It is a truth universally acknowledged that The Exorcist II: The Heretic is one of the worst horror movies ever made. It is somewhat less acknowledged that The Exorcist III is actually one of the very best. William Peter Blatty, who wrote the novel the original film was based on, wrote and directed this sequel, which is only tangentially related to the other films in the franchise. But that's good, because it frees Blatty to explore new avenues of horror as a demonic presence tears its way through a hospital, with only an aging detective played by the great George C. Scott to defend the already sick and dying. With some of the scariest shots in horror history, and some of the most disturbing kills (like the victim whose blood was drained completely into dozens of little cups, without spilling a single drop), there are some who think The Exorcist III is actually scarier than the original. They may be right.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that The Exorcist II: The Heretic is one of the worst horror movies ever made. It is somewhat less acknowledged that The Exorcist III is actually one of the very best. William Peter Blatty, who wrote the novel the original film was based on, wrote and directed this sequel, which is only tangentially related to the other films in the franchise. But that's good, because it frees Blatty to explore new avenues of horror as a demonic presence tears its way through a hospital, with only an aging detective played by the great George C. Scott to defend the already sick and dying. With some of the scariest shots in horror history, and some of the most disturbing kills (like the victim whose blood was drained completely into dozens of little cups, without spilling a single drop), there are some who think The Exorcist III is actually scarier than the original. They may be right.
