Review – Exorcist 2: The Heretic

I can practically hear the sad lament of the movie studio brass on this one. “Where did we go wrong? We got the same cast. We even got some really good new actors, including James Earl Jones. We didn’t get William Friedken back, but surely John Boorman is on par with him (for better or worse). We even used the same demon. So why did this turn out to be a tragically comic follow-up to one of the best horror movies of all time?” Okay, first things first: just because the ancient Babylonians were terrified of an evil being named Pazuzu doesn’t mean the word is going to strike fear – or in fact do anything besides provoke laughter and derision – in modern American audiences. It didn’t help matters to have the creature of ultimate darkness frequently manifest itself as a big grasshopper. Further, little Linda Blair did just fine when her only real role was to lie around under a coat of latex devil makeup, but when she’s actually required to act she comes up a bit short. And don’t even get me started on Richard Burton. Then there’s the script, jam-packed with some of the most ridiculous plot devices and awful dialogue ever preserved on film. So if you’re in the mood for some of the most unintentionally funny moments in Hollywood history, you’ve come to the right place. Otherwise the only reason I can think of to spend much time with this stinker is the need to complete the Exorcist triple feature (or quintuple, in light of later developments). See if desperate