Exorcist II: The Heretic
Exorcist II: The Heretic is a 1977 American supernatural science fiction horror film directed by John Boorman and written by William Goodhart. It is the second installment in The Exorcist film series and the sequel to The Exorcist (1973), and stars Linda Blair, Richard Burton, Louise Fletcher, Max von Sydow, Kitty Winn, Paul Henreid, and James Earl Jones. It was the last film to feature veteran actor Paul Henreid before his death in 1992. Set four years after the previous film, the film centers on the now 16-year-old Regan MacNeil, who is still recovering from her previous demonic possession.
Plot
Philip Lamont, a priest struggling with his faith, attempts to exorcise a possessed woman in Latin America who claims to "heal the sick". However, the exorcism goes wrong and the woman knocks over lit candles, setting the place ablaze, and a candle inadvertently sets fire to her dress as well, killing her. Afterward, Lamont is assigned by the Cardinal to investigate the death of Father Lankester Merrin, who had been killed four years earlier in the course of exorcising the Assyrian demon Pazuzu from Regan MacNeil. The Cardinal informs Lamont that Merrin is facing posthumous heresy charges because of his controversial writings, as Church authorities are trying to modernise and do not want to acknowledge that Satan exists.
More details
author | John Boorman Rospo Pallenberg William Peter Blatty |
---|---|
contentLocation | Africa |
director | John Boorman Rospo Pallenberg |
editor | Tom Priestley |
events | demon exorcism supernatural |
genre | horror science fiction |
keywords | assyria beat biofeedback brainwave bullroarer death of father doppelgänger end exorcise fire follow heal heresy how to kill latin america learn locust neural oscillation new york city nothing old house pazuzu possess psychic power regan macneil struggle succubus wash write young boy |
musicBy | Ennio Morricone |
producer | John Boorman Richard Lederer |
publisher | Columbia-Warner Distributors Warner Bros. |
recordedAt | Arizona California Utah |
theme | science fiction horror sequel |