The third film in just about any franchise gets a bad rap and some of the time – or maybe most of the time – it’s deserved. The Exorcist III, however, is actually an amazing sequel in my opinion and the film features the most effective jump scare in cinema history. Thankfully, Scream Factory realizes what a great sequel it truly is and is giving it their usual treatment of restoring the film and loading it with special features, which you can continue on reading to see what’s included… which includes director William Peter Blatty’s original cut, something fans have been dying to see for nearly twenty years!

William Peter Blatty’s cult favorite The Exorcist III [Collector’s Edition] will be bearing its cross on a 2-disc Collector’s Edition Blu-ray set from Scream Factory on October 25^th, 2016, in a partnership with Morgan Creek Productions. The must-have set boasts the first ever home entertainment release of the director’s cut, a brand-new, alternate version of The Exorcist III, reflecting William Peter Blatty’s original vision of his novel Legion.

The Exorcist III [Collector’s Edition] also features a new 2K transfer from the inter-positive, and over 4 hours of special features. Highlights from the special features include a new audio commentary with writer/director William Peter Blatty, and new interviews with producer Carter DeHaven, actors Clifford David, Tracy Thorne, and Brad Dourif, production assistant Kara Reidy, production designer Leslie Dilley, assistant designer Daren Dochterman, illustrator Simon Murton, and composer Barry DeVorzon, as well as a featurette titled All This Bleeding, which is 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.

Fans pre-ordering The Exorcist III [Collector’s Edition] directly from Scream Factory will receive a free 18″ x 24″ poster of the new cover art (while supplies last) plus early shipping!

In speaking to the process of creating the director’s cut for this release, Blu-ray producer Cliff MacMillan states “We conducted an exhaustive search through a pallet of film assets from the original shoot to re-create William Peter Blatty’s intended vision.  Unfortunately, that footage has been lost to time. To that end, we turned to VHS tapes of the film’s dailies to assemble the director’s cut. However, even some of that footage was incomplete, so scenes from the theatrical re-shoot were used to fill in the gaps. This director’s cut is a composite of varying footage quality from the best available sources.”

The Exorcist III is author/filmmaker William Peter Blatty’s personal vision of what followed after The Exorcist. Like the original, The Exorcist III combines elements of a detective story, a theological puzzle, and an unforgettable study in terror.

For more than fifteen years Police Lieutenant Kinderman (George C. Scott) has been haunted by the death of his friend Father Damien Karras. Now, on the 15^th anniversary of the exorcism that claimed the priest’s life, Kinderman’s world is once again shattered when a boy is found decapitated and savagely crucified. It’s just the beginning of a nightmare series of bizarre religious murders.

The brutal murders bear the hallmarks of the infamous Gemini Killer… who died in the electric chair fifteen years ago. But when a psychopath claiming to be the Gemini Killer reveals intimate, gruesome details that only the true killer could possibly know, Kinderman is confronted with a horrifying truth that he cannot begin to explain… and that will shake him to his core.

                   

The Exorcist III [Collector’s Edition] Special Features

DISC ONE: The Exorcist III (Theatrical Cut)

• New 2K scan of the inter-positive
• 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