Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Exorcist II: The Heretic Blu-ray Movie Review

An ambitious and challenging EXORCIST sequel

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson August 22, 2019

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?

Exorcist II: The Heretic has become notorious over the years for its wildly ambitious production ($16 million at the time) and off-kilter narrative that transports the narrative to faraway places. Fans of the original were stupefied and bewildered by the The Heretic's exoticism. Boorman also forewent William Friedkin's shock edits for more visceral thrills and louder cataclysms. The actors were often not on the same page with Boorman's direction and this shows in the performances. For example, Linda Blair was most surprised when Boorman asked her to tap-dance and she doesn't look entirely comfortable on stage. In addition, because of all the changes both the script and film underwent, there are strange entrances by the characters. For example, Ned Beatty looks like was literally flown in for one day of filming to pick up and fly Father Lamont around. The audience doesn't really grasp his presence or true mission.

The Heretic does feature several breathtaking scenes as well as prescient ones. For example, I thought the stroboscopic biofeedback device was a brilliant stroke by Boorman. Father Lamont, Tuskin, and later Regan wear headbands as they're interconnected though synchronized hypnosis. They visualize the demon taking over Regan in her bedroom as a long superimposition illustrates images from their brains. These scenes fit in nicely with an early one of Regan and Sharon watching Uri Geller on TV in one of his spoon-bending performances. The Heretic was released shortly before congressional hearings concerning the CIA's mind-control and behavioral modification programs so the film can also be viewed presciently for what would be revealed about experimental hypnosis later that summer.

I expected the critical consensus of Exorcist II to be God-awful and while a number of reviews were bad, they were also highly revealing of different audience reactions. The Chicago Tribune's Gene Siskel, who at the time was co-hosting Sneak Previews with Roger Ebert, declared Exorcist II "the worst major motion picture I've seen in almost eight years on the job. I will try to describe its ludicrous final scene, which had half the Oriental [Theater] audience dumbstruck-the half that wasn't hooting the screen. The new film is a ripoff from start, to-finish, which was totally unnecessary because the original made Warners a pile or money. This sequel should bomb once the word gets out, thereby killing the golden exorcism egg for Warners." Dave Zurawik of the Detroit Free Press observed that when the film premiered in Detroit, "there was a house full of Exorcist viewers on hand waiting to be scared. Ten minutes into the sequel, the first subdued gig­gles came. By the end of the picture, they were rolling in the aisles." Similarly, Scott Hammen of The Courier-Journal (KY) described the Louisville audience as "never scared and, when they realized they were never going to be, they began to laugh derisively at the film." But not all critiques were dreadful. Some were even commendatory. The Asbury Park (NJ) PressFrank Cafone lauded it as "a richly produced, highly interesting and exotic sequel....cleverly crafted...beneficially different from The Exorcist, Boorman succeeds in creating a fantasy film that envelops its audience in a surrealistic but unrepulsive atmosphere." Rick B. Oppenheim, Hammen's colleague at The Courier-Journal, had a very different take: "The Heretic has a good deal more depth than the original and is every bit as entrancing. But where the original assaulted the senses, The Heretic goes for the mind. The majestic cinematography and intelligent direction of Boorman have created a suspenseful and entertaining film."

Exorcist II: The Heretic Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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.

Exorcist II: The Heretic Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

Exorcist II: The Heretic Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

DISC ONE: 118-minute Cut of the Film (1080p, DTS-HD Master 2.0 Mono)

• NEW Audio Commentary with Director John Boorman - Boorman recorded this track when he was 85 and his memory of filming is quite good. Unfortunately, there are frequent gaps throughout. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Audio Commentary with Project Consultant Scott Bosco - Bosco is well-versed on the production and reception of the film. He gives lots of useful facts on the history of versions. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW What Does She Remember? – An Interview with Actress Linda Blair (19:16, 1080p) - a terrific interview with Blair, who reminisces on her magnificent experience of working with Richard Burton. (Her experience of working with Boorman, however, is a different experience altogether.) She talks about the initial excellent script she read but doesn't expound on the discrepancies it has with what was ultimately shot. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Interview with Editor Tom Priestley (6:57, 1080p) - Priestly talks of his methods for cutting, using the Moviola, and his collaboration with Boorman. In English, not subtitled.

DISC TWO: 102-minute Cut of the Film (1080p, DTS-HD Master 2.0 Mono)

• NEW Audio Commentary with Mike White of the Projection Booth Blog - White delivers a feature-length track on his appreciation of the film.

• Original Teaser Trailer (1:19, 1080i)

• Original Theatrical Trailer (1:58, 1080p)

• Black & White Stills (10:32, 1080p) - a slide show consisting of 127 distinct images.

• Deleted Scene Photos (0:25, 1080p) - a very brief slide show displaying five stills from an excised scene.

• Color Stills (4:34, 1080p) - fifty-five images.

• Behind-the-Scenes Gallery (4:25, 1080p) - fifty-three images.

• Poster and Lobby Cards (8:03, 1080p) - ninety-seven images

Exorcist II: The Heretic Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.