Blu-ray Review: EXORCIST II: THE HERETIC

EXORCIST II:  THE HERETIC
Directed by John Boorman
Distributed by Scream Factory

  I hate to admit it, but I have never seen any of the EXORCIST sequels.  I'm not sure why, but I just never have gotten around to checking any of them out.   I am a huge fan of the original EXORCIST, so I definitely need to check out the other films in the series.    I started recently with Scream Factory's new release of EXORCIST II:  THE HERETIC.   Here is the basic plot courtesy of the Scream Factory website:

  Bizarre nightmares plague Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair) four years after her possession and exorcism. Has the demon returned? And if so, can the combined faith and knowledge of a Vatican investigator (Richard Burton) and a research specialist (Louise Fletcher) free her from its grasp?
  Employing production design and special effects that are dizzily exhilarating and a supporting cast (Max von Sydow, Paul Henreid, James Earl Jones) of compelling distinction, director John Boorman draws us into the tangible experience of evil. We fly with the demon, feel the African landscape vibrate and get engulfed in the terror of swarming locusts as Exorcist II: The Heretic weaves its fascinating, frightful spell.

 Going into this, I was really hoping for another classic film.  I was hoping for another masterpiece like the original.  Well, it's a classic for sure, but unfortunately it's classic for all the wrong reasons.  I had heard it called one of the worst films ever, and definitely one of the worst sequels ever. While it is pretty bad, it's not a terrible movie by any means.  Now don't get me wrong, it doesn't come close to being anywhere near the caliber of film as the original, but I've seen much worse horror films.   

  The plot is a little weird, and lots of stuff is going on in present day and in flashbacks to the exorcism in Africa, including multiple scenes of locust invasions including a few "first person" shots taken from the locusts point of view.  Very strange.   

  The production value looks huge on this film, especially compared to the first, but this just goes to show you that just because a film has a bigger budget that doesn't automatically make it a better film.

  In terms of presentation, the film looks remarkable.   Scream Factory always puts out quality releases and this one is no different.   If you're a fan of the original EXORCIST, you will want to give this one a shot.  It's got almost a cult classic feel to it now, so it's worth checking out.

  EXCORCIST II:  THE HERETIC is available now on a 2-disc Collector's Edition Blu-ray from Scream Factory and contains the following special features:

DISC ONE (118 Minute Cut Of The Film):

• NEW 2K Scan From Original Film Elements
• NEW Audio Commentary With Director John Boorman
• NEW Audio Commentary With Project Consultant Scott Bosco
• NEW What Does She Remember? – An Interview With Actress Linda Blair
• NEW Interview With Editor Tom Priestley

DISC TWO (102 Minute Cut Of The Film):

• NEW 2K Scan From Original Film Elements
• NEW Audio Commentary With Mike White Of The Projection Booth Blog
• Original Teaser Trailer
• Original Theatrical Trailer
• Still Galleries Including Rare Color And B&W Stills, Behind-The-Scenes, Deleted Scene Photos, Posters, And Lobby Cards

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray

Pre-order Shout Factory's upcoming THE THING [Deluxe Limited Edition] Blu-ray!

 

 It was just announced that Shout Factory is releasing a limited edition Blu-ray of John Carpenter's THE THING!  Right now you can get the website exclusive Deluxe Edition which features a 2nd slip case with alternative cover art and two posters featuring the new cover art.  This set is limited to only 1,500 copies!  You can pre-order your copy now by clicking HERE.

  Shout Factory has done an amazing job with this release.  It includes tons of special features including"

*  NEW 2K Scan Of The Interpositive Supervised And Approved By Director Of Photography Dean Cundey
*  NEW 4.1 Audio Mix Created From The Original 70MM Six Track Dolby Stereo Soundtrack
*  NEW Audio Commentary With Director Of Photography Dean Cundey
*  Audio Commentary By Director John Carpenter And Actor Kurt Russell
*  NEW The Men Of Outpost 31 – Interviews With Keith David, Thomas Waites, Peter Maloney And More…
*  NEW Assembling And Assimilation – An Interview With Editor Todd Ramsay
*  NEW Behind The Chameleon – Interviews With Visual Effects Artists Peter Kuran And Susan Turner, Special Make-up Effects Artist Rob Burman And Brian Wade And More…
*  NEW Sounds From The Cold – Interviews With Supervising Sound Editor David Lewis Yewdall And Special Sound Effects Designer Alan Howarth
*  NEW Between The Lines – An Interview With Novelization Author Alan Dean Foster
*  John Carpenter's The Thing: Terror Takes Shape – A Documentary On The Making Of THE THING Featuring Interviews With John Carpenter, Kurt Russell, Special Effects Make-up Designer Rob Bottin, Matte Artist Albert Whitlock And More! (80 minutes – SD)
*  Outtakes (5 minutes – SD)
*  Vintage Featurettes From The Electronic Press Kit Featuring Interviews With John Carpenter, Kurt Russell And Rob Bottin (12 minutes – SD)
*  Vintage Featurettes – The Making Of A Chilling Tale And The Making Of THE THING (1982 – 14 minutes – SD)
*  Vintage Product Reel – Contains A Promotional Condensed Version Of The Film With Additional Footage Not In The Film (19 minutes – SD)
*  Vintage Behind-The-Scenes Footage (2 minutes – SD)
*  Annotated Production Archive – Production Art And Storyboards, Location Scouting, Special Make-up Effects, Post Production (48 minutes – SD)
*  Network TV Broadcast Version Of THE THING (92 minutes – SD)
*  Teaser Trailer
*  Theatrical Trailers (U.S. And German)
*  TV Spots
*  Radio Spots
*  Still Gallery (Behind-The-Scenes Photos, Posters And Lobby Cards)
*  And Still More To Be Added!

 That is quite a list!  I'm sure a regular version will be available at some point, but I'd grab  a copy of this limited edition set while you can!