Exorcist II: The Heretic (Snap Case Packaging)
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Actor: Kitty Winn, Linda Blair, Louise Fletcher, Max von Sydow, Richard BurtonBrand: BLAIR,LINDA
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Portuguese (Subtitled); Japanese (Subtitled); Georgian (Subtitled); Chinese (Subtitled); Thai (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 118 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-08-06
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Reviews of Exorcist II: The Heretic (Snap Case Packaging)
DVD Review: It's Hardly the Worst Movie Ever Made.
Summary: 2 Stars
I have viewed "Exorcist 2" on several occasions just to see the reason as to why it's constantly referred to as the worst sequel ever made. Although I certainly agree with the film's inferiority to the classic original, I don't agree with the exaggerated bashing.
First things first, I think that one of the reasons so many people walked out of this film during it's theatrical run was due largely to the film's lack of shock sequences. I suspect the audience that had been repulsed by the original's "in-your-face" shock sequences; the head spinnings, the now classic "pea soup" throw up, the sexual assualt of Regan using a holy relic, the cuss words etc, were extremely disappointed when the sequel offered none of the above. Not even an occasional cuss word. A lot of theatre patrons must have felt cheated, unsatisfied and angry.
With that said, there is a lot in this film that simply does not work.
My biggest problem with "Exorcist 2" is in the make-up effects. The original had frightening make-up that transformed the innocent beauty of Linda Blair into a hideous creature from hell. Her face was scarred, mutilated, sweaty, slimy, with colourless eyes and chapped lips. Truly terrifying. The make-up in the sequel is good in some close ups of Kokumo (especially the scene where he is covered in locusts) but under close inspection, it is far too clean, too neat to be scary.
Another factor is the weak voice effects. The demon in "Exorcist 2" simply sounds like a bitter old woman that does not sound like the original monster at all. In comparison, the vocal effects in the original film was numbingly scary (Thanks Mercedes!). Her hideous voice was amplified and spoke English, Latin, a bit of French and in backwords English. At times, her voice was overdubbed to give us the impression that Regan was possessed by a legion of demons. The effect was as chilling as the nasty visuals. The sequel fails to deliver on that level and the demon in this film, even though it was capable of much havoc as evidenced by the climax, isn't as threatening. Maybe it's because in all of the possession scenes, the victim has a constant smile as if posing for a picture at Glamour Shots. Boorman took away the demons scare logic. An almost unforgivable crime. Another one of my complaints is that the possessed Regan did not even look like her. All of the make-up couldn't conceal the fact that the possessed Regan was not Linda Blair.
Linda Blair has commented that the script in its earlier incarnations was very good but was rewritten several times and the visually splendid mess it is today is the end result. I do not know if this is true but in my humble opinion, one of the biggest problems with the script was the constant use of the demon's name "Pazuzu". If I remember correctly, the demon was briefly named in the original novel but not in Friedkin's film (although a Pazuzu statue is seen in certain shots despite the possessed Regan claiming she is the "Devil" to Father Karras) and I liked it better this way. Not knowing the demon or think that this 12 year old could have been possessed by Lucifer himself is a frightening thought and adds an element of mystery.
But one of the biggest flaws in this film is the use of this silly machine, the "synchronizer". This idea should have been discarded from the get-go. All of that mumbo-jumbo about a hokey machine that is able to hypnotizes 2 individuals and one is able to see the other person's dreams while wearing cheesy, plastic, head-bands, is simply too over the top unbelievable or should I say, unbearable. The original film made possession believable by keeping its feet placed firmly on the ground. In many scenes of Friedkin's glorious vision of Blatty's excellent book, it actually looks like you're watching documented footage of an exorcism. It made the very unbelievable subject matter of possession believable. "Exorcist 2" went straight to fantasy land by using a machine that as far as I'm concerned doesn't even exist. Big mistake.
All of that said, there is a lot in this film that makes it a worthy view. For starters, the special effects and cinematography are excellent. Even those who despise the film have commented on the visually stunning set pieces- The sweeping views of the exotic African landscapes; the surreal images of the locusts swarming an impoverished African Village (the "bronzed" dream-like tone of those African scenes is riviting); doves flying over Regan's Penthouse balcony and there is one brief scene that is noteworthy, towards the end, during Regan and Father Lamont`s final visions, where you see Merrin pick himself off the ground inside Regan's former bedroom, only to find himself inside the church in Ethiopia with Pazuzu screaming in the back-ground. That scene is extremely well done and looks like it was lifted right out of one of my own nightmares.
The cast is decent overall with performances ranging from good to unbelievably bad. Louise Fletcher and Kitty Winn turn in good performances. Linda Blair did not have that much to do other than look pretty but her blossoming beauty stands out. Surprisingly the one bad performance comes from veteran actor, the late Richard Burton who practically sleepwalks throughout the entire movie.
Ennio Morricone's score is also quite creative. His "Regan's Theme" is especially beautiful while "Ecstasy and Magic" has a certain charm despite sounding a bit outdated. This funky tune however can only be found in the theatrical trailer in the special features, not in the actual film, unless you are viewing the re-edited version which is not available on DVD. I also liked the idea behind Regan's possession- she's some kind of godsend, a healer who Satan wants destroyed. An intriguing side story that tries to explain the reason behind her earlier possession and if handled better would have worked. Unfortunately the whole scenario is executed poorly and we end up being annoyed instead of moved.
There are 2 versions of "Exorcist 2". There's the original theatrical version presented on this DVD and a version Boorman released after the films critical attack. The version they always showed on TV here in Toronto was the latter and it's the version I'm used to. I personally think it's a definite improvement over the theatrical release. The alternate opening is included on this DVD but the alternate ending is not which is disappointing because the second ending is far better. Although no less confusing, it's edited to an extent that it flows better and all of the bogus dialogue after the collapse of Regan's former residence is gone.
What I found ridiculous about the "original" finale is that you have a house collapse into nothingness, you have a fatal car crash, a woman on fire, a swarm of a million locusts, yet no one on the block seems to notice. The street is absolutely empty. Come on people, not even a " Bertha, what the heck is going on next door??? or "Why did I just see a million angry grasshoppers fly by our window?" Nada. I know several objective voices have tried to explain this irrational ending, citing that all parties were "in sync" during this final confrontation but this explanation does nothing to dimish the silliness of it all and one shouldn't expect the audience to suspend disbelief for that long a period. At least the director's final cut ended with Regan's "locust" dance so we don't get a chance to ask all of these relevent questions.
"Exorcist 2" is definitely not for original "Exorcist" loyalists because you will only religiously dislike it. However, if you have an open mind and view it solely as entertainment, you might find plenty to like. It offers dazzling visuals, breathtaking scenery and some surreal imagery. Not perfect, but definitely not the worst movie ever made. I wouldn`t even call it the worst sequel ever made. "Jaws: The Revenge" anyone?
2.5 out of 5.
Description of Exorcist II: The Heretic (Snap Case Packaging)
An older Regan is plagued with nightmares, and a Vatican investigator discovers that the evil in Regan, apparently exorcised, is only dormant.Genre: Horror
Rating: R
Release Date: 7-SEP-2004
Media Type: DVD
This sequel to the Oscar-winning horror film based on the novel by William Peter Blatty was virtually laughed off the screen when it came out in 1977. It was an unintentionally hilarious mishmash and received such terrible reviews that director John Boorman yanked it out of theaters. He reedited it, cutting eight minutes in hopes of getting the story (written by William Goodhart) to the point of coherency, to no avail. The film remains a kind of reverse gold standard for sequels. It's still a ridiculously overacted, although at times visually haunting, movie. Richard Burton stars as a troubled priest (something of a specialty of his) who is brought in to follow up on the case of Linda Blair, who is institutionalized, still troubled by her encounter with the devil (who wouldn't be?). By the time they confront Satan's minion in the final struggle, you'll be rooting for evil to win. --Marshall Fine
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