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Exorcist II: The Heretic
1977 118 min United States of America R 18+
★3.8
Horror
Director: John Boorman, Rospo Pallenberg
Trailers
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Description
Bizarre nightmares plague Regan MacNeil four years after her possession and exorcism. Has the demon returned? And if so, can the combined faith and knowledge of a Vatican investigator and a research specialist free her from its grasp?
Budget:
$14M
US Gross:
$30.75M
Worldwide:
$30.75M
Starring
Richard Burton
Actor
Linda Blair
Actor
Louise Fletcher
Actor
Awards
Saturn Awards 1978
— Best Visual Effects
Key opinion
Exorcist II: The Heretic is widely regarded as a significant failure that abandons the grounded horror of its predecessor in favor of an incoherent, surreal, and unintentionally absurd narrative. While a small subset of viewers appreciates director John Boorman's experimental approach, the consensus among critics and audiences is that the film is a dismal, poorly paced sequel that squanders the talents of its cast.
| Screenplay | The screenplay is fundamentally incoherent, relying on convoluted concepts like "synchronized hypnosis" and failing to maintain a consistent tone or narrative logic. | |
| Direction | The film abandons the original's atmosphere of dread for a chaotic, experimental, and dream-like aesthetic that many viewers find confusing and disconnected from the horror genre. | |
| Acting | The performances are largely viewed as a disappointment, with Richard Burton accused of overacting and Linda Blair criticized for a lack of range. | |
| Pacing | The film's excessive runtime is filled with repetitive, irrelevant filler that contributes to a sluggish and exhausting viewing experience. | |
| Score | The score by Ennio Morricone is widely considered a misapplication of the composer's talent, feeling jarring and ill-suited to the film's specific horror context. | |
| Direction | Opinions on the film's surrealist visual style are divided; while detractors find it pretentious and distracting, some argue that the dream-like, psychedelic aesthetic represents an ambitious, if flawed, attempt at experimental filmmaking. |