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Jason Lives Director Talks Exorcist Prequel He Almost Made!

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Written by John Squires

Primarily known for directing Friday the 13th Part 6: Jason Lives, Tom McLoughlin has also helmed a handful of other horror flicks, including One Dark Night and Stephen King’s Sometimes They Come Back. But did you know that he almost directed a prequel to The Exorcist? Over a decade later, McLoughlin has opened up about his experience.

McLoughlin was a guest on the latest episode of the podcast Scream Addicts, and the topic of conversation for the chat was The Exorcist; a film that the Jason Lives director is a big fan of. During the conversation with host Jinx, McLoughlin revealed that he was hired to direct a prequel to William Friedkin’s original classic back in the early 2000s, before Paul Schrader and Renny Harlin infamously made their own prequels.

There was a period where I wasn’t allowed to talk about it. I was supposed to do the prequel to The Exorcist,” said McLoughlin. “They wanted the guys who did Blair Witch… but they had no interest in doing an Exorcist prequel. And pretty much everybody in and around my camp said, ‘Don’t do it. It will kill your career.'”

exorcist prequel

Despite the insistence of his friends, McLoughlin was excited about the idea of telling the story of Father Merrin’s first encounter with Pazuzu, and he went into the project “guns blazing,” intent on making a smart and classy prequel to the scariest movie of all time. His passion for the film landed him the gig, but it was a meeting with Exorcist writer William Peter Blatty that eventually led McLoughlin to depart the project.

Blatty, in so many words, warned McLoughlin that he would incur his wrath if the movie turned out bad, and McLoughlin swore to him that he’d walk away if he reached a point where he felt it wasn’t going to work. As you could probably guess, that point eventually came. The studio wasn’t sold on the script, feeling it was too talky and not exciting enough, and McLoughlin walked away.

That script, written by Caleb Carr, was eventually turned into both Exorcist: The Beginning and Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist – two different movies, directed by two different filmmakers, featuring the same cast and (mostly) the same story. Go figure.

Be sure to head over to Scream Addicts to listen to the whole chat!

exorcist prequel

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Jake Gyllenhaal’s Thriller ‘Presumed Innocent’ Series Gets Early Release Date

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Jake gyllenhaal presumed innocent

Jake Gyllenhaal’s limited series Presumed Innocent is dropping on AppleTV+ on June 12 instead of June 14 as originally planned. The star, whose Road House reboot has brought mixed reviews on Amazon Prime, is embracing the small screen for the first time since his appearance on Homicide: Life on the Street in 1994.

Jake Gyllenhaal’s in ‘Presumed Innocent’

Presumed Innocent is being produced by David E. Kelley, J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot, and Warner Bros. It is an adaptation of Scott Turow’s 1990 film in which Harrison Ford plays a lawyer doing double duty as an investigator looking for the murderer of his colleague.

These types of sexy thrillers were popular in the ’90s and usually contained twist endings. Here’s the trailer for the original:

According to Deadline, Presumed Innocent doesn’t stray far from the source material: “…the Presumed Innocent series will explore obsession, sex, politics and the power and limits of love as the accused fights to hold his family and marriage together.”

Up next for Gyllenhaal is the Guy Ritchie action movie titled In the Grey scheduled for release in January 2025.

Presumed Innocent is an eight-episode limited series set to stream on AppleTV+ starting June 12.

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Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

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The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.

Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.

The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.

Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”

Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.

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Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

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lizzie borden house

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

Inside the Lizzie Borden House

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.

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