Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)

One of the great plagues on humanity-somewhere between Famine and War-is Unwanted Sequels, and this movie is without debate the queen mother of them all. Exorcist II was directed by John Boorman, known for the notorious Zardoz (the only film that has Sean Connery in a wedding dress for no reason at all!), a man who did not want to make a ‘mere’ horror film but rather a film entirely of his own. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course; there needs to be directors willing to pursue their own visions regardless of audience expectations in order to balance out the Steven Spielbergs of the world. However, what makes another Stanley Kubrick or another David Lynch is the ability to simultaneously create a unique, personal film and make it generally comprehensible (albeit sometimes with effort) and entertaining. Exorcist II, for all its efforts, is neither.

The film begins with, naturally enough, an exorcism, held in some village in a Spanish-speaking country somewhere in the Americas. The village healer, a young woman, is exhibiting the usual symptoms of demonic possession, save the kind of deformities sported by Reagan in the original. On the scene is Father Lamont, your requisite Doubting Priest, and, even better, is played by Richard Burton in one of his less…er…’subdued’ roles. Let me just say there are moments in this movie when he seems to have been possessed by the spirit of a future Nick Nolte.

As he tries to exorcise the demon while he prays to a picture of Father Lamont, the woman briefly returns to her normal self but suddenly gets an 'eerie' look on her face and walks into some candles, causing her to get consumed by flame. Now, all this would be well and good (and a surprisingly traditional way to kick off a movie of the horror genre, eh, Boorman?) but you know you’re in a classic B-movie when: a) we’re supposed to believe that the rabble of villagers hanging around is preventing Lamont from reaching the girl when it doesn’t quite look that way, and b) the demon has apparently caused the girl to suddenly turn into a wax dummy just before she started burning.

We ‘seamlessly’ cut from this to a scene where an older Regan is tap-dancing and we soon discover that she is living apart from her mother in a stylish penthouse with her mother’s agent Sharon (the situation is so bizarre the film doesn’t even come up with a plot explanation for it). She doesn’t remember her “illness” or the exorcism that claimed Father Merrin’s life, although she sees a psychiatrist, Dr. Gene Tuskin, at an ‘Institute’ (and that’s all it’s called, throughout the film) for emotionally disturbed or handicapped children and teenagers. Substituting real psychiatry, Gene has handily invented a Kirby-Tech™ device called the Synchronizer (but, since I missed its real name in my notes, I christened it the HypnoGizmo) that puts two people in a hypnotic trance by flashing bright lights at them and thus (somehow) allows them to enter a telepathic rapport. Eventually we learn that the purpose of the sessions is…well, actually, we don’t, but we do find out that Gene is afraid of stirring up memories of Father Merrin’s death and the exorcism. “Okay,” you ask, “what the hell is the point of these sessions then? Why does Gene keep bringing up Regan’s amnesia if she’s worried Regan might be traumatized if she remembers? Anyway, if Regan’s mother knows what happened after the exorcism and the cause behind Regan’s ‘illness,’ which anyone who’s seen the original will know, why does she have Regan see a psychiatrist?” Good questions, but you’re better off shelving these and any others you might have, because things can and will only get more obscure.

By the way, the walls of the Institute are made entirely out of glass, one of many instances of less than subtle symbolism.

Meanwhile, Father Lamont is asked by a bishop to investigate the exorcism that caused the death of Father Merrin, since he was suspected of holding heretical views, namely that the powers of evil are capable of overthrowing those of good, and his death during the exorcism might have been a result of his suspected devil-worship (?!). Under the influence of the Magical Exposition Fairy, Lamont and the bishop reveal that they were both early admirers and even friends of Merrin, which begs the question…WHY IS LAMONT GIVEN THE CASE IF HE NOT ONLY KNEW MERRIN, BUT ADMITS TO RESPECTING HIS IDEAS?!?! I guess, as the recent history of the Catholic Church shows, impartial internal investigation is one of those concepts that hasn’t caught on within the organization since the Counter-Reformation. Oh yeah, and Lamont admits to the bishop that he’s losing his faith. Well, duh.

Faster than you can already lament even watching this plothole-filled drivel, Lamont shows up at the Institute (why didn’t he show up at Regan’s penthouse or even go to interview Regan’s mother, at least off-screen?). Gene is anxious about him being there and asking questions about Father Merrin, since, you know, she doesn’t want Regan to remember the things she’s been trying to have her remember. The conversation between Gene and Lamont is worth noticing, though, because it is here that one of the few things that makes this movie (unintentionally) entertaining makes its appearance (besides the Nut O’ Fun™, but I’ll leave others to describe that): Richard Burton’s occasional spouting off about EE-VILL. For instance, “EE-VILL...is a spiritual force!” (See below for how this makes for an entertaining evening.)

Lamont is lucky enough to witness a session between Regan and Gene via the HypnoGizmo. Gene consents to Lamont’s demands that she use the HypnoGizmo to have Regan remember the night of the exorcism (so much for worrying about traumatizing Regan) but unfortunately Gene gets “trapped” and loses consciousness. SexyNurse (who seems to be the only staff member in the Institute besides Gene herself), who has been monitoring the session, examines Gene and without any trace of concern or urgency announces that she’s having heart palpitations. Shouting “I know how to reach her!”, Lamont straps himself into the HypnoGizmo (did I just type that?) and so begins the first of the many riveting sequences Exorcist II has to show. Thrill as you watch a shoddy re-enactment of a confrontation between Merrin and Demon Regan! Marvel at why Max von Sydow ever agreed to do this film! Chill as Lamont, Gene, and Regan are superimposed over the shoddy re-enactment and vice versa over and over and OVER! After going to get my brakes checked, I returned to find that the sequence was almost at a close. Once it was thankfully over, SexyNurse helpfully summarizes it to Gene, apparently in case the audience fell asleep over the last ten minutes.

As Lamont tries to recover from the incident, he comes across a picture drawn by Regan showing a face surrounded by fire. Somehow this leads Lamont to realize that a fire is burning inside the basement areas of the building. In what can only be described as a violent fit of overacting, Lamont rushes back to Gene, muttering “Fire! Fire! She warned us!” and so on. Instead of macing him, Gene follows Lamont, who is able to pinpoint the exact location of the ‘fire,’ which really doesn’t look all that bad…at least, not until Lamont beats at the fire with a wooden object of some kind and successfully (and hilariously) spreads the fire around. Gene stares at the picture…then Lamont standing over the flames…then the picture…then Lamont…before she finally thinks to use the fire extinguisher. Apart from the fact that Lamont sees a doll burning in the fire and that it gives more clues that Regan has supernatural abilities, albeit sketchy ones, I really have no idea what this scene is supposed to be for, unless it is Boorman’s idea of “suspense.” I have to admit there is something entertaining about Richard Burton proving himself to be a deadly fire hazard, but I’ve seen detergent commercials that create a better atmosphere for suspense.

Outside, where everyone from the Institute had been evacuated, Gene and Lamont continue talking. It is here we realize that everything that came before was just filler and now we reach the pivotal scene in Exorcist II and indeed one of the great moments in b-cinema. With full hammy-manic energy, Burton blurts out to Gene, “Don’t you understand?! I was face-to-face with the EE-VILL that’s inside her! Your machine has scientifically proven that there’s an ancient demon locked within her!” Sadly, Gene does not reply with anything resembling, “Uh…wow, dude.”

Regan, meanwhile, has also been disturbed by the incident and is haunted by visions of Africa, where a lone boy, another healer, named Kokumo is trying to rid the crops of his village of a swarm of locusts, but instead winds up possessed. As she has these visions, Regan sleepwalks outside the penthouse to a patio area (which contains, I should add, an elaborate dovecot made entirely of, you guessed it, reflective surfaces, which seems rather impractical) and, at the moment Kokumo is possessed, Regan is on the verge of falling off the edge of the patio (which conveniently has no railing or any other barrier that could prevent an untimely death). Sharon, hearing Regan’s shouts, rushes out and, in what thankfully proves to be the film’s only major False Scare, for a moment we (and Sharon) do not see Regan, but then we catch a sight of Regan painting, unconcerned and oblivious. After greeting Regan, Sharon tells her that she has business to do in D.C…

…and that business involves escorting Lamont to the site of the exorcism, which since the original has been locked down and virtually condemned (despite the fact that it’s supposed to have been a townhouse). As Sharon, who reveals a certain hostility to Lamont (the audience understands), and Lamont discuss what happened, Sharon admits that she has been troubled since the events around the exorcism. Lamont asks, “Praying? Have you tried praying?” Sharon replies with an obvious sarcastic edge to her voice, “Prayer?” There’s a long pause and then…nothing. This is apparently meant as a “prelude” to when Sharon turns evil-excuse me, EE-VILL-later on, but, like so much else in this film, it offers no explanations as to why or how. With Sharon standing behind in a dramatic pose, Lamont enters Regan’s old bedroom where a giant locust floats awkwardly in a corner. He doesn’t notice and…then we cut back to the Institute. There’s no suggestion that Lamont actually did anything in the old townhouse or did any actual investigating within D.C. No wonder his superior, the bishop, is often so bitchy with him.

If you found that sequence confusing and unfulfilling, don’t worry, the film is about to show that it has so much more to offer. Horrifyingly worse. As Gene and Lamont talk in the Institute, the inevitable inquiries about their private lives emerge and then there’s the sexual tension. Mercifully, the scene is cut short when Regan pops up in an ugly hat and asks, “Telling secrets?” The romantic possibilities between Lamont and Gene never really resurface, although Lamont’s libido plays a far more disturbing role towards the end of the film…

Anyway, our dynamic trio decide, despite the past disaster, to give the HypnoGizmo another go, this time with just Regan and Lamont. Instead of recalling one more time the exorcism (thank God), the two manage to recall Merrin’s days in Africa (of course, whether or not this is done by the demon inside Regan, by Lamont visualizing what he learned from Merrin, or even Merrin’s ghost being tapped into is, you guessed it, unclear). This is actually a decent point of continuity between this film and its prequel, as Merrin is said in the original to have had a difficult exorcism in Africa…at least, it seems decent until you remember that this African exorcism was supposed to have taken its physical, mental, and spiritual toll on Merrin. In what we see, he goes through the exorcism (held in a mountain temple with the aforementioned possessed Kokumo) without breaking a sweat. Oh, and via Kokumo the demon, same as the one possessing Regan, shouts “I am PAZUZU!” Say it with me now: Pa-zu-zu. Now imagine being Richard Burton and having to say this many times in one movie and not cracking up. Not so easy, is it?

To cut an already overlong review short (because you know writing about this film is a lot more fun than having to watch it), Lamont, via the magic of Pazuzu apparently, travels the astral plane (or something) and has visions of Africa, where he confronts an adult Kokumo (James Earl Jones! Whhyyyy?!?!) who turns into a leopard (!) that scares off Pazuzu. Lamont notes that Kokumo “has a power over EE-VILL.” This is followed by Regan healing an autistic girl ‘just by talking to her,’ which apparently worries Gene (I have a theory as to why, but more on that later).

Lamont returns to the bishop, who’s rather miffed at Lamont’s investigation so far. Who can blame him? Lamont’s report probably reads like: “Played with HypnoGizmo doohickey. Was fun. Hit on psychiatrist chick, I think. Noticed Regan never wears a bra. Worked hard to put out fire. Shouted about EE-VIL. Went to D.C. but found nothing. Tried HypnoGizmo again. Guy turned into leopard. All so far.” Even though the bishop is quite vehement about calling off Lamont’s investigation, it doesn’t seem to change the plot at all! Lamont easily makes his way to Africa to find Kokumo and see if he’d know how to get Pazuzu out of Regan’s body.

After a meeting with the people from the temple Merrin went to that quickly goes sour (to say the least), Lamont ends up invoking Pazuzu to help him find Kokumo. Pazuzu is quick to oblige (um, why???). This results in the film’s second great action-packed scene: Regan and Lamont chanting “Kokumo” and “Pazuzu.” Oh, the chills! After a run-in with Kokumo’s astral self (or James Earl Jones in humiliating “traditional” African garb) where Lamont’s faith is tested and he fails (mainly because he invoked the EE-VIL PAZUZU), Lamont snaps back to reality where he’s in a lab run by the “real” Kokumo, who has become a scientist (complete with white lab coat) investigating locusts. Kokumo theorizes that the beating of one’s locust’s wings is what inspires a swarm to devour and he has been trying to genetically engineer the ‘Good Locust,’ a locust whose wings will not lead to a rampage and Lamont thinks about Regan.

When Lamont returns, Regan runs away from the Institute with the HypnoGizmo in tow. She convinces Lamont to try it again with her…at a sleazy motel (!). Lamont gets a message from Merrin to protect Regan but this somehow leads to him falling under a trance. With Regan following, the hypnotized Lamont heads for Washington D.C, for…I have no damn clue. Gene and Sharon follow in hot pursuit, with Sharon gradually acting like Uber-Bitch Supreme because she’s turned *ahem* EE-VIL. This all heads up to the film’s thrilling conclusion, which I won’t go into, except that it involves a scantly clad Linda Blair seducing Richard Burton.

If nothing else I wrote in this review convinced you not to see this movie, then that did…

Actually, say what you will about Linda Blair’s acting ability (or lack thereof), but at least here she tries her best, but can’t help but trip up on the script’s awkward and just objectively bad dialogue. Richard Burton doesn’t get off so easily. He’s capable of better (and, indeed, the same year this was filmed he appeared in one of his more fondly remembered films, Equus) but his acting here seems to switch endlessly between apathy and hamminess.

The real culprit here, though, is the script, from which even the film’s quite good set design can’t soften the blow. The movie is riddled with dialogue, scenes, and even minor plot threads that go nowhere and seemingly contribute nothing to the overall movie. In fact, even exactly what’s going on with Regan remains unclear, apart from the fact that she’s still possessed. Jean’s comment about “messing around with other people’s heads” to Regan after she heals the autistic girl, along with her application of the rather questionable *cough* HypnoGizmo to Regan and unexplained analysis of Regan’s case almost suggests that perhaps she honestly believes (and, as the script seems to want to suggest, maybe correctly) that Regan is a telepath and perhaps Gene thinks that the exorcism was an ignorant and emotionally destructive response to the manifestation of her abilities (I admit, it’s a bit of a stretch and shows my head’s caught up in X-Men comics, but it’s as plausible as anything since the script offers no answers). The fact that, for apparently no reason at all, the script puts in a scene where Regan watches and jokingly imitates a TV show where a man bends a spoon with his mind also this (although it really implies telekinesis, not telepathy). There’s a couple of other clues too, such as the abrupt conversation between Lamont and Regan about ESP and how it could fit into Christian theology. If it’s such a big deal, why does the film refuse to delve into it aside from a few random and completely out of place scenes and bits of dialogue?

Anyhoo…

The frustrating thing about Exorcist II isn’t that it’s boring and tedious (yet strangely engrossing, I have to admit) or that it has a bad, sloppy script (and it does), but that in the jumble of themes and ideas that makes up Exorcist II there seems to be the jigsaw pieces to a more interesting movie. What this film seems to have tried to explore was a marriage between religion and science (albeit goofy pseudo-science), which would have worked, if it had explored deeply and simultaneously the concepts of Regan as both the forerunner of a new evolutionary step toward universal telepathy (the ‘world-mind’ suggested in Lamont and Regan’s conversation) and the ‘Good Locust’ who will break the cycle of evil (or rather EE-VILL) and undo the Fall. This would have at least been a solid, workable premise. Instead, the movie seems to be confused about its own philosophy and tries to run in two or three different directions with it, while glossing over or just simply throwing out the original film’s observations about the nature of evil and the role of religion in the modern world.

Cast Connections:

-Louise Fletcher (Dr. Gene Tuskin) was Nurse Ratchet in One Flew over The Cuckoo's Nest

One shot for:

-Every time the words Pazuzu or EE-VILL are uttered. Two shots for the classic "Your machine has proven..." line.

-Every time Linda Blair's bralessness becomes particularly blatant.

-Every time you have to ask a question about the plot to a friend (may cause alcohol poisoning).

-Every time there's an attempt to be 'artsy.'