4.6 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
It's four years after 12 year old Regan was possessed by Pazuzu...and supposedly exorcised of the demon. Recovering from the effects of personally hosting evil, Regan is still plagued by memories of those horrific events. A Vatican investigator discovers that the evil in Regan, apparently exorcised, is only dormant.
Starring: Linda Blair, Richard Burton, Louise Fletcher, Max von Sydow, Kitty WinnHorror | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
BDInfo
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
It would seem an impossible act to follow the "scariest movie of all time" but that's exactly what the execs at Warner Bros. hoped to accomplish four years after The Exorcist netted ten Oscar nominations. But screenwriter William Goodhart and director John Boorman never intended to call the sequel Exorcist II but simply The Heretic, as the cover of Goodhart's screenplay that I perused lays bare. The movie's story also takes place four years after the original with teenage Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair) living in a high-rise New York penthouse with her mother's secretary, Sharon Spencer (Kitty Winn). (Regan's mom, Chris MacNeil, is away traveling. Ellen Burstyn declined to appear in the sequel.) Regan has mostly recovered from the very frightening episodes she suffered domestically while a demon possessed her soul. She attends a neuro-psychiatric treatment center where she's a patient of Dr. Gene Tuskin (Louise Fletcher). Meanwhile, the Cardinal (Paul Henreid) appoints Father Philip Lamont (Richard Burton) to investigate the death of Father Merrin, who performed the exorcism on Regan at the MacNeil's Georgetown home, now vacant. Lamont takes a special interest in Regan's case. The two develop a telepathic link through their shared dreams of Pazuzu, the Demon of the Evil Spirits of the Air. Boorman and his editor Tom Priestley flashback and intercut Regan/Lamont's visions of 1936 Ethiopia, where a great swarm of locusts (led by Pazuzu) attack the Tanzanian villagers. Lamont's greatest fear is that Pazuzu will possess Regan. Can he "reach" her before it's too late?
Shout! Factory has assembled a Two-Disc Collector's Edition of Exorcist II: The Heretic that comes housed with a slipcover and standard Blu-ray case with two BD-50s. The first disc presents the rarely seen 118-minute cut, which was shown for just the first week in theaters. The Baltimore Sun reviewed this version mid-June, 1977 and listed the run time as 120 minutes. It also mentioned at least one scene that wasn't in the 102-minute cut, which is included here on Disc Two. Both versions appear in the film's original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The transfers aren't the same as Warner's BD-25 found on the 2014 box set, The Exorcist: The Complete Anthology. Shout!'s image has much better color balance. The film stock is very grainy and this shows up on Father Lamont's black clerical robe. Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times noted that William A. Fraker's cinematography has "glorious muted tones" and you can notice the crimson gold sky in the Ethiopian scenes.
Helen Frizell of The Sydney Morning Herald saw a release print in Australia and stated the mud-walled African villages were all shot in "earthy colours" while the American hospital has a "mirrored, schizophrenic architecture." Shout! image properties appear to confirm that look. There are some specks but this is a very solid restoration. Overall, I'd say the shorter cut looks a little sharper. Each cut boasts a mean video bitrate of 35000 kbps.
There are the standard twelve chapter breaks for each cut.
Shout! supplies a DTS-HD Master Audio Dual Mono mix on both versions. The lossless monaural track shows the recording limitations at the time but there are no major issues with the audio. Dialogue is audible and fairly clean. The wind gusts and gathering storm sound effects for the finale demonstrate good spatial depth along the fronts. Ennio Morricone's original score is one of the best parts of the film. His compositions presage Days of Heaven, which he scored a year later. The guitar strains and violins performed for "Regan's Theme" evoke the pastoral music he composed for the Malick picture. He also adds a female vocalist and background chorus, which befit the main character. There's some ethnic percussion for the African scenes. One of the Italian maestro's most original works. It sounds about as crisp on the Blu-ray as it does on the Perseverance Records album.
Optional English SDH are available for both cuts.
DISC ONE: 118-minute Cut of the Film (1080p, DTS-HD Master 2.0 Mono)
Exorcist II: The Heretic has greatly divided audiences since its original release and whichever side you may fall, this outstanding package from Shout! Factory makes you appreciate the filmmakers' bold creative challenges and difficulties. It's also an important teaching tool for why certain films misfire at a particular historical moment or if they face a daunting task of living up to the original. The Heretic is quite different stylistically and thematically from its famous antecedent. I prefer the 2-hour cut (3.5 stars) over what's been know as the Home Video Cut (2 stars). The movie looks better than the Warner transfer and the extras blow the old disc out of the water. I wasn't expecting three commentaries and the photo galleries capture many memorable moments from the production. If you missed out on this CE last autumn, I STRONGLY RECOMMEND a purchase.
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1990
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1991
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Remastered
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Limited Edition
2009