Dialogue driven and atmospheric blend of serial killer thrills and supernatural chills, The Exorcist III: Legion is a stand-out in the demonic possession movie sub-genre, with its searing intelligence and unique rhythm getting better with repeated viewings.
Director and writer William Peter Blatty, of course, is mostly known as the author of The Exorcist, which he adapted to the big screen, winning an Oscar in the process. The Exorcist III: Legion is also an adaptation of Blatty’ novel “Legion”, and in many ways should be viewed as a direct sequel to the 1973 horror classic, with Blatty essentially condoning the woeful 1977 disaster The Exorcist II: The Heretic. True to form, studio interference (the true ghoul of the Exorcist franchise) marred Blatty’s original cut of the film. So strong, though, is the writing, direction, and performances of The Exorcist III that the film stands tall as a worthy follow-up to what many believe is “the scariest movie of all time.”
The Exorcist III: Legion stars George C. Scott as Detective Kinderman (played in the first Exorcist by Lee J. Cobb), a high-strung cop investigating the re-emergence of diabolical serial killer James Venamun, aka The Gemini Killer (Brad Dourif). The only catch is Venamun was executed 15 years ago. Fearing a copycat, Kinderman’s investigation leads him to a mental asylum, where he finds the demonic spirit of Venamun in possession of the body of Father Damian Karras (Jason Miller), the very same Catholic priest who saved a young girl from demonic possession 17 years prior.
From the first frames in which an ancient evil prowl the streets of the modern world, The Exorcist III: Legion contains a heavy air rich in themes of faith, madness, death, and the permissive attitude of a God who allows evil to pollute his paradise. Blatty, one of the great Catholic fiction writers, gives these themes the credence and weight they deserve, underlying The Exorcist III as a horror film rich in theology and sheer terror in which society’s most vulnerable are used as pieces in a spiritual battle.
Blatty keeps his viewers on their toes throughout the films 110-minute runtime, editors Peter Lee Thompson (The Ninth Configuration) and Todd C. Ramsay (The Thing) establishing a unique rhythm to their cuts, along with unique framing by cinematographer Gerry Fisher (Highlander). One sequence in which a nurse on ward duty meets her end at the hands of a red cloaked killer, remains the nest example on how to create an effective jump scare terrifying in its horror and impressive in its craft.
The performances by all are terrific. George C. Scott is a tense filled time bomb of stress and disgust at a world that he views as fallen beyond grace. Brad Dourif compliments with a gloriously over the top spectacle of ferocious evil gloating over his “resurrection” of terror.
Blatty’s dialogue, rich in depth and wit, makes this supernatural detective story pop with energy. Especially strong are two conversation pieces – one that Kinderman has with best friend Father Dwyer (Ed Flanders); the other with Venamun - that delve into the question of how evil can flourish in God’s creation, a theme that Blatty explores with the right amount of depth without sacrificing genre thrills.
A visual effect’s heavy third act - added at the insistence of the studio - doesn’t match the strong work laid beforehand, but neither does it mar the overall impact of what is, perhaps, the most underrated of horror movies.
