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Watch William Friedkin Slam ‘Exorcist II: The Heretic’

Published

9 years ago

January 1, 2015

As I’m sure you know, Exorcist II: The Heretic isn’t exactly universally loved. In fact, if you look up lists of worst sequels of all time, you’ll usually find this film on the those you come across.

But have you ever wondered what William Friedkin, director of the original masterpiece, thinks of it? To say he’s not a fan is a bit of an understatement.

I’ve been watching a lot of Mick Garris interviews lately. If you haven’t checked out the YouTube channel, which launched in 2014, I strongly recommend doing so. A few months ago, the channel added a rare and never-aired episode of the Z-Channel series hosted by Garris. The channel was about to air Exorcist II, as Garris mentioned, before asking Friedkin what he thought of the sequel. Friedkin’s response is priceless.

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“I felt that The Exorcist was totally complete in itself, and to do a sequel, would just be done for commercial purposes and no other. The so-called sequel – ‘The Harry Tick,’ or whatever they refer to it as – to me it’s an abomination. Not because it’s a bad movie, which it is (a BAD movie), wrought by people who are, in my opinion, fourth and fifth rate intellects, but what they attempted to do was to trash the original material rather than to take a story and to try to do a story that utilized some of the same strengths of The Exorcist, all they did was take the title and the logo type and some of the characters and trash them.”

He continued, “To me, that film (if it can be called a film…it’s an abomination, and I think this channel ought to be ashamed of itself for running it) would be the equivalent of someone taking a novel by Tolstoy or Charles Dickens…taking the title and the characters and coming up with a porno musical. I mean I’ve seen works of pornography that have more integrity than that picture.”

I wonder why the channel never aired that interview. If you actually watch the video (this segment comes around 15 minutes in), you can see how upset Friedkin was about the movie. This is the most irate I’ve ever seen anyone in a Mick Garris interview because Garris is so mild mannered and friendly. It’s really something to see.

Friedkin discussed the “abomination” again as recently as April of 2013 in a Q&A at the Chicago Critics Film Festival, when he admitted he didn’t see the whole film. Still, his opinion of it apparently hasn’t changed much.

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Friedkin said he had only seen two or three minutes of Exorcist II.

He added, “I was at the Technicolor Lab, and one of the color timers said, ‘Hey, we’re running Exorcist II. Do you want to go into the screening room and have a look at it?’ I was over there doing something else, and I said, ‘Okay, sure.’ So I went into the screening room, and I see some guy’s riding on the back of a bumblebee or some fuckin’ thing. It was unreal. And I left.”

He then went on to tell a story about the first screening of Exorcist II. As it goes, some Warner Bros. executives went into the packed theater after telling their limo drivers they’d be in there for two and a half hours or so. This would enable the drivers to leave and go grab some coffee or something before coming back to pick the execs up. Roughly ten minutes into the movie, someone in the middle of the theater stood up and said, “The people who made this piece of shit are in this room.” Somebody else said, ‘Where? Where are they?” Ten or twelve people got up, and the execs ran out of the theater, and the cars were gone. They were chased down the street.

I don’t know how much truth there is to that story, but it’s pretty hilarious to think about.

Friedkin said he hadn’t seen any of the sequels other than that few minutes of The Heretic. He also said he hadn’t seen Repossessed (the parody film starring Linda Blair and Leslie Nielsen). I do find it interesting if he’s never seen The Exorcist III, as it was written and directed by William Peter Blatty, who was responsible for the original, and for whom Friedkin obviously has had a tremendous amount of respect for.

Garris would go on to interview Friedkin for FEARnet’s Post Mortem in 2011. This interview has also been made available on the Mick Garris Interviews YouTube channel.

Now, for the fun of it, here’s Eli Roth talking about The Heretic on Trailers from Hell:

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What do you think about Exorcist II? Do you hate it as much as Friedkin or do you have a soft spot for it?

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Movies

Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

Published

9 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

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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News

Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

Published

10 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

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.

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.”

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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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Movies

’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power

Published

12 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Danny Boyle is revisiting his 28 Days Later universe with three new films. He will direct the first, 28 Years Later, with two more to follow. Deadline is reporting that sources say Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes have been cast for the first entry, a sequel to the original. Details are being kept under wraps so we don’t know how or if the first original sequel 28 Weeks Later fits into the project.

**Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes**

Boyle will direct the first movie but it’s unclear which role he will take on in the subsequent films. What is known is Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta is scheduled to direct the second film in this trilogy and that the third will be filmed immediately afterward. Whether DaCosta will direct both is still unclear.

Alex Garland is writing the scripts. Garland is having a successful time at the box office right now. He wrote and directed the current action/thriller Civil War which was just knocked out of the theatrical top spot by Radio Silence’s Abigail.

There is no word yet on when, or where, 28 Years Later will start production.