3 stars, a great restoration of a dubious sequel.
The Exorcist II: The Heretic is an American horror sci-fi film. Originally released in 1977, it is the sequel to William Friedkin’s hugely popular 1973 cult Film, The Exorcist.
Written by William Goodhart (Generation) and directed by John Boorman (Hope and Glory, The General), it is available in the UK on Limited Edition Blu-ray from 7th October 2024, courtesy of Arrow Video.
“This is a machine we can use together. It can put us in a deep state of hypnosis and you’d be very relaxed and very comfortable. And the we could look at those bad dreams together.”
It’s four years since the exorcism in Washington which resulted in the deaths of Father Karras and Father Lankester Merrin (Max von Sydow – Minority Report, The Seventh Seal). The young girl they saved, Regan (Linda Blair – Savage Island, Savage Streets) is now living in the city with her guardian Sharon (Kitty Winn – Peeper, The Panic in Needle Park) and trying to get on with her life.
Meanwhile, Father Lamont (Richard Burton – Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Becket) has been summoned to the vatican to meet with the Cardinal (Paul Henreid – Operation Crossbow). 
Since the death of Father Merrin, there has been talk of heresy, due to his controversial writings. Father Lamont is charged with investigating the exorcism and with his faith shaken by a recent exorcism gone wrong, he reluctantly accepts.
He heads to see Regan and as luck would have it, her doctor Gene Tuskin (Louise Fletcher – One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) has just developed a machine to allow them to view Regan’s memories. 
This is where it starts to get strange, as they find that the demon Pazuzu is not really gone. The investigation takes him to Washington, Africa and then I think it’s fair to say somewhere no-one would have expected, James Earl Jones (Field of Dreams, The Lion King) dressed as a giant locust. Can he overcome the odds and vanquish the demon?
“Merrin was rather more extreme I’m afraid. He argued that the power of evil threatens to overthrow the power of God himself.”
Exorcist II: The Heretic has never been a particularly popular film, and it isn’t difficult to see why. Despite a few members of the original cast reprising their roles, it fails to have any of the impact of the film that spawned it. Even Richard Burton couldn’t do a lot with the weak script and surreal and random storyline, spending most of the film sweaty and verging on hysteria. 
Seeing Louise Fletcher being groped by two different incarnations of Linda Blair is also not something that was on my bucket list prior to watching.
That’s not to say it has nothing going for it, despite the weirdness there is some stunning cinematography, especially when Regan is on the death roof with no railings. The special effects are not very good, but with this restoration they look as good as they are ever going to get. Fans of the original may be offended by this, but it’s a good boxset with plenty of special features and a good restoration which I enjoyed if only just for curiosity’s sake.
Evil is a spiritual being. Alive and living. Perverted and perverting. Weaving its way insidiously into the very fabric of life.”
Exorcist II: The Heretic is available to buy now on Limited Edition Blu-ray.
LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentations of both cuts of the film
• Original lossless mono audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Peter Savieri
• Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by film critics Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Glenn Kenny and Matt Rogerson, plus an archival interview with cinematographer William Fraker
DISC ONE – ORIGINAL PREMIERE VERSION
• New commentary by film historian Lee Gambin and filmmaker David Kittredge, director of the feature length Exorcist II documentary, Heretics
• New audio commentary by screenwriter and author Kelly Goodner and film historian Jim Hemphill
• Archive audio commentary with director John Boorman
• Archive audio commentary with special consultant Scott Michael Bosco
• It’s Okay, He’s Gone, a new visual essay by film critics BJ and Harmony Colangelo
• What Does She Remember?, an archive interview with actress with Linda Blair
• An Interview with Editor Tom Priestley, archive featurette
• Theatrical trailer
• Teaser trailer
• Extensive image galleries
DISC TWO – INTERNATIONAL / ORIGINAL HOME VIDEO VERSION
• Archive audio commentary by film critic Mike White of The Projection Booth podcast
• Theatrical trailer
| Director | John Boorman |
| Genre | Horror, sci-fi |
| Starring | Richard Burton, Linda Blair, Louise Fletcher, Kitty Winn |