The Exorcist III (Collector’s Edition): Blu-Ray Review
Arriving on Collector’s Edition Blu-ray this week is William Peter Blatty’s “The Exorcist III”. Based on the book, “Legion”, this 1990 sequel is set fifteen years after the events in the first film. George C. Scott took over for the late Lee J. Cobb as Lt. William Kinderman and Brad Dourif took over for Jason Miller in the role of Father Karras. Because “The Exorcist II” was such a critical and financial bust, the events in that film were completely ignored. In fact, Blatty did’t even want “Exorcist” to be in the film’s title. The director’s original cut of the film didn’t even include an exorcism scene.
“The Exorcist III” is quite scary and despite it not performing well at the box office, I am surprised Blatty never tried to direct another film after. I absolutely loved Brad Dourif in the role of the Gemini Killer, possessing the body of Father Karras. Hopefully with the success of the new television series based on “The Exorcist” people will circle back and give “The Exorcist III” a look.
I am a fan of the original theatrical cut of “The Exorcist III”, however Scream Factory has included the original director’s cut which includes footage taken from various formats. For this cut, VHS footage has cut into the film because the original film negatives were no longer available. Even if the full “Legion” cut of the film looked perfect, I would still prefer the original theatrical cut.
I did not care for Blatty’s original exorcism-free ending as well as some of the pacing issues. Thankfully Scream Factory included a new 2K transfer of the original cut and that’s all I needed. Regardless, I think fans will want to check out both versions and make up their own mind. This two-disk Collector’s Edition release is packed with bonus features, and all the ones on disk two are completely new. If you are a fan of “The Exorcist III” or never saw it because “The Exorcist II” was so bad, you should strongly consider picking this one up.
Bonus Features
DISC ONE:
- The Exorcist III (Theatrical Cut)
- NEW 2K Scan Of The Interpositive
- Vintage Featurette
- Deleted Scene/Alternate Takes/Bloopers
- Deleted Prologue
- Vintage Interviews (Featuring Behind-The-Scenes Footage) With Writer/Director William Peter Blatty, George C. Scott, Jason Miller, Ed Flanders, Grand L. Bush, Executive Producer James G. Robinson, Production Designer Leslie Dilley, Larry King And C. Everett Koop
- Theatrical Trailers
- TV Spots
- Photo Galleries
DISC TWO:
- Legion (Original Director’s Cut) 105 minutes
- NEW Audio Interview With Writer/Director William Peter Blatty
- NEW A “Wonderfull” Time – Interviews With Producer Carter DeHaven, Actors Clifford David And Tracy Thorne And Production Assistant Kara Reidy
- NEW Signs Of The Gemini – An Interview With Brad Dourif
- NEW The Devil In The Details – Interview With Production Designer Leslie Dilley, Assistant Designer Daren Dochterman And Illustrator Simon Murton
- NEW Music For A Padded Cell – An Interview With Composer Barry DeVorzon
- NEW All This Bleeding – A Look At The Re-shoot And Makeup Effects With Production Manager Ronald Colby, Editor Todd Ramsay, Effects Artists William Forsche, Mike Smithson, Brian Wade And Actor/Body Double Charles Powell
By: Marc Ferman