The Exorcist III (1990)

A police Lieutenant uncovers more than he bargained for as his investigation of a series of murders, which have all the hallmarks of the deceased Gemini serial killer, leads him to question the patients of a psychiatric ward.

Director:

William Peter Blatty

Writers:

William Peter Blatty (screenplay), William Peter Blatty (novel)

Stars:

George C. Scott, Ed Flanders, Brad Dourif

2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
George C. Scott	...	Kinderman
Ed Flanders	...	Father Dyer
Brad Dourif	...	The Gemini Killer
Jason Miller	...	Patient X
Nicol Williamson	...	Father Morning
Scott Wilson	...	Dr. Temple
Nancy Fish	...	Nurse Allerton
George DiCenzo	...	Stedman (as George Dicenzo)
Don Gordon	...	Ryan
Lee Richardson	...	University President
Grand L. Bush	...	Sergeant Atkins
Mary Jackson	...	Mrs. Clelia
Viveca Lindfors	...	Nurse X
Ken Lerner	...	Dr. Freedman
Tracy Thorne	...	Nurse Keating

Storyline

A seemingly endless series of grisly killings that bear the trademark of the mass murderer, the Gemini Killer, terrorise the district of Georgetown. To further complicate matters, even though it's been seventeen long years since the killer's execution and that fateful night of pure terror in The Exorcist (1973), the sceptical police officer, Lieutenant William F. Kinderman, is still obsessed with solving the baffling case, as the death toll keeps rising. In the meantime, in the city's high-security psychiatric institution, a cryptic inmate who bears an uncanny resemblance to the late Father Damien Karras emerges from his deep catatonic state, claiming that he has all the answers Kinderman needs. But, who is the mysterious Patient X? Does the same unholy force that tormented Regan MacNeil have something to do with the brutal demonic murders?

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Plot Keywords:

serial killer | psychopathic killer | priest | strait jacket | church | 

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Taglines:

Dare you walk these steps again?

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Mystery

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

"Legion" is one of the rare instances in which a Director's Cut (one hour and forty-five minutes) is shorter than the theatrical version (one hour and fifty minutes). The removal of the entire exorcism scene and the character of Father Morning contributed to that.

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Goofs

The buildings depicted as being Georgetown University Hospital in the film occupy a block near the school's main campus. They actually housed the hospital from 1898 to 1930. However, after that, the hospital moved to a much larger campus a few blocks northwest. At the time of filming, the old hospital complex housed a variety of non-medical activities, and its internal geography bore no relation to the interiors depicted in the film. The hospital room where Kinderman views the blood vials is located, judging from its view, where a student apartment was in real life. The corridor outside the room would have run through a wall into an adjoining classroom building. The interior decor of the hospital is based on Georgetown's student center, which represented the hospital in some location shots.

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Quotes

Kinderman: This I believe in... I believe in death. I believe in disease. I believe in injustice and inhumanity, torture and anger and hate... I believe in murder. I believe in pain. I believe in cruelty and infidelity. I believe in slime and stink and every crawling, putrid thing... every possible ugliness and corruption, you son of a bitch. I believe... in you.

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Alternate Versions

Some European prints are rumored to include a scene depicting the violent killing of a priest, removed from the US version after unsuccessful sneak previews. A shot from this scene, showing the beheaded priest sitting on a bench and holding his own head in his lap, can be seen in the French publicity stills.

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Connections

References The Fly (1986)

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Soundtracks

Gloria
Liturgical Chant
Performed by Burleigh Seaver

User Reviews

Great movie; bogged down a bit by producer interference.

Taking a much different approach than the first two EXORCIST films will either infuriate or please viewers depending on their expectations, and there's just no use arguing with people on the merits of this film, because something can be said for those who love it AND those who hate it. However, I have huge admiration for the nerve it took William Peter Blatty to bring his distinct vision to the screen and take big chances with this film. The end result is never boring and it refuses to be stupid, even when it threatens to fall apart from all the overly-complicated plot weirdness. There's loads of subtext here, it's not nearly as dependent on FX and gore than the first film, it has creepy atmosphere to burn and delivers a few great shocks (including a now-legendary hospital corridor scene; though some of the most horrible things in this film are implied, not shown). The writing is very good, and there's smart dialogue and three-dimensional characters played by some first-rate actors. George C. Scott is wonderful (when isn't he?) in the lead, with Jason Miller, Brad Dourif (one of the most underrated actors ever), Ed Flanders, Scott Wilson and everyone else contributing heavily.

I heard the senseless exorcism climax (featuring Nicol Williamson) was added to the film later against Blatty's wishes so audiences wouldn't be "confused," which basically means the studio who financed it take the general viewing public as idiots.

Make sure to also check out Blatty's great THE NINTH CONFIGURATION (AKA TWINKLE, TWINKLE, KILLER KANE), also a pretty underrated movie. I noticed he hasn't returned to scripting/directing film since this was made, probably because it wasn't well received at the time, but it's nice to read other comments and see I'm not the only one who really enjoyed this film.

Score: 8 out of 10

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 August 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Exorcist 3

Filming Locations:

Georgetown University, Georgetown, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,312,219, 19 August 1990

Gross USA:

$26,098,824

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$39,024,251

Company Credits

Production Co:

Morgan Creek Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min 105 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1