Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist

Plot synopsis:
In 1944, a Nazi SS lieutenant named Kessel forces the parish priest of a small village in occupied Holland, Father Lankester Merrin (Stellan Skarsgård), to participate in arbitrary executions in retaliation for the murder of a German trooper in exchange for sparing the village.
In 1947, Merrin, whose faith was shattered by the incident, is an archaeologist in Derati, a remote area in the Turkana region of British Kenya excavating a Byzantine church built around the 5th century — long before Christianity had reached that region of Africa. He meets up with Father Francis (Gabriel Mann), a Maryknoll missionary appointed to ensure the church is not desecrated, and Major Granville (Julian Wadham), the British military officer overseeing the dig.
Making their way to Derati with Chuma (Andrew French), Merrin's translator and guide, Merrin introduces Francis to Rachel (Clara Bellar), a doctor who spent time in a concentration camp and is haunted by her experiences there, and Emekwi (Eddie Osei), an enthusiastic convert who provides accommodation for the two men. Merrin takes Francis on a tour of the dig site. Astonishingly, the church is in perfect condition, as though it had been deliberately buried immediately after its construction was completed.
On the site, Merrin meets a shy, physically-deformed young boy named Cheche (Billy Crawford), shunned and mistreated by the locals for fear that he is cursed. Although dissuaded by Chuma, Merrin attempts to make contact with Cheche, finally managing to bring the boy to Rachel for medical treatment.
Once the door is uncovered, Merrin, Francis, and Chuma go inside the church. Francis notices that this particular church is built in such a way as to restrain something beneath it. A hidden passageway leads them to a crypt containing a demonic idol - an ancient sanctuary where human sacrifice was performed. Merrin deduces that the church was built, not as a place of worship, but to seal this underground temple. On their way back, they find corpses of hyenas (who have appeared out of season) being eaten by a herd of cattle. The Turkana elders, thinking the church is evil, demand Merrin stop digging.
Francis contacts Granville to send a detachment to guard the dig from potential robbers, despite Merrin's objections. Two British soldiers attempting to loot some precious stones from the church are then found dead the next day (one was beheaded; the other crucified to the altar head downward). Despite the Christian symbolism used in the murders and the testimony of Jomo (Israel Aduramo), a Turkana warrior who had long been keeping a wary eye on the site, that the two men were affected by a strange madness that caused them to kill each other, Granville, blaming the Turkana, goes to town in a fit of rage demanding the purported culprits be given up, shooting a young woman in cold blood when the locals protest. The town is then placed under military surveillance.
Determined to stop the 'Christian evil' from spreading, Jomo breaks into the mission school and slaughters Francis' students - Emekwi's two sons - before he is shot on the spot by British soldiers. Emekwi bitterly questions if this is how God rewards those who keep faith with him.
Francis has a disturbing realization that Cheche's unusual recovery is not caused by God, as he had thought. Fearing for Cheche's soul, he considers baptising him; the boy accepts on the condition it be held at the church. Meanwhile, a guilt-ridden and despairing Granville commits suicide by shooting himself in the mouth.
The Turkana elders (via Chuma) demand that the church be reburied and Francis - who they hold responsible for the spread of the 'Christian evil' and the arrival of the British troops - and Cheche be handed over to them to be killed; when their demands are turned down, war between the two sides become inevitable.
Francis, assisted by Rachel, begins to baptise Cheche at the church; as they do so, however, the demon controlling Cheche assaults them. Realising an exorcism is in order, Francis leaves quickly to fetch his copy of the Roman Ritual. The demon removes Cheche's deformities and transforms him into a hairless, androgynous 'perfect' being; an earthquake erupts and seals off the entrance to the church. The Sergeant-Major (Ralph Brown), Granville's second-in-command who had assumed control of the troops after the latter's death, postpones Merrin's requests to clear the entrance for daybreak.
The next morning, Merrin and the British find Francis tied to a tree naked, shot with arrows. Taken back to the hospital to be looked after by Emekwi's wife, the dying Francis reveals to Merrin that Cheche is possessed and begs him to perform an exorcism. Another earthquake shifts the rocks blocking the church entrance just enough to allow Merrin to go inside. At the underground temple, Merrin finds Rachel – who runs away under a trance – and the possessed Cheche. Merrin rushes back to the infirmary to wear Francis' vestments and goes back to the church to begin the exorcism. The demon offers Merrin a chance to rewrite his past, at which Merrin (in a hallucination) finds himself back in 1944 Holland: when he refuses to cooperate, Kessel instead has Merrin and all the villagers killed for his defiance.
When Merrin comes back to his senses, the demon mocks the futility of his attempt to change what happened. As Merrin recommences the exorcism, a supernatural aurora appears in the sky as the entranced Rachel attempts to kill herself, Emekwi violently beats his wife and the Turkana charge to battle. Despite the evil spirit's resistance, the exorcism succeeds. Cheche regresses to his former condition as the demon leaves his body and enters that of a hyena.
With the demon driven out of Derati, life returns to normal and the British detachment leave. One of the local elders, however, warns that the demon will pursue Merrin. Bidding farewell to Rachel and Cheche, now serving as Rachel's assistant at the infirmary, Merrin, who has regained his faith and is an active priest once more, leaves for Rome.

Tags: good versus evil, violence, murder

Review:
Much has been made of the peculiarly Kafka-esquire journey of 'Dominion': originally in the hands of the late John Frankenheimer, the 'Exorcist' prequel project was turned over to Paul Schrader, director/screenwriter best known for dark, gritty, existential dramas such as 'Taxi Driver,' 'Hardcore,' and 'Auto-Focus.' Schrader delivered a film allegedly close in spirit to the original, but the suits were unsatisfied, feeling that the film they'd been given lacked the necessary frights to please the current audience for horror films.
As has been amply explained, the original 'Exorcist' was itself much less a horror film than a psychological drama, spare of excessive fun-house shock value, but the audience has changed--younger, dumber, and trained to expect cheap thrills--and the decision was handed down to re-tool the film to add more special effects and gore.
Schrader refused, was fired and replaced by Renny Harlin, who re-shot the film almost entirely with a significantly revised story, several new actors and characters, and a decidedly less cerebral approach.
But Schrader's film was already in the can, and horror purists and Exorcist junkies were left to wonder what might have been--if, for once, there might be a sequel/prequel that made genuine efforts to add to a story's mythic tradition rather than merely to exploit its notoriety to sell tickets and popcorn.At last, we are able to weigh in on 'Exorcist prequel: take 1,' and while it certainly doesn't capture the original's aura of terror and dread, 'Dominion' reminds us that the most frightening terrors are in the subconscious and the imagination, and offers a more patient and believable glimpse into how Father Merrin first encountered the demon that would later find its way into a particular corner townhouse in Georgetown.Schrader's direction--aided by the camera of legendary cinematographer Vittorio Storraro--is patient but not without scope.
They frame the African hill country beautifully, and while things at times seem a bit too clean and tidy, I didn't consider the film 'slow.' Skarsgard's Merrin is essentially the same character as in 'Beginning,' and while he isn't inadequate, his performance may be a bit too restrained.
Exorcist: The Beginning was an ineffective film that contains everything I hate about current genre films: impatient editing and storytelling, lines of dialogue that stop just when some characters are about to actually say something, bombardment of CGI visuals and some seriously unnecessary gore effects that are akin to the movie-makers hitting the audience over the head with a Warner Brothers iron anvil normally reserved for their cartoon characters.
I'm sure everyone by now knows the story of how Paul Schrader shot and cut his version of an "Exorcist" prequel and delivered it to Morgan Creek studios only to be told it was "commercially unmarketable" and fired from the project.
While Harlin's "Exorcist: The Beginning" may have appealed more to mass audiences (and by mass audiences I'm talking about those who can't handle an intelligent story that takes time to build and need blood and guts every 10 minutes), but Schrader's film is clearly the winner in terms of quality here.This film is far more subtle than Harlin's in-your-face version.
Schrader's "Exorcist" takes a different route by turning the tables around: instead of the possession victim getting physically and mentally weakened as the demon takes over, the story focuses on Cheche, an afflicted young man that actually becomes better as the possession takes over his body.
I found the character to be more interesting than even little Regan Macneil in the original movie.The acting is about the same in terms of quality, though with Skarsgard giving a much subtler performance this time around.Alas, the film is not without faults.
Having seen the second made but first to release Exorcist - The Beginning, the Renny Harlin version of the movie, I was very keen to see the original movie which the Studio saw and then scrapped, the Paul Schrader version.This I managed to do during the Edinburgh Film Festival 2005, and actually with paid tickets I managed to even get to hear a Q&A with the Director, which in itself was extremely interesting.
Here he really plays a man getting out of his depth and letting events overtake him, and he has a superb scene in the village which provides with a strong connection to Merrins past.A couple of things that stuck out in the movie but were then understandable during Schraders Q&A, were in the CGI and the famous flash of the Demon face.
Some of the CGI was also poorly done, and during a sweeping camera shot across the front of the buried chapel the CGI rocks moved together as they tried to hold with the camera shot, the first appearance of the hyenas was also poor, showing as pure CGI and not looking in the least bit real.The script for this movie is very good, and in stark contrast to the Harlin version.
Some good moments, but a really boring story-telling and some major plot-holes are killing this movie.I thing the Exorcist-story has a lot and in a prequel on this you can built on a lot and give references the audience will like to see.
Most everybody knows by now the story behind directors Paul Schrader and Renny Harlin concerning their Exorcist prequels.
Paul Schrader's Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist may not be a horror movie to scare us visually, but it successfully puts the greatest fear into us through our thoughts, hell.
Special effects , colorful cinematography (by Vittorio Storaro) , creepy music (Trevor Ravin , Angelo Badalamenti) and intelligence by director Paul Schrader , all combined to make it a good film .
The original Exorcist(Friedkin) film spread a wave of demonic possessions movies that continues unbated today such as ¨The changeling¨, ¨Amytiville¨,¨Darkness¨ ; besides the sequels as ¨Exorcist II¨ (by John Boorman) , ¨Exorcist III¨ (by William Peter Blatty) and prequels ¨The beginning¨ and ¨Dominion¨ .
This rare film not for squeamish and is better than ¨Beginning¨ , being shot at the same time, remaining Paul Schrader's version for the market video .
Paul Schrader was originally hired as director of The Exorcist : The beginning (2004) , but Morgan Creek ultimately rejected his "psychological thriller" approach, saying it was "commercially unmarketable" .
But I cannot really comment on that much, since I read Schrader did not have enough money to complete everything.The rest of the film had me glued to my seat feeling uneasy, just like he original Exorcist did to me.
But I think from a purely academic stand point, it will be interesting to pair up both versions - Paul Schrader's and Renny Harlin's - of this movie on DVD and see the differences of where an insightful director will go and how a limited director doesn't even how to get there..
And I have to say the Director's cut pleased me much, however Exorcist: The Beginning by Renny Harlin did not follow the original movie's path at all.
I can honestly see now why they weren't happy with the final product, but to completely re-shoot it, and to hire a director like Renny Harlin, is just madness.The main problem I had with the film was the complete lack of atmosphere, and that should be the main thing with an Exorcist film.
It is truly shameful that the studio had an entirely different film shot in this ones place and then left this unfinished for so long, releasing the far inferior "The Beginning" directed by Renny Harlin.
In case you don't know the story with these movies, here it is: Morgan Creek films hired Paul Schrader to direct a prequel to The Exorcist, after director John Frankenheimer left the project, presumably due to health reasons.
After this, with some pressure from Schrader, and, I believe, an online petition, Morgan Creek gave Paul Schrader a minimal post-production budget to finish his film, and gave it a limited theatrical release as Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist.It's an interesting position for me to be in with these movies, because I am a fan of both directors.
Both movies focus on Father Lankester Merrin (Stellan Skarsgård, Max von Sydow's character from the original film), who is going through a crisis of faith (much like Father Damien Karras in The Exorcist) after an incident in a Holland village during World War II, where an SS officer forced Merrin to choose which ten people would be killed for the murder of a German soldier.
Schrader capably handles the dramatic and story driven scenes, but his film never really inspires any sense of dread, his climax lacks any real tension, and because of the low budget, the CGI effects are some of the worst in a feature film since that Dungeons and Dragons movie with Jeremy Irons.
However, I do recommend watching both movies, preferably back-to-back, as the experience does give one a unique insight into how much impact a director has on a film.Final ratings: Exorcist: The Beginning - ** (out of four) Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist - *** (out of four).
The pace of the film drags on to no end and the conclusion is no more involving than playing tic-tac-toe.If you are debating which version to watch of the recent prequel story, go with Harlin's.
These would be fine complaints to a large budget film - but the studio was more interested in funding the Renny Harlin version of schlock horror "exorcist" than helping Paul Schrader to achieve his own superior idea here.
Many of you probably know the story behind this movie: the studio hired Paul Schrader to make a prequel of "The Exorcist" and once he finished it the executives decided that the audience wouldn't like it.
It's not even a horror movie, for it deals with the inner fight of Father Merrin and his doubts about the existence of God and stuff.What's more remarkable about "Dominion" is the presence of Stellan Skarsgaard (what a voice!!) and the photography of Vicente Storaro (although some effects at the end of the film are not very classy).
I honestly expected something much worse, given all the bashing that this film has been subjected to.Set in the late 40s in an African village under the British Empire, this movie tells the story of Father Merrin years before the events depicted in "The Exorcist" and Merrin's first tete-a-tete with the devil.
"Dominion" never reaches the atmosphere and the scariness of "The Exorcist", but since the latter is regarded as one of the best, if not the best horror movie ever, it seems a little far-fetched and unfair to expect the same from the prequel.
(It played in most markets for only one week, but for some reason it was booked for two weeks in Sacramento.) Of the two versions, I felt that this one had a deeper story, better character development, gave a clearer depiction of Father Merrin's motivation for performing exorcisms, and touched on the duality of human weakness and strength.It is a shame that the studio all but abandoned this film when it was so near completion.
And he did not resort to an excessive back-story, allowing a degree of mystery to remain unexplained.I agree with those who feel it is not on a par with the first film (minus the over-the-top scenes); however, if you can put that aside it will give you a better understanding of Merrin and I think you will enjoy this movie..
Having watched the other version, I was unsure what to expect when viewing this, as there must have been a reason why it was initially unreleased, but was pleasantly surprised to find a well paced, nicely photographed, supernatural chiller, much more classier than 'Exorcist the Beginning', despite telling essentially the same story.
A great scene and way better than the ending from "The Beginning".I truly recommend this movie for those who are interested in knowing a little more on the "Exorcist" movies; this one tries to explain half about them and succeeds in my opinion.
Unfortunately, you NEED to watch both versions in order to GET the whole story and see effects worth seeing.I don't know which is worse, to make two versions of the same movie, and have them both fall short, or to have waited 30 plus years to get the story in the first place.Either way, if you're an Exorcist fan, I highly recommend viewing both versions to get the whole picture.It's neither worse, nor better than the Remy Harlin Version, and rates a 5.0/10 from...the Fiend :..
Dominion prequel to the exorcist is a great movie.I bought it and viewed it twice the day it was released.It is 20 times better than exorcist the beginning(which sucked for many reasons).
So the movie had the feel of a set up scene only it contributed nothing.The only thing that I did like was Vittorio Storaro's cinematography although I've seen better from him (Apocalyps Now).All of the time I was thinking this was just a rough cut, a work in progress.
Unlike Renny Harlin's for-hire prequel, director Paul Schrader (most well-known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese) does not shortchange the religious fulcrum of his story for action, gore, and special effects; he also manages to not turn the film into something overwrought and preachy.
Schrader: hang your head in shame (it's no wonder Morgan Creek wanted a completely new film - though I wouldn't say a hack like Renny 'explosions are good' Harlin was the best choice!!)..
This is the original version of "The Exorcist 4" directed by Paul Schrader - who was replaced by Renny Harlin and the film re-cast and re-shot as "Exorcist: The Beginning" - retaining only lead Stellan Skarsgaard.
However DOMINION is an Intelligent supernatural prequel to one of the most famous horror movies of all time and worth watching just not as good as the film could have been.
This film is the personal Paul Schrader's version of the prequel "The Exorcist: The Beginning", that he had envisioned before being removed from the direction of this film.
Well, I remember when the studio sacked Schrader and hired Harlin to do reshoots to this film, they were quite right to do so.Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist is simply a bad movie, it's boring, really it is.It would be nice to think that the studio put aside a psychological masterpiece and that all those who in such big words condemned Harlin's version and praised Schraders, even if no one had ever seen it, would have been right.But they weren't.To put it in a nutshell : Schrader has no idea what a horror film should be, and it shows in a big way.Droll, boring, unintentionally funny in all the wrong places and bad supporting cast.Save your cash and your nerves, don't see it..
And to think that this movie almost never got made because the studio execs thought that the Renny Harlin version (which turned out to be a box office tragedy) was more of what the Exorcist should be..
To cut a long story short (you will find it more detailed elsewhere), Paul Schrader shot "Dominion", then Renny Harlin shot "Beginning" using only a few minutes from the already existing footage, so it really became a new movie.Now for the cast of "Dominion".
Watch exorcist: the beginning if you want something more scary and better story..
Schrader is not a director, certainly not one who should be allowed to direct a film with elements of horror, tension, style or good acting (apart Skarsgard)Regardless of the effects (truly terrible) the story is interesting, but the way its presented is just shocking.
Although William Peter Blatty author of the book and the first film claimed to have enjoyed the film directed by Paul Schrader, I must say that this disappointing effort adds almost nothing interesting to the series and to the career of the person involved with it.Similar to "Exorcist: the Beginning" (2004) Father Merrin is played again by Stellan Skarsgard and again his first involvement with exorcisms begun during an archaeological expedition in Africa inside of the ruins of an ancient church.
However, Ralph Brown as Sergeant Major is very good (and his screen time is sadly limited in Harlin's version).It works more as psychological horror but there are too many distractions to engross you, again like 'The Beginning' what makes this film interesting is the fact there are two films that utilise much of the same story, sets and actors.
But some horror movie fans were in a premature uproar when his original version of the EXORCIST prequel (DOMINION; this one you're reading about right now, as it turns out) was scrapped by Warners, and when Renny Harlin was substituted to spruce things up and make a new version that was "more scary".
Imagine my surprise when I found Harlin's BEGINNING to be much more serious than I ever could have conceived, with a good performance from Stellan Skarsgard as a young version of Father Merrin, who was struggling with his faith in God. It wasn't a great film by any means, but it was nowhere near the garbage I had prepared myself for, well in advance, sight unseen.Well, now I finally HAVE seen the true garbage version - and it's Paul Schrader's DOMINION: PREQUEL TO THE EXORCIST.
It's going to be quite interesting to hear horror fans try to convince themselves that DOMINION: PREQUEL TO THE EXORCIST was as good as they'd already made their minds up for it to be in advance; just as they were already pre-disposed to lambasting Harlin's BEGINNING the second they learned Paul Schrader's name was getting soaked with the White-Out.
It's hard to imagine a film that could make last fall's "Exorcist: The Beginning" look good, but "Dominion" does just that.
All though Harlins has better special effects and better actors,Dominion has one important thing that Exorcist the Beginning lacked,the threat of true evil.The special effects are laughable and look like a direct to video picture.However the film's story is solid and compelling.