Product Details

• Actors: Richard Burton, Linda Blair, Louise Fletcher, Max von Sydow, Kitty Winn
• Directors: John Boorman
• Writers: John Boorman, Rospo Pallenberg, William Goodhart, William Peter Blatty
• Producers: John Boorman, Charles Orme, Richard Lederer
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Language: English, French
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• VHS Release Date: December 4, 1992
• Run Time: 118 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (205 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302814391
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #291,608 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This sequel to the Oscar-winning horror film based on the novel by William Peter Blatty was virtually laughed off the screen when it came out in 1977. It was an unintentionally hilarious mishmash and received such terrible reviews that director John Boorman yanked it out of theaters. He reedited it, cutting eight minutes in hopes of getting the story (written by William Goodhart) to the point of coherency, to no avail. The film remains a kind of reverse gold standard for sequels. It's still a ridiculously overacted, although at times visually haunting, movie. Richard Burton stars as a troubled priest (something of a specialty of his) who is brought in to follow up on the case of Linda Blair, who is institutionalized, still troubled by her encounter with the devil (who wouldn't be?). By the time they confront Satan's minion in the final struggle, you'll be rooting for evil to win. --Marshall Fine

Product Description

It's four years later. What does Regan remember? The impact of "The Exorcist" was immediate and explosive: it won numerous awards, broke box-office records and endures as one of the most influential horror films ever made. John Boorman's different but equally haunting sequel"Exorcist II: The Heretic" assembles a cast as powerful as that of the original (including Linda Blair, Max von Sydow and Kitty Winn reprising their roles) to again fight ages-old evil. Bizarre nightmares plague Regan MacNeil (Blair) four years after her exorcism. A jesuit (Richard Burton) assigned by the Vatican and a dedicated child psychiatrist (Louise Fletcher) join forces to unlock the secrets of Regan's subconscious. Has Pazuzu, demon spirit of the air, returned to reclaim her? An African (James Earl Jones) who survived possession and exorcism as a young boy may hold the key. Director Boorman ("Deliverance," "Excalibur") often depicts landscapes of hallucinatory beauty and eerie power. He does so here, making exhilarating Steadicam camera use to portray the demon in flight and engulfing viewers in a climatic locust swarm as "Exorcist II: The Heretic" weaves its terrifying spell.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars One of the worst I've seen..., November 20, 2005

By 

David Foskin "SneakyGoblin on XBL" (Waterford, Ireland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Exorcist II: The Heretic (Snap Case Packaging) (DVD)

Sometimes, every once in a while, a movie sequel comes along that defies the odds. Sometimes a sequel or continuation equals or even surpasses what came before. Think of "From Russia With Love," the follow-up film to "Dr. No." Think of "The Godfather, Part 2." Think of "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back." Do not, however, even consider "Exorcist II: The Heretic."

In 1973 "The Exorcist" scared half the world to death. The other half of the world didn't have a movie theater in their parts or they'd have been scared, too. You think people weren't waiting with eager anticipation for a follow-up? The film cried out for a sequel. Hollywood can't resist sequels. So, in 1977, Warner Bros. brought together what was left of the original cast, threw in Richard Burton and Louise Fletcher to boot, got noted filmmaker John Boorman ("Point Blank," "Deliverance," later "Excalibur") to direct, and produced one of the biggest bombs ever made.
I wish I could tell you what the film was about, but having seen it three times now, I still don't know.

I wish I could tell you what the film was about, but having seen it three times now, I still don't know. I do know that writer William Peter Blatty wanted nothing to do with it and that director Boorman tried to reedit it after its first appearance to make it into something watchable, but with no success. I also know that the sequel is about as far removed from the original as a sequel can get in terms of action, plot, tone, and characters.

Heck, as far as I could see, there wasn't even a real exorcism in the second movie, unless it went by in one of those moments I fell into a stupor in front of the set. Believe me, such moments will occur regularly in this film for most viewers, interspersed with stretches of stunned insensibility. For what it's worth, we have the complete version here on DVD before Boorman started tinkering with it. Nothing helps.

As I understand it, the story has something to do a priest, Father Lamont (Burton), being assigned to investigate the death of Father Merrin (Max von Sydow), which took place in the famous exorcism several years before. Sydow appears in flashbacks, so he, too, was induced into reprising his part in this follow-up film, sort of. The Cardinal who sends Lamont out on his mission is played by the great Paul Henreid ("Casablanca," "Now, Voyager"), of all people, apparently lured out of retirement for one last film. Pity it had to be this one. Anyhow, Father Lamont starts his inquiries by visiting the girl, Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair), now a young woman, who is supposedly free of her demonic possession but is being treated by a psychiatrist, Dr. Tuskin (Louise Fletcher), just in case. Regan and the doctor have this rig set up whereby the two of them put on connected headsets and delve into one another's inner psyches. Sort of like one of Mr. Spock's mind melds. That in itself seemed to me more demonic than anything the devil could conjure up.

Pressing on, the priest arrives and starts stirring things up with his questions and begins believing that perhaps Regan is still possessed, this time by an evil spirit of the air, a demon king of locusts or something. Which leads, in turn, to interminable sequences of African plains, phony-looking locust hordes invading African villages, a cameo appearance by Ned Beatty as a bush pilot, and a high spiritual leader named Kokumo, played by James Earl Jones in a role he must be at least a little embarrassed about today. He looks pretty silly in a bug costume.

In the meantime, back in New York, Regan is living in a lavish penthouse apartment while her movie-star mother is out on location (Ellen Burstyn was smart enough to sit this one out). Regan is being cared for by a lady named Sharon Spencer (Kitty Winn), who is back from the first movie. So, for almost two hours there's a lot of talk and a lot of locusts and
a lot of boredom, until finally, we're back in Washington, DC, and the old house of the demonic possession and it's cracking up and there's supposed to be an evil spirit or something somewhere and some people die and some people don't die and it ends. I'm sure there's a movie in here somewhere, but I couldn't find it.

Burton as the priest chews up the scenery in virtually every shot, even though he has nothing of worth to say or do. Like any great actor, that doesn't stop him. At no point in the story can I remember his smiling. He merely goes about his business grim-faced, wandering from scene to scene probably questioning as much as the audience what was going on and why he was struck in this turkey. Ms. Fletcher as Dr. Tuskin tries mightily to imitate her Academy Award-winning role as Big Nurse Ratched from "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1975), employing the same calm, even-tempered voice and sweetly deceptive demeanor she used before. Trouble is, here she's supposed to be an honestly sympathetic character, yet we can't help be reminded of the supreme villain she created with the same persona a couple of years earlier.

Then, there's the star, Ms. Blair, who simply shows up. Having grown into young womanhood, she is content to emphasize the fact by wearing a variety of negligees, and at one point she enters the doctor's office in what appears to be a wedding dress! Without a face full of grotesque makeup, she proves an unconvincing actress in this film, which may go a long way toward explaining why she was never asked to appear in any films of merit after this venture.

"Exorcist II: The Heretic" is rated R for reasons that continue to elude me. The movie contains no sex, no nudity, no profanity, and very little violence. In fact, when it's over you'll wonder if it contained anything. I can only assume it was given an R rating for its subject matter, demonic possession, but even there it's hard to say who was being possessed by what. This is a very strange movie, indeed.

Video:
The screen presentation is mediocre in a 1.74:1 size, enhanced for widescreen TVs. I say "mediocre" because there's nothing about it that sets it apart from a good video tape. Definition is average, color bleed-through is average; color brightness is average; color realism is average. About the only good things to say in its favor are that it is free of much grain and reveals no issues of age deterioration. Thank heaven for small favors.

Audio:
If the video presentation is only average, the audio is doubly so. It's a standard monaural soundtrack that does little to impress except convey the dialogue of its participants. Expect no kind of dynamic range or frequency response that might make anything on the screen come to life; and, of course, expect nothing from your rear speakers.

Extras:
Don't expect anything of interest here, either. The major bonus item is an alternative opening sequence that adds a couple of minutes of explanation to Father Lamont's biography. It helps to explain why he was performing the initial exorcism shown in the movie and why he was called to investigate Father Merrin's death. In addition, there's a brief cast and crew listing that provides a few filmographies. Completing this mini package of materials are thirty-one scene selections; a widescreen theatrical trailer; spoken languages in English and French; and subtitles in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Chines, Bahasa, Thai, and Korean.

Parting Shots:
Are there any compelling reasons for watching "Exorcist II: The Heretic"? Well, there's Richard Burton's voice. He had a magnificent speaking voice, and just listening to the man reciting gibberish can be intoxicating. And, believe me, he has plenty of gibberish to recite in this film. Then, there's...uh.... Let's see, there's.... Oh, forget it. There are no reasons for watching this film.

46 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Sequel More Than Lives Up To The First Film!!!!!, August 30, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Exorcist II - The Heretic [VHS] (VHS Tape)

The Exorcist is a masterpiece of horror and a winner of two academy awards (for best director and best adapted screenplay). This sequel won an award too. It was voted as the second worst film of all time at the Golden Turkey Conventions. Why is this? I love this movie! It wisely keeps the storyline of the first going (unlike William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist 3, which completely departed from the original story). It also has three returning cast members from the first. It has Kitty Winn returning as Sharon Spencer, Max Von Sydow as Father Lancester Merrin, and, of course, Linda Blair as Reagan MacNiel.
The plot takes place in many different areas around the globe, including Africa, India, Georgetown, and New York. The beggining scene involves a young woman who is being possesed and needs an exorcist. Father Phillip Lamont (Richard Burton), a good friend of the late Father Merrin, attempts to exorcise the woman, but she commits suicide using a bunch of candles. We then get to see how Reagan MacNiel (Linda Blair) is getting on with her life. She is now doing dance compititions nearly every day, and sees a psychiatrist (Louise Fletcher) as well. Reagan remembers her possesion, but refuses to talk about it with anyone, and they all assume that she doesn't remember (even at the end of the first one, Chris MacNiel, her mother, said she didn't remember, but I think she was faking). Father Lamont is instructed by the Cardinal (Paul Henried) to investigate the death of Father Merrin (Max Von Sydow). Lamont goes to the hospital where Reagan stays, and questions her doctor, asking if she remembers anything. The doctor dosen't want to ask Reagan, because she's afraid that it will trigger a shock, and Reagan will attempt suicide. However, they use a special mind machine to dive into her head and see. What they do see is a man (James Earl Jones) fighting a tiger. Lamont finds out that that man is Cacooma, who was once possesed by Pazuzu, and exercised by Father Merrin. Desperately, Lamont attempts to track down the man and question him.....
Exorcist 2 The Heretic is a brilliant movie. Why it is so hated by review criticts is beyon me. It has an interesting style, brilliant camera movements, and gorgeous music (Reagan's theme is beautiful). The movie seems to have a bit more of a plot than the first (although the first is terrific), and a better story going for it. Linda Blair is great as 18 year old Reagan, and Fletcher is good as the no-nonsense doctor, but Richard Burton's performance is a little bit cheesey ("I saw it- it was horrible, utterly horrible") but he's still fun to watch. Although Von Sydow dyed in the first film, he's here in flashbacks, and footage of the exorcism in Africa. This one isn't really scary, although I don't think the intention was to be scary. Also, the 118 minute version is MUCH better than the 110 minute version. The 118 minute one goes deeper into the charecter's developement, and includes a different ending. I do not know why this movie hasn't gone onto DVD yet, but this VHS is bad. The color is drained, and the picture is mudgy. But, it's the only version available, so LIVE WITH IT!!!!
If you enjoyed Exorcist 2 The Heretic, I would also recommend The Exorcist, Damien Omen 2, Jaws 2, and Halloween 2.
Exorcist 2 The Heretic is Rated R For Some Violence, Brief Language, Brief Gore, and Small Nudity.
PS If you found my review helpfull, please vote for me!!!!!
Brett Michael Roberts

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A grotesque bomb!, November 11, 2002

By 

Candace Scott (Lake Arrowhead, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Exorcist II: The Heretic (Snap Case Packaging) (DVD)

I had the misfortune of actually seeing this bomb when it was released into movie theatres in 1977. I still recall endless streams of people exiting, muttering, "what garbage!" and complaining about how chillingly dismal this film is. Now, re-watching it after 25 years, I can affirm positively: this is one of the worst films ever made.

Linda Blair is a blowsy, boring, catatonic actress. Her scenes are beyond wretched. But the absolute clincher of bad is Richard Burton, delivering an incoherent performance in which this notorious over-actor overacts to the point of hilarity. There are several scenes which call for him to use subtlety in dealing with the fragile Blaire. Well, subtlety and Burton simply do not mesh on the acting screen and he screams lines which should be phrased delicately and demurely. You will laugh out loud at how pathetic a display Burton puts on. His scenes with Blair and Fletcher will cause you either to wince or double over with laughter.

If you are one of those types who revels in large budget monstrosities, this is your baby!