Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)

Years before Father Lankester Merrin helped save Regan MacNeil's soul, he first encounters the demon Pazuzu in East Africa. This is the tale of Father Merrin's initial battle with Pazuzu and the rediscovery of his faith.

Director:

Renny Harlin

Writers:

William Peter Blatty (movie The Exorcist), William Wisher (story)

Stars:

Stellan Skarsgård, Izabella Scorupco, James D'Arcy

6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Stellan Skarsgård	...	Father Merrin
Izabella Scorupco	...	Sarah
James D'Arcy	...	Father Francis
Remy Sweeney	...	Joseph
Julian Wadham	...	Major Granville
Andrew French	...	Chuma
Ralph Brown	...	Sergeant Major
Ben Cross	...	Semelier
David Bradley	...	Father Gionetti
Alan Ford	...	Jefferies
Antonie Kamerling	...	Lieutenant Kessel
Eddie Osei	...	Emekwi
Israel Oyelumade	...	Jomo (as Israel Aduramo)
Patrick O'Kane	...	Bession
James Bellamy	...	James

Storyline

Archeologist Lankester Merrin is asked to go to East Africa to excavate a church that has been found completely buried in sand. Merrin is also an ordained Roman Catholic priest who, still haunted by what he was forced to do during World War II in his native Holland, eschews any religion or belief. He's fascinated by what he finds and that it dates hundred of years before Christianity was introduced to the area. Accompanied by a young priest, Father Francis, to keep an eye on the religious elements of what they find, Merrin makes his way to the camp. There he meets a young doctor, Sarah and soon realizes there is an air of gloom that envelops the entire site. Workmen go mad and a young boy is mauled by a pack of hyenas while completely ignoring his younger brother Joseph. Inside the church itself they find signs of desecration. Merrin is forced to re-examine his lack of faith and come face to face with the devil.

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Plot Keywords:

lucifer morningstar character | church | faith | excavation | archeologist | 

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Taglines:

A new chapter of evil

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and gore, disturbing images and rituals, and for language including some sexual dialogue

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. [Brazil] Warner Bros. [Spain]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 August 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Exorcist IV: The Beginning

Filming Locations:

Casablanca, Morocco

Box Office

Budget:

$50,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$18,054,001, 22 August 2004, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$41,821,986

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$36,178,600

Company Credits

Production Co:

Morgan Creek Entertainment Group, Dominion Productions, Post Amazers

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min 125 min (Unrated Version)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.00 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Both Stellan Skarsgård and Max von Sydow, who played the original Father Merrin, are from Sweden.

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Goofs

Sarah has three tarot cards laid out on the table when Father Merrin walks in. They are gone in the next shot, and reappear when he asks about them.

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Quotes

Sarah: [Possessed] What's the matter, Merrin? Don't you wanna fuck me any more?

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Connections

Referenced in Exorcist: The Beginning - Behind the Scenes (2005)

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Soundtracks

Sengenya
Composed by David Bradnum
Provided by Associated Production Music LLC

User Reviews

You have to be kidding me?

Words cannot describe the atrosity I just bared witness to. This movie was absolutely horrible. Every single time there seemed to be a little tension building it amounted to nothing but crap. And the good/evil duel between Merrin and the demon at the end had to be the most comical piece of filming in movie history. It looked almost identical to a Neo vs Agent Smith showdown from The Matrix. LoL every time the demon would fly towards Merrin he would counterattack with a prayer or holy water and the demon woman would go flying like 50 feet against the other side of the wall. Oh the humanity. Hopefully the other version will be watchable. This one was definitely the funniest of the year.