The Exorcist III

Plot synopsis:
The film begins with the point of view of someone wandering through the streets of Georgetown, a voice informing us "I have dreams... of a rose... and of falling down a long flight of stairs." The point of view shows a warning of evil about to arrive later that night at a church. Demonic growls are heard. Leaves and other street trash suddenly come flying into the church as a crucifix comes to life. It then cuts to Lieutenant William F. Kinderman at a crime scene, where a 12-year-old boy named Thomas Kintry has been murdered.
Kinderman takes his friend, a priest named Father Dyer, out to see their mutually favorite film It's a Wonderful Life. Kinderman later relates the gruesome details of the murder of the young boy he was investigating that morning, including his crucifixion. Another murder soon takes place—a priest is found decapitated in a church. Dyer is shortly hospitalized—and found murdered the next day—with the words "IT'S A WONDERFULL LIFE", written on a wall in Dyer's blood.
The fingerprints at the crime scenes do not match, indicating a different person was responsible for each. Kinderman tells hospital staff the reason for his unease: seventeen years ago the vicious serial killer James "The Gemini" Venamun, was executed; with every victim he cut off the right index finger and carved the Zodiac sign of Gemini into the palm of their left hand. Kinderman noticed the hands of the three new victims and verified that the Gemini's sign has been there. The Gemini Killer also always used an extra "L" in his notes sent to the media, such as "usefull" or "carefull". Furthermore, to filter out false confessions, the original Gemini Killer's true mutilations were kept a secret by the Richmond police's homicide department; the newspapers were made to wrongfully report that the left middle finger was severed and that the Gemini sign was carved on the back of the victim.
Kinderman visits the head of the psychiatric ward, Dr. Temple, who relates the history of a man in Cell 11, that he was found wandering aimlessly seventeen years ago with amnesia. The man was locked up, catatonic until recently when he became violent and claimed to be the Gemini Killer. Kinderman sees that the patient resembles his dead friend Father Damien Karras. The patient expresses ignorance of Father Karras, but boasts of killing Father Dyer.
The next morning, a nurse and Dr. Temple are found dead. Kinderman returns to see the patient in Cell 11, who claims that after his execution his soul entered Karras's dying body. The Gemini's spiritual "master", who had possessed the girl Regan MacNeil, was furious at being pushed out of the child's body and is exacting its revenge by putting the soul of the Gemini Killer into the body of Father Karras. Each evening, the soul of the Gemini leaves the body of Karras and possesses the elderly people with senile dementia elsewhere in the hospital and uses them to commit the murders. The Gemini Killer forced Dr. Temple to bring Kinderman to him or he would suffer in unspeakable ways — Temple couldn't take the pressure, and he committed suicide.
The Gemini possesses an old woman, who makes a failed attempt to murder Kinderman's daughter. The possessed patient attacks Kinderman, but the attack abruptly ends when a priest, Father Paul Morning (Nicol Williamson), enters the corridor leading to cell 11 and attempts an exorcism on the patient. The Gemini's "patron" intervenes, taking over the patient's body, and the priest is all but slain. Kinderman arrives in time and attempts to euthanize Karras after finding the body of the priest but is hurled into the wall by the possessed Karras. Father Morning manages to briefly regain consciousness and tells Karras, "Damien, fight him." Karras regains his free will briefly and cries to Kinderman, "Bill, now! Shoot now! Kill me now!" Kinderman fires his revolver several times, hitting Karras in the chest, fatally wounding him. The Gemini is now gone...and Karras is finally free. With weak breaths, he says "We won, Bill. Now free me." Kinderman puts his revolver against Karras' head—and fires.
The film ends with Kinderman standing over Karras' grave.

Tags: cruelty, murder, cult, horror, violence, insanity, psychedelic, sadist

Review:
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.
'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.
It's actually a very intellectual story with a lot of big words, literary overtones and powerful acting, and it's one of the few movies which I consider superior to the book (but of course writer Blatty directed this, so I'd expect no less).Now don't get me wrong; it's anything but dull.
Writer/ Director William Peter Blatty wanted to simply call the movie "Legion" like the name of his novel.
And while William Blatty may be hard pushed to rival the efforts of the original's director, William Friedkin, he doesn't do too bad a job: he's a little over-reliant on abrupt cutting to achieve his shocks, and the budget for the special effects was obviously inadequate, but this is a suspenseful and chilling thriller.
Several characters return this time around from the original film including Kinderman, Father Dyer (Ed Flanders) and Damian Karras again played by Jason Miller.
Scott is wonderful (when isn't he?) in the lead, with Jason Miller, Brad Dourif (one of the most underrated actors ever), Ed Flanders, Scott Wilson and everyone else contributing heavily.I heard the senseless exorcism climax (featuring Nicol Williamson) was added to the film later against Blatty's wishes so audiences wouldn't be "confused," which basically means the studio who financed it take the general viewing public as idiots.Make sure to also check out Blatty's great THE NINTH CONFIGURATION (AKA TWINKLE, TWINKLE, KILLER KANE), also a pretty underrated movie.
While the first movie was good, the 3rd movie (the "real" sequel to The Exorcist written by William Peter Blatty) is completely different and much more mysterious..
But some genius at the studios must've insisted that by tying it to the Exorcist label it would draw an audience; well, we all know how that turned out( for those of you who don't: this film tanked at the BO and quickly disappeared, to be completely eclipsed by the far inferior SILENCE OF THE LAMBS a scant 8 months later!) People who went to this didn't expect a supernatural serial killer mystery--indeed this was the best of the "executed killers return from the grave to wreak destruction" movies that popped up suddenly in the late 80's with films like SHOCKER and THE FIRST POWER(something that would turn up with even more regularity a few yrs later on the X-files, Brad Dourif even plays an almost identical character in the episode "BEyond the SEA" as he plays here in Exocist III) but in 1990 people who went to see Exorcist III were probably expecting something else;as far as i can tell, though, this movie is a pretty decent piece of work.
The exorcist III combines true character development with crime drama, horror, and suspense, utterly perfect movie making.
A police lieutenant uncovers more than he bargained for as his investigation of a series of murders, which have all the hallmarks of the deceased 'Gemini' serial killer, lead him to question the patients of a psychiatric ward.Although I actually enjoyed the second "Exorcist" film, most people consider it a stinker and like to pretend it never happened.
William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist III: Legion is one of the most beautiful films ever made.
It is an awesome movie on its own, and when stood by The Exorcist, another great film, it breaks the Law of Sequel Performance.
Partial Re-Creaton of the Original Cut. Legion (2016) When William Peter Blatty's novel Legion was turned into THE EXORCIST III, the director and studio battled over a lot of things including the title.
With the two sides battling the cast and crew were called back in to make an alternate ending, which not only featured an exorcism but also had Jason Miller returning so that they could have a better connection to someone from the original movie.Sadly, Blatty's original cut has been lost but Shout Factory!
I'd also argue that the added scenes here really don't add any suspense and the final showdown between Scott and Dourif doesn't pack that much of a punch.Still, fans of THE EXORCIST III has screamed for a director's cut for over twenty-five years.
Instead, I was curled up on the couch, watching crappy family sitcoms, just trying to get the chill off my spine.When I first purchased this movie, I, like so many others, thought I was buying the original The Exorcist.
Far be it from the discriminating viewer to judge a book (or DVD) by its cover, though, because while "The Exorcist III" looks like a subpar sequel to a classic film, the fact of the matter is that there is more to it than meets the eye.
A film that is notorious for tinkering by the producers, despite being in the hands of "The Exorcist" creator William Peter Blatty, this third entry in the saga has more brains than the average 80's horror film and more weight than any sequel within the genre is ever expected to hold.George C.
Scott plays police lieutenant Kinderman (a character seen briefly in the first film), hardened but human, who is on the trail of a mysterious, sadistic and methodical killer who takes after the famed Gemini Killer (a take on the real-life Zodiac Killer), despite the fact that he has been dead for fifteen years.
Robinson (who had nothing to do with the original film in the first place) result in an intelligent horror movie/sequel that simply doesn't know how to end itself.
Despite its flaws and the fact that it effectively killed off the franchise (was it ever meant to be?) "The Exorcist III" is as close to greatness as any of the sequels or prequels gets to the original..
This is the one of the best horror films ever made, notably much better the the first 2 Exorcist movies.
Father Damien Karras), Brad Dourif (Gemini Killer/James Venamun), Scott Wilson (Dr. Temple), Nicol Williamson (Father Paul Morning)This is the 1990 film adaption of Blatty's novel Legion.
Dective Kinderman is eventually to discover that is old friend Father Karras is in a psychiatric ward and appearers to be possessed by the Genini Killer.This film represents one of those rare cases where a sequel is equal or even better than the original film.
That part is much better in the theatrical version.What's great about EXORCIST III remains great in the director's cut: the performances, especially the lead role by George C.
Scott's character.The make up and horror scenes are there as well, but for me I will always regard this as one of the best sequells made for a film/book that was already perfect..
It's simply one of the scariest movies I've ever seen.Made by William Peter Blatty and based on his novel Leigon, it follows Detective Kinderman hunting down a serial killer in Georgetown, and how it ties in with an Exorcism carried out years earlier, and may find the truth in a patient locked up in a mental ward..one that looks familiar......The performances are all first rate, but special mention had to be made of George C Scott as Kinderman trying to comprehend the horror unfolding in the city, Jason Miller who appears as patient X in a small role, but especially Brad Dourif as a man claiming to be a killer who supposedly died years before.
This, as you'll probably realise by now is the film adaptation of William Peter Blatty's DIRECT sequel to 'The Exorcist'.
This 1990 picture titled ¨The Exorcist III¨ by William Peter Blatty displays a magnificent cast such as George C Scott, Brad Dourif, Ed Flanders , Nicol Williamson and Jason Miller again Father Karras .
The tale is classified ¨R¨ for graphic violence and profanity but contains gore and guts.The original ¨Exorcist¨ (by William Friedkin) was an excellent flick in which died some actors at the time finished the movie and added a legend about Exorcist's curse .
'The Exorcist III' in my mind is not as good a film as the original 'The Exorcist', however if anyone wants to watch a very well directed horror film that is genuinely creepy and has reasonable thematic depth, this is certainly a film that can be seen and admired.'The Exorcist' was a much more mature and sophisticated exploration of the mysteries of faith and the role of religion/faith in a rapidly progressive society.
It's all because William Peter Blatty wrote and directed a film sequel to his original novel made into a screenplay.
The film is often accredited to having one of the scariest movie moments that absolutely no one saw coming.Along with the phenomenal writing, direction and filmmaking there were some great characters portrayed with adequate acting.
This is not really an exorcist movie as the original source novel was similar in theme, but not a sequel to Blatty's "The Exorcist." The exorcism scene was added in the middle of production and it feels slightly out of place with the rest of the film.However, it also provides an eerie element as the re-shot scenes has Jason Miller and the originally shot scenes had Brad Dourif and the final product cuts back between the two.
EXORCIST III is better than a two-hour film of paint drying...marginally.There are a few nice moments; the carp stuff is cute, and there are a couple of good eerie shots in the hospital.
But ultimately, the movie collapses under the weight of a ludicrous and muddled plot, fairly awful performances (for which I blame the director; Scott would surely have done better if left to himself), and poor dialogue (notably Dourif's interminable monologue about how he possessed Karras's body, which could have been cut down to about five lines and been much more effective).And speaking of Dourif, he should have been fired.
Same deal.So all a copycat killer would have had to do is read the trial transcripts--or even the news reports about the trial.Blatty's final mistake (apart from making this film at all, of course) was to abandon the traditional, coherent Catholic theology which gave the original EXORCIST its extraordinary depth and power for a weird plot about one dead person possessing the body of another dead person (who apparently wasn't quite dead, because his soul is still inside his body, but who was dead enough that it took the first dead person [the one possessing, not the one possessed] fifteen years to repair the damage to his [the possessed person's] brain).I am not looking forward to EXORCIST IV.4/10.
Cobb in the original "Exorcist"), an actor who gives a better performance than this type of film deserves.
He is given good support by Ed Flanders (as Father Dyer), Brad Dourif (as the reincarnated "Gemini Killer") and Jason Miller, as Dourif's incarcerated 'host.' William Peter Blatty, author of the original novel, takes the screen writing and directing credit, producing a film that is shockingly effective in its subtlety--this is not a horror film of jump-scares and slit throats, but of atmosphere, mood, and contemplative discussion.
It was also interesting to see Jason Miller after so many years.If anyone's negative feeling about this movie has allowed them to color their perceptions of William Peter Blatty as a director, please see his 1979 film, "The Ninth Configuration," starring Stacy Keach, and also with Flanders, Wilson and Miller..
I tend to feel compelled to add reviews for movies I feel strongly about, where I disagree with the majority of sentiments previously given.This film is a finely crafted psychological horror film, the result of some impressive direction by William Peter Blatty, and strong performances by George C Scott and Brad Dourif.I hear a lot of people praising The Exorcist, but I always found the original incarnation of that film lacking in story continuity.
Written and directed by William Peter Blatty (the original's author), this film takes on a completely different tone.
This is one of those rare films - a sequel that is possibly even better than the original.Exorcist 3 certainly has a wider scope than the original, with the plot circling around an outbreak of murders, seemingly committed by a serial killer who was disposed of many years previously.
William Peter Blatty The Exorcist III's has excellent dialogue, well paced, superb acting, solid character arcs and plot development mark this fine demonic horror/detective story.
A mental patient claiming to be the murderer is a dead-on lookalike to Father Damien Karras, the priest who fell to his death on that fateful night.Mood and atmosphere best describe the William Peter Blatty directed Exorcist III.
Jason Miller returns as a disturbed patient who is actually Father Karras, and does excellent here as well, and Brad Dourif (who does the voice over for Chucky in the "Child's Play" films) plays the Gemini killer and is very creepy.This movie was shot very well, written and directed by William Peter Blatty, who wrote the original novel "The Exorcist" which the first film was based upon.
Blatty gives this lost part of The Exorcist a new life in III, which really makes the film work (George C.
Not nearly as good as the original, but still passes as an above average horror film; The Exorcist III kind of works.
First off,this movie is really creepy,it´s not one of those scares that jump out of the darkness,this movie is subtle,it will creep you out if you´re alone,just after you see the statue of god open its eyes or the crucifix shedding a tear,or an statue mockingly smiling,that´s the kind of scares,that´s why I love it.Even if George C Scott was nominated for the razzie that year he gives quite an enjoyable performance,Brad Dourif and the man that played Father Karras are also quite enjoyable,the actor that played Father Morning is good too,watching him enter the psychiatric ward for the exorcism was a thrill!The directing of the writer of the books and screenplays for the original and third gives a fine directing that is subtle and gives this movie the feeling that something is going to happen and you are feeling the fear gather in you,waiting,waiting.......Even though the studios did came up with an ending that had an actual exorcism in it,it looks quite forced but it still is enjoyable,hope the Exorcist 4:Dominion is on par with the original as this one..
Mixing the horror of the first film with the humour of The Ninth Configuration, writer/director William Peter Blatty came up with a superb screenplay, based on the "official" Exorcist sequel novel Legion.
George C Scott is superb as Lt Kinderman, a role played by Lee J Cobb in the original movie, who is on the lookout for a serial killer whose MO matches exactly that of a serial killer sent to the chair 15 years earlier (around the time of the McNeil exorcism).
This ties in with strange goings-on in the disturbed ward of a nearby hospital, where one of the patients proves startlingly familiar to Kinderman.The film contains some truly great "Oh sh*t!" moments, a genuinely eerie atmosphere which plays to the audience's deepest fears and an ensemble cast whose performances hit the correct note every time.So what's wrong?
Yes, the style is too sober and literate for fans of the demonic histrionics of the original The Exorcist.All that aside, The Exorcist III deserves its pet moniker of "one of the most underrated horror films in the history of cinema." Writer/director William Peter Blatty has woven a thoroughly intricate and pensive story that engages the viewer with its disturbing complexities and distinct texture.
Somehow Kinderman believes the two are connected and playing out in the current time.Writer-director William Peter Blatty's THE EXORICIST II is like a lot of movies in the fact that it was handed over to the studio and they weren't happy with it so re-shoots were done.
In many ways I think this film is even better than the first movie.Blatty's novel Legion is the source for this and there's no question that this is an extremely well-made and well-acted thriller (not horror) that manages to be quite creepy throughout and also manages to have one of the greatest jump scares from any movie ever made.
What makes the film work so well is that it's basically a police thriller that has a very good story dealing with a serial killer and a mystery possibly tying it to an exorcism from years earlier.
Brad Dourif is also good here, although I think the scenes with him are the weakest in the film.THE EXORCIST III features a great score, some terrific cinematography and as I said a convincing story that holds your attention throughout.
George.C.Scott doesn't let us down with overtaking Lee.J.Cobb's role on playing Kinderman.Whereas The Exorcist 2 focused on the demon still inside Reagan, portraying a different sense of evil, Exorcist 3 goes back to the films old root and dives back into the mystery of possession and how Good can Challenge evil's dominance.With Blatty at the reins, both with the pen and camera, Exorcist 3 Is the true sequel to the one of the greatest horror story told.
From the eerie opening dream sequence, I was drawn into this film by William Peter Blatty's great screenplay (based on his book, Legion) and confident directing.
Scott is amazing in this, such a great actor, Brad Dourif also delivers a really good performance, the man knows how to pay demented characters.
Exorcist III however is a horror film.
Scott is great as he returns from the original THE EXORCIST to play the detective again.The murders were good.
This movie wasn't as scary as the original, but I thought it was better than The Exorcist 2.