The Exorcist III isn’t a great movie and can’t touch the original, yet it’s a big step up from the awful sequel and the performance from Brad Dourif and to some extent George C. Scott, is well worth the price of admission along with some genuinely creepy/scary scenes.
The Exorcist III
— Collector’s Edition —
(1990)
Genre(s): Supernatural, Horror
Shout Factory | R/NR – 110 min. / 105 min. – $34.93 | October 25, 2016
Date Published: 10/19/2016 | Author: The Movieman
  |
|
THE MOVIE — 3.0/5 |
|
Plot Synopsis: For more than fifteen years, Police Lieutenant Kinderman (GEORGE C. SCOTT) has been haunted by the death of his friend, Father Damien Karras. Now, on the 15th anniversary of the exorcism that claimed the priest’s life, Kinderman’s world is once again shattered when a boy is found decapitated and savagely crucified. It’s just the beginning of a nightmare series of bizarre religious murders. The brutal murders bear the hallmarks of the infamous Gemini Killer… who died in the electric chair fifteen years earlier. But when a psychopath (BRAD DOURIF) claiming to be the Gemini Killer reveals intimate, gruesome details that only the true killer could possibly know, Kinderman is confronted with a horrifying truth that he cannot explain… and that will shake him to the core.
Quick Hit Review: After the truly odd and absolutely wacky sequel, Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977), a film so bad it’s fun, it would seem The Exorcist III and all of the problems the production had with reshoots was a truly fine follow-up to the original and while there are still problems, one being some issues with pacing, I found this to be thoroughly engaging mainly due to the performances by Brad Dourif (intense as usual) and the veteran actor, George C. Scott as a tough-as-nails detective who eventually must stand up against pure evil. Written and Directed by William Peter Blatty, based off of his own novel (titled “Legion”), The Exorcist III somehow managed to be a perfectly acceptable sequel to the original, and even a movie that has developed a cult following, in spite of problems with the production. Unlike the others in the franchise, I might revisit this one in a year or so as there is some replay value. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 3.75/5 |
|
This 2-disc Collector’s Edition comes with a matted slip cover and a reversible interior cover artwork for fans of the original poster. DISC 1: Photo Galleries includes Behind-the-Scenes, Posters & Lobby Cards and a Still Gallery. Deleted Scene, Alternate Takes and Bloopers (5:44; SD) – Here is some raw footage, nothing really of note, however. Deleted Prologue (2:44; HD) is footage for the original opening. Vintage Interviews (38:35; SD) with George C. Scott, Director William Peter Blatty, Producer James Robinson, Peter King and others. We also get some Trailers (3:10; SD) and TV Spots (2:25; SD). DISC 2: Audio Interview with Writer/Director William Peter Blatty is an interview with Blatty as he reflects back on the film all these years later and plays over the movie but not exactly a screen-specific commentary… A “Wonderfull” Time (24:30; HD) is a new retrospective featurette on the making of The Exorcist III and includes new interviews with Producer Carter DeHaven, Actor Brad Dourif, Composer Barry De Vorzon and others. Signs of the Gemini (17:42; HD) – This is a new interview with Actor Brad Dourif as he discusses his work on the project. The Devil in the Details (18:03; HD) – Production Designer Leslie Dilley and others who worked behind the scenes. Music for a Padded Cell (15:16; HD) has composer Barry De Vorzon talking about his process for creating the score for the film. All This Bleeding (28:49; HD) is a look at the problems with the production and the issues that arose during the reshoots and special effects work. This is the most fascinating of all of the featurettes to the point one could do a feature-length documentary on the production problems. |
VIDEO – 4.5/5 |
| The Exorcist III possesses onto Blu-ray via Shout’s Scream Factory line and is presented in its original 1.85 widescreen aspect ratio and given a great looking 1080p high-definition transfer. I was pleasantly surprised with the video, colors are on the drabber side considering it is a darker subject but detail is well defined and sharp, there is some natural film grain/noise but there were no signs of artifacts, aliasing, dust marks or scratches so it is a clean transfer. |
AUDIO – 4.25/5 |
| As with most of Shout’s releases, there’s a choice between 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio tracks, with my viewing being the default (5.1). Either option is fine though the former does offer a tad more depth, but both has crisp and clear dialogue levels and when we do get to the finale, each and every channel gets used and provides the most robustness while, during the quieter moments, the rear speakers at least are reserved for either music or ambient noises while the bulk of the audio is centrally located. |
OVERALL – 3.5/5 |
|
Overall, The Exorcist III isn’t a great movie and can’t touch the original, yet it’s a big step up from the awful sequel and the performance from Brad Dourif and to some extent George C. Scott, is well worth the price of admission along with some genuinely creepy/scary scenes. The Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release by Shout has good-to-great video/audio transfers and a good selection of bonus material. |
Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.
“The Exorcist III” is one of my favourite horror movies and I’m really glad to see this movie finally getting the “Collector’s Edition” treatment. I currently own the barebones DVD, which appears pretty great to me, picture-wise, but I may just have to double-dip just to get all of the special features. I’m also happy to read about the reversible cover, as I’m not really very fond of Shout! Factory’s new artwork.
Also, while Dourif does play the psychopath Gemini Killer, technically he is not in the padded cell — that would be the Gemini-possessed body of Father Karras (Jason Miller). Although I understand that it’s all Dourif in the director’s cut.
Yeah, this may be on of those Shout releases that are worth the upgrade, esp for fans.