The Exorcist III 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

The Exorcist III 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson March 29, 2023

Our site has reviewed two other releases of William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist III (1990). Current Reviewer Emeritus Michael Reuben covered the 2014 Warner Bros. standard edition and my colleague Jeff Kauffman examined Scream Factory's 2016 Collector's Edition. To read their thoughts and analyses of the film, please click on the linked reviews.

"Who are you?" "I am no one."

The Exorcist III 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Scream Factory's new 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray three-disc "Collector's Edition," which comes with a slipcover, marks the third American edition to be released on the high-def format, following Warner Bros.' 2014 BD-25 (which is also included in Warner's box set, The Exorcist: The Complete Anthology) and Scream's own 2016 CE. I don't own the Warner disc but do have Warner's 2004 DVD-5, which maintained the film's original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. To fit the image on 16x9-friendly displays, Warner opened it up to 1.78:1 on the movie's maiden Blu-ray. Thankfully, Scream reset it to its native 1.85:1 six years ago and on this release, too. Scream advertises both the UHD and BD-50 ("DISC TWO") as receiving a 4K scan from the original camera negative last year. The Blu-ray is simply not a rehash of the '16 transfer, which was struck from a 2K scan of an interpositive. I checked the BDMV folder from the second disc and the files were created on ‎January ‎27, ‎2023.

Please note that the screen captures from the new release are displayed in 1080p courtesy of the Blu-ray. The UHD is encoded with Dolby Vision (HDR10- compatible). The Exorcist III is always going to have a gritty look, which is retained on the first two discs' transfers. The DV and HDR stand out particularly well in close-ups (see Screenshot #s 10, 12, and especially 19). Some of the biggest highlights are the interior of the Dahlgren Chapel Sacristy (see frame grab #s 28 and a close-up of the chalice in 30) and compositions of characters in front of the walls in the Georgetown General Hospital building (see the medium close-up of Mary Jackson's Mrs. Clelia in #32). Ditto the same type of shot showing Nurse Allerton (Nancy Fish) in front of a wall, which also looked particularly sharp on the UHD. This 4K restoration boasts few damage marks and when they do show up, they're white specks and minor debris. I've included screen captures from Arrow Video UK's 2019 transfer of the Theatrical Cut (which is essentially a duplicate of Scream's 2016 2K scan) and the picture has damage marks in different places, though not where they're present in the 2022 transfers. I suspect that the picture was brightened for the older transfer but here it is darker and more natural in appearance.

Scream has not conducted any further restoration work on the Legion Director's Cut. The third disc in this set is a facsimile of the 2016 release. The last four Screenshots are taken from the VHS dailies and are sourced from the second Arrow disc.

Screenshot #s 1-26, 28, 30, 32, 34, & 36 = Scream Factory Theatrical Cut on Blu-ray (2023 4K Scan)
Screenshot #s 27, 29, 31, 33, & 35 = Arrow Video UK Theatrical Cut on Blu-ray (2016 2K Scan)
Screenshot #s 37, 38, 39, & 40 = Arrow Video UK The Legion Director's Cut on Blu-ray (2016 2K Scan)

Scream has provided twelve chapters for the 110-minute feature.

The Exorcist III 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Scream has supplied a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround remix (3193 kbps, 24-bit) and the film's original stereo in lossless, presented here in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo (2001 kbps, 24-bit). Scream announced that the uncompressed tracks were the result of new 2023 restorations of the DTS-HD MA 2.0 and 5.1 tracks. Warner encoded its DTS-HD MA 5.1 upmix with a standard bitrate of 2134 kbps (16-bit) while the average audio bitrates on Scream's 2016 presentation of the TC are 4070 kbps (24-bit) for the 5.1 and 2111 kbps (24-bit) for the stereo track. Arrow has also used a DTS-HD MA codec for the upmix (3881 kbps, 24-bit). However, for the 2.0 mix, it opted to encode the stereo with a LPCM codec (2304 kbps, 24-bit).

To my ears, the restored 5.1 track on the latest edition sounds really good. The surrounds do a terrific job of picking up background chatter, the voice on the hospital's intercom, and footsteps. When Kinderman bangs on the hospital desk, it makes a loud thud along the fronts. On this 5.1 remix and on the stereo, the sonorous voice of the Gemini Killer sounds like a raving werewolf. That f/x is given extended range on both mixes. Composer Barry De Vorzon's primarily electronic score is amplified well by the fronts and rears. Surprisingly, it's never been released on a commercial or even promotional album. Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells from The Exorcist make their return on The Exorcist III's sound track. There is also some gorgeous liturgical chants and angelic singing in the pieces Gloria, Come Falda di Neve Fro, and Lagrime di San Pietro.

With the exception of a few of the classical songs, the film is delivered in English. The discs are supported with optional English SDH for the feature.

The Exorcist III 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

For its 2016 Collector's Edition, Scream Factory retrieved vintage archival materials from Fox and Morgan Creek. It also produced (with a big assist from Michael Felsher and his Red Shirt Pictures) a then-new five-part documentary as well as a feature-length audio interview that Felsher conducted with Blatty. All of those extras are retained on discs two and three. Scream didn't record any new bonus materials for this CE.

DISC ONE: 4K UHD

• THE EXORCIST III THEATRICAL CUT (1:49:58; 2160p; DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and 5.1)

DISC TWO: Blu-ray

• THE EXORCIST III THEATRICAL CUT (1:49:58; 1080p; DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and 5.1)

• Deleted Scene, Alternate Takes, and Bloopers (5:45, upconverted to 1080p) - this compilation contains the omitted scenes "The Clown Birthday," "Alternative Confessional Murder Scene," and "Alternative Nurse Attacks." Additionally, there's three blooper scenes, including one with no audio.

• Deleted Prologue (2:44, upconverted to 1080p) - an excised black-and-white prologue presented in 16x9 widescreen. In English, not subtitled.

• Vintage Interviews (38:35; 1080p for film excerpts; upconverted to 1080p for archival interviews) - EPK interviews with writer/director William Peter Blatty, producer James Robinson, production designer Leslie Dilley, Larry King (who makes a cameo), C. Everett Koop, as well as actors Ed Flanders, George C. Scott, Grand L. Bush, and Jason Miller. All interviewees speak in English, not subtitled.

• Vintage Featurette (7:13, upconverted to 1080p) - an EPK featurette that excerpts interview snippets from the above archival package and alternates the talking heads with some B-roll footage. There's also an additional interview with what appears to be with one of the movie's technical advisors. This may be Father George Murray. In English, not subtitled.

• Theatrical Trailers (4:55, upconverted to 1080p) - three official US trailers for The Exorcist III. Each is shown in 1.33:1 and culled from a videocassette. The second is a teaser. Trailers one and two feature a third-person narrator delivering a voice-over while the last trailer does not.

• TV Spots (2:25, upconverted to 1080p) - six US TV spots promoting The Exorcist III. The first five are of decent to good quality. The last spot is clearly sourced from a worn VHS tape. Sound levels (especially pitch) vary, though all are sufficiently audible. If you've never seen the film, don't watch spot #s two and four as they contain a major plot spoiler. All are displayed in 1.33:1.

• Radio Spots (3:48) - five radio spots that aired in 1990 to promote The Exorcist III. Beware that the second spot contains a major spoiler. In English, not subtitled.

• Behind-the-Scenes Photo Gallery (3:37, 1080p) - a slide show featuring 42 color photos of The Exorcist III's shoot. Many are of Blatty and Scott. They show Blatty directing and working with his crew.

• Posters & Lobby Cards Photo Gallery (5:44, 1080p) - a slide show that presents 67 stills from The Exorcist III's marketing campaign. The first 13 are black-and-white glossy prints from Fox's press kit. One sheet shows as many as two or three pictures. Other stills are ads that appeared in newspapers and reproductions of poster sheets. A healthy set of lobby cards from American and foreign markets make up the bulk of this continuous presentation. There are some duplicate images.

• Still Gallery (4:07, 1080p) - this last slide show displays 48 separate images. Many are vertical photos, including several publicity snapshots of the actors.

DISC THREE: LEGION DIRECTOR'S CUT (1:44:38; 1080p; DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0)

• Audio Interview with Writer/Director William Peter Blatty (104:58) - Michael Felsher sat down with Blatty in the latter's office for this long interview that runs while Legion plays. Blatty shares a never-before-told story about his close friend, Shirley MacLaine, as well as other anecdotes. In English, not subtitled.

• Death, Be Not Proud: The Making of The Exorcist III (104:20) - this feature-length documentary is divided into five parts: "Chapter One: A Wonderful Time" (24:30), "Chapter Two: Signs of the Gemini" (17:42), "Chapter Three: The Devil in the Details" (18:03), "Chapter Four: Music for a Padded Cell" (15:16), and "Chapter Five: All This Bleeding" (28:49). Scream doesn't include a "Play All" option. We hear from Barry De Vorzon (Composer of the original score), Carter DeHaven (Producer), actor Brad Dourif ("one half" of Patient X), Mike Smithson (Make-up Effects), William Forsche (Make-up Effects), Leslie Dilley (Production Designer), Clifford David (Dr. Bruno), Brian Wade (Make-up Effects), Tracy Thorne (Nurse Keating), Ronald Colby (Production Manager, Second Unit), Daren Dochterman (Assistant Designer), Kara Reidy (Personal Assistant - William Peter Blatty), Todd Ramsay (Co-Editor), Simon Murton (Concept Illustrator), and the uncredited Charles Powell (Body Double - Jason Miller). All interviewees speak in English, not subtitled.

I own Arrow Video UK's two-disc set, which not only retains all of Scream's extras, but also has produced exclusive supplements of its own. On the Theatrical Cut, film critics Alexandra Heller Nicholas and Josh Nelson contribute a feature-length audio commentary that contextualizes The Exorcist III with other genre films. For the presentation of the Legion Director's Cut, venerable film critics Mark Kermode and Kim Newman also participate in a feature-length audio commentary. Kermode is an official expert of The Exorcist series and the writer of the anniversary documentary, The Fear of God: 25 Years of The Exorcist. Newman allows his colleague to have the floor for much of the runtime and Kermode takes full advantage, offering highly detailed facts about the two versions of the film. Kermode became good friends with Blatty so he has a lot of first-hand knowledge about the multi-talented writer to share with the viewer. Kermode and Newman also deliver their thoughts on an alternate track while the alternate opening, "Deleted Prologue," plays as a separate extra. Arrow also includes "Falling Down a Long Flight of Steps" (8:43, 1080p), which is an interview with special effects artist Randy Moore. The interview was shot in Dallas and co-produced by Cult Screenings UK Ltd. and Dead Mouse Productions. Moore reminisces on how he ran the movie's Georgetown effects crew. He explains how he had to figure out the camera to go down the long flight of steps. Moore also discusses how George C. Scott worked with the actors as well as a few good personal stories he shares about the Patton star. Finally, Moore addresses the difficulties he had in working with Morgan Creek. In the "Image Galleries," Arrow also includes the film's official Japanese Press Book, which presents 13 stills, which contain some (small) photos that aren't in the other galleries. In Arrow's first pressing, there's a 44-page booklet containing a new essay (four pages) on the movie by film historian Lee Gambin. Additionally, there are reprints of articles that originally appeared in Cinefantastique, Time Out, and Fangoria. The booklet also has facsimiles of films reviews that were initially published in Time Out, Empire, and Monthly Film Bulletin.

Please note that my rating for the quality of Scream's supplements is 5.0/5.0. But since Arrow turned out to include even more, my rating for Scream's quantity of extras is 4.0/5.0.

The Exorcist III 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Exorcist III/Legion is a worthy sequel to the Friedkin-directed 1973 classic. It benefits from a highly literate screenplay by William Peter Blatty, a practically flawless performance by George C. Scott as Lt. Kinderman, and a brilliant supporting role turned in by Brad Dourif. I am higher on the film than at least a few of my colleagues. I prefer Blatty's own Legion cut, although the compiled version is still incomplete. I rate the Theatrical Cut a 3.5/5.0 and the Director's Cut a 4.0/5.0. I am elated that the folks at Scream Factory had access to the original camera negative for a recent 4K restoration. The jump to Ultra HD represents a marked improvement over the studio's 2016 transfer, which boasts a 2K scan sourced from one of the movie's interpositives. The new lossless audio mixes show better separation of f/x between the fronts and surrounds than the previous editions. All of the prior supplements have been carried over here, although there are no new extras. I am glad that I picked up the Arrow Video two-disc set since it contains two exclusive audio commentaries, an additional interview, and a stills gallery not available on the Scream discs. The Kermode/Newman commentary track is worth it alone. For those wondering if Arrow Films plans to release this 1990 picture on 4K UHD, I contacted the label and heard back from Adam, a member of Arrow's Customer Care Team, who told me: "There are no plans to release the title in UHD at this time unfortunately." You can purchase the Arrow package using our direct link to the product page at Amazon.co.uk or through Arrow's website. I feel that both releases are worth owning. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.