Classics in the Browning
Come for one or both films. A 15-minute intermission will occur between the screenings.
The Exorcist (1973)
Directed by William Friedkin
With Linda Blair, Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow
Rated R, 122 minutes, DCP
In English, Latin, Greek, French, German, Arabic, and Kurdish with English subtitles
Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
Directed by John Boorman
With Linda Blair, Richard Burton, Louise Fletcher
In English, French, Spanish, and Latin with English subtitles
The impact of The Exorcist on horror films, American Catholicism, and children's (and parents') dreams is difficult to understate. When released in 1973, the film broke industrial and critical bounds becoming the first horror film to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. Further, its ability to work the profane into a "sacred" film became a blueprint many have copied — and continue to do so. When Exorcist II: The Heretic hit in 1977, it was almost immediately labeled the opposite; it was, itself, heretical to the vision of the first by, according to the New York Times, being laughable and "cold mashed potatoes." Recently, though, that same newspaper ran a piece on how John Boorman's sequel deserves more respect, and indeed it has the love of Martin Scorsese (who prefers the sequel to the original) and Pauline Kael delighted in Exorcist II's "visionary crazy grandeur." As we start October, come check out both to see which possesses you more.