we had a new TV and resumed the annual viewing of Exorcist III. I’m not sure what was scarier: the TV catching fire with an exorcism-in-progress, or the credit card bill after shelling out for a new flat screen. Suffice to say, “Certain parties were not pleased, to say the least. To say the very least.”
Thankfully, it’s never happened again. But maybe I really should have hung crosses in the room or wore a sacred medal like Mom insisted back in the day?
Anyway, “It’s the smiles that keep us going, don’t you think?”
Happy Halloween!