Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (2005)

Years before Father Lancaster Merrin helped save Regan MacNeil's soul, he first encounters the demon Pazuzu in East Africa. Merrin's initial battle with Pazuzu leads to the rediscovery of his faith.

Director:

Paul Schrader

Writers:

William Peter Blatty (movie The Exorcist), William Wisher Jr.,

Stars:

Stellan Skarsgård, Gabriel Mann, Clara Bellar

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Stellan Skarsgård	...	Father Lankester Merrin
Gabriel Mann	...	Father Francis
Clara Bellar	...	Rachel Lesno
Billy Crawford	...	Cheche
Ralph Brown	...	Sergeant Major
Israel Oyelumade	...	Jomo (as Israel Aduramo)
Andrew French	...	Chuma
Antonie Kamerling	...	Kessel
Julian Wadham	...	Major Granville
Eddie Osei	...	Emekwi
Ilario Bisi-Pedro	...	Sebituana
Niall Refoy	...	Corporal (Thief)
Lorenzo Camporese	...	Private (Thief)
Burt Caesar	...	Dr. Lamu
Marcello Santoni	...	Dutch Farmer

Storyline

Lankester Merrin is a archaeologist by profession but an ordained Roman Catholic priest who has lost his faith and abandoned his vocation. He is haunted by what he was forced to do in his native Holland during World War II. The church he's excavated in Northern Kenyan dates to the Byzantine period but this puts its construction hundreds of years before Christianity was introduced to the area. the church was buried to the rooftop in sand and as its structure is exposed, a madness slowly descends on the camp. the local tribesmen are prepared to go to war and demand that the church be buried. Soon, two British soldiers are found dead and their commanding officer, Major Granville, shoots a innocent civilian in cold blood. As fear descends upon everyone in the camp, it becomes apparent that a young disabled boy, Cheche, is possessed by the devil forcing Merrin to re-examine his own beliefs.

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Plot Keywords:

church | faith | africa | demon | priest | 

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and disturbing images

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 August 2005 (Belgium)

Also Known As:

Paul Schrader's Exorcist: The Original Prequel

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$138,311 (USA) (20 May 2005)

Gross:

$236,901 (USA) (27 May 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Morgan Creek Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.00 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Michael Kamen had originally been selected to compose the score. Schrader replaced him with Christopher Young shortly before the "exec screening" that had him replaced as director. For the final theatrical release, Angelo Badalamenti and Trevor Rabin are the credited composers.

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Goofs

The Waffen-SS officer at the beginning of the movie has no rank or SS Rune collar tabs on his tunic, and he's wearing a Private's greatcoat with privates shoulder straps.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Kessel: I am Obersturmfuhrer Ralph Kessel from the S.S., and this is one of my men. We found him in a ditch with a kitchen knife in his back, murdered by one of you. You see the German army retreating, and it makes you feel hope. It should not. So, who is responsible for this?

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Crazy Credits

At the extreme end of the end credits, after the last production company logo has faded out and the screen is entirely black, a demon voice grumbles "I am perfection".

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Connections

Follows Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)

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Soundtracks

"Satan's March"
by Todd Smith, Jason Stepp, Michael Oliver, Jeff Siegel p/k/a Dog Fashion Disco
Published by Hug the Retard, LLC
Performed by Todd Smith, Jasan Stepp
Michael Oliver, Jeff Siegel p/k/a/ Dog Fashion Disco
Courtesy of Artemis Records

User Reviews

This movie is fantastic.

If you go into this film thinking you are going to see twirling heads and pea-soup you are going to be disappointed. If you go into this film with an open mind you will be pleasantly surprised by the depth, sophistication, spiritual drama, and sheer craft involved. There is meat to this picture. I think the artists involved rightly avoided trying to best or even mimic the original and instead focused on dread-- a creeping sort of existential dread-- instead of cheap, quick scares. You don't jump in your seat with fear, but you walk out of the theater feeling unnerved and it stays with you. Unlike most of the American popcorn horror flicks being made today, this film lingers in your head long after.