I’ve got mixed feelings, of course. If they can somehow recreate the amazing work of author William Peter Blatty and director William Friedkin I will be super pleased. I would expect Ellen Burstyn to be awesome but I’ll also expect the films to be mediocre. I’d love to be proven wrong.
Universal Studios just purchased the rights to three Exorcist sequels for $400 million. Ellen Burstyn will return in her iconic, Oscar-nominated role as Chris MacNeil. There are also reports the first movie will hit theaters, but the second and third could go straight to Universal’s Peacock streaming service.
All three movies will be written and directed by David Gordon Green, the man behind the new Halloween trilogy.
Of course, like Halloween, there have already been countless Exorcist sequels … and prequels … and even a TV series. But other than William Peter Blatty’s phenomenal (and grossly under-appreciated) Exorcist III, none has come close to capturing the sheer terror or the cultural imprint of William Friedkin’s 1973 original.
And Friedkin should not get lost in all this. Keep in mind that The Exorcist is 48 years old and still stands tall. This is no small feat after a half-century of shoddy sequels and advancements in special effects. Love for the franchise is not what made this $400 million deal possible. It’s our abiding love for the original.”
Here’s the thing. The awesomeness of the original movie stemmed from the fact that it took the subject seriously and didn’t go for cheap thrills. It earned the last half hour by building up the first ninety minutes with real people trying to make sense of the supernatural in a materialistic world. It’s an amazing film.
That’s not how they make movies anymore for generation ADHD. I hope I’m wrong.
July 29, 2021 at 5:34 pm
Prediction: The sequels will be sensationalized garbage geared to the lowest common denominator seeking a couple of hours of frightening thrill before going back to believe in nothing beyond the material world. No explanation or background will be presented of both the good and evil supernatural and by #3, attendance will have dropped to near nothing and about a 5 on Rotten Tomatoes website.
July 29, 2021 at 6:28 pm
Here’s a standard to measure them against: are they love stories?
Not in the conventional cinematic sense of “love stories”.
The original movie is best understood a story of sacrificial love. Two father-priests give battle and then their lives for welfare their spiritual daughter. The closing scene where Regan beholds Father Dyer in his collar and recognizes him beyond himself and gives him a beautiful gentle kiss is a masterpiece (Linda Blair nails it totally – criminally underrated) of cinema.