Disc Reviews

The Exorcist III 4K Review

• 29th Sep 2024

It may be a case of sacrilege to some, but The Exorcist III is the preferred film of the series to others. Original author William Peter Blatty wrote and directed this third instalment based on his original material. Whilst it is a direct sequel to the original film set around 15 years later, we follow some of the supporting players including Detective Kinderman (played by George C. Scott). Strange killings are occurring in Georgetown and the clues point to a long thought dead serial killer. There is also a strange patient at a mental institution who bears a striking resemblance to someone from the past. Kinderman investigates further and unravels something quite horrific.

Lee J Cobb played Kinderman in the original film. This isn’t the first time George C Scott has taken over a Cobb role. In 1998 when William Friedkin (the original director of the first Exorcist film) did a TV movie version of 12 Angry Men,  Scott played the Cobb role in that.  Funny how small the world can be sometimes.

The other returning character from the first film is Father Dyer (Ed Flanders) has a short amount of running time but works brilliantly off Scott. It’s a duo you almost wish you could just hang out with for the entire movie, and a testament to Blatty’s great dialogue.

But if one actor in the film knows how to bring intensity and chew scenery, then it’s Brad Dourif. Whatever the production paid him for the role, he was worth every cent, and probably even then was underpaid! Dourif around this time was starting to build what is now an impressive back catalogue of character parts in genre movies, and The Exorcist III is a highlight in that showreel.

The second disc was not available for review. It features the Director’s cut of the film and an audio commentary by Kim Newman and Mark Kermode.  Anyone familiar with these two should be comforted by the fact that they tend to know what they are talking about.  We haven’t heard it, but we suspect Kermode will be on point with the occasional ramble, and Newman will giggle a lot as he talks about the factoids he’s dug up. Sadly, the second disc isn’t 4K, it’s just a Blu-ray.

The Exorcist III is a chilling film with one of the all-time best jump scares known to horror fandom. It is also uniquely funny as well in key places and deserves the cult following it has. Regardless of how you feel about the first film (or any others for that matter), this one just about can stand on its own.

Steven Hurst

Full contents:

DISC ONE – THE THEATRICAL CUT (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY)

• 2K restoration of the theatrical cut of The Exorcist III, presented in 4K Ultra High Definition
• Audio commentary by critics Alexandra Heller Nicholas and Josh Nelson
• Audio interview with writer/director William Peter Blatty
• Death, Be Not Proud: The Making of The Exorcist III, an in-depth 2016 documentary divided into five chapters: Chapter One: A “Wonderfull” Time, an interview with producer Carter DeHaven and members of the supporting cast and production crew; Chapter Two: Signs of the Gemini, an interview with actor Brad Dourif; Chapter Three: The Devil in the Details, an interview with production designer Leslie Dilley and more; Chapter Four: Music for a Padded Cell, an interview with composer Barry DeVorzon; Chapter Five: All This Bleeding, interviews about the additional shoot and special effects
• The Exorcist III: Vintage Interviews, archival interviews with cast and crew members including William Peter Blatty, producer James Robinson, actors George C. Scott, Jason Miller, Grand L. Bush and Ed Flanders
• Falling Down a Long Flight of Steps, an interview with special effects artist Randy Moore
• The Exorcist III: Vintage Featurette, making-of documentary with on-set footage and interviews
• Deleted scenes, alternate takes and bloopers
• Image galleries
• Trailers, TV spots and radio spots

DISC TWO – THE ‘LEGION’ DIRECTOR’S CUT (BLU-RAY)

• High Definition Blu-ray™ (1080p) presentation of the Legion director’s cut, assembled from the best available film and video elements
• Legion audio commentary with esteemed film critics Mark Kermode and Kim Newman
• Deleted Prologue, an alternate opening to Legion with optional audio commentary from Mark Kermode and Kim Newman

The Exorcist III is out on 7^th October