Getting Exorcise

Around a decade or so ago, I was the target of a concentrated effort by several of my friends (who didn't even know each other) to get me to watch The Exorcist III. Forget the second film, they said, Three is the "worthy sequel." I eventually gave in and watched it. And while I forgot much of the story over time, there were two or three moments in the film that I'll likely never forget -- very memorable and effective scares.

Fast forward to this month, when I found myself in another discussion of horror films. Which had you seen? Which had you missed? It resulted in another few films that now have to go into my queue. But it also resulted in another "oh my God, you haven't seen The Exorcist III?!" moment in which I wasn't the one on the outside looking in. And this in turn led to me once again curling up on a couch in a darkened room to watch it, this time to share the experience.

I have to acknowledge first that a lot of the scares in this movie are "cheap" scares. People suddenly jumping into frame screaming. Loud musical stings. The sort of stuff I find off-putting. But at the same time, some of those moments come at the tail end of long, drawn-out sequences that do a very effecting job of ratcheting up tension.

And those two or three moments I remembered from years ago? Yeah, they still make my hairs stand on end today.

But I think there are other things to set the film a cut above. First, I find the writing rather clever. It manages to tell an entirely new story that is in no way dependent on having seen either of the earlier Exorcist films... and yet is very directly connected to the first Exorcist in an effective and interesting way.

Secondly, there's some great acting here. George C. Scott shouts and growls as -- let's face it -- he's done in other movies, but it's still damned effective here. Then there's the real standout: Brad Dourif as "The Gemini Killer," an incredibly creepy adversary that in some ways out-Lecters Hannibal Lecter. (And the performance came one year before The Silence of the Lambs.)

So... on the one hand, neat construction and solid acting. On the other, an occasionally slow pace and some cheap scares. With a thumb on the scale for some truly memorable moments that will get to you. I think I'm going to tally all that up as a B+. If you're a horror fan, you've probably seen the original Exorcist. I'd also recommend you check out this follow-up.