Mike Flanagan Loves This Surprising Free-to-Stream Horror Sequel, Says it “Deserves more appreciation”
I wasn’t as disappointed in David Gordon Green’s legacy sequel The Exorcist: Believer as many were, though I do echo the sentiments of our one-star review that contended the film, “fundamentally misunderstands its source material and has nothing of any real substance to say.” For me, David Gordon Green’s perennial indie vibes and soft cinematic hues can elevate even the weakest material, rendering The Exorcist: Believer a decent exorcism film but a bad The Exorcist film.
Still, the film flopped both critically and commercially, leading to a huge shift in direction for the planned three-part reboot, with filmmaker Mike Flanagan being tapped for the next entry in the series. It makes sense, then, that Flanagan would revisit the franchise in its entirety, even reviewing the film’s best sequel, The Exorcist III, on his Letterboxd.
Per Peacock: A policeman questions the patients of a psychiatric ward during his investigation of a series of murders with the hallmarks of a deceased serial killer.
The Exorcist III, now streaming free on Peacock, Tubi, and Pluto TV, is the rare horror sequel that matches the intensity of the original. After the catastrophic failure of Exorcist II: The Heretic (even if that film is being reclaimed now), it was certainly surprising to see another sequel greenlit. Luckily, The Exorcist III ended up being not just a fantastic sequel, but one of the best religious horror movies of all time.
Much of that success no doubt has to do with the involvement of source author William Peter Blatty. Blatty refused involvement in Heretic, though he both wrote and directed The Exorcist III, adapted from his own 1983 novel, Legion. The film is so good, it will make your head spin. It’s no wonder Mike Flanagan, about to helm an Exorcist movie of his own, agrees.
In a Letterboxd review from earlier this year, the Midnight Mass and Doctor Sleep filmmaker wrote, “It has some absolutely fantastic ideas, a great central performance from George C. Scott, and some gorgeously executed set pieces (that nurse in the hallway sequence remains one of the greatest of all time).” He would conclude by saying the film, “deserves more appreciation than it typically receives.”
Excuse me while I go and stream The Exorcist III again. The film is genuinely terrifying, a gorgeous ode to Blatty’s profound talent and the enduring nature of the Exorcist franchise as a whole. They really don’t make them like they used to.
What do you think? Any plans to check out The Exorcist III on Mike Flanagan’s recommendation? How do you feel about the remainder of the franchise? If this is a safe space, I’d like to admit that I kind of dig Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist. Let me know your thoughts either way over on Twitter @Chadiscollins.
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