The Exorcist III

1990
R
1h 50m

IMDb RATING

6.5/10

40K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

Play trailer1:52

Supernatural Horror Drama Horror Mystery

A police lieutenant uncovers more than he bargained for as his investigation of a series of murders, which have all the hallmarks of the deceased Gemini serial killer, leads him to question ... Read allA police lieutenant uncovers more than he bargained for as his investigation of a series of murders, which have all the hallmarks of the deceased Gemini serial killer, leads him to question the patients of a psychiatric ward.A police lieutenant uncovers more than he bargained for as his investigation of a series of murders, which have all the hallmarks of the deceased Gemini serial killer, leads him to question the patients of a psychiatric ward.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.5/10

40K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

4,777

330

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 2 wins & 5 nominations

Trivia
William Peter Blatty wanted the film to be titled simply "Legion", just like his novel of the same name. The producers, however, wanted the title to be "The Exorcist III" for commercial reasons. Blatty even tried to convince them to alter it to "The Exorcist 1990" in order to distance it from Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977), which he despised, but had to settle for "The Exorcist III" notwithstanding.

Goofs
(at around 42 mins) The gruesome head cutting scissors were made for the movie and do not exist in real life. It is said in the movie that the scissors are spring loaded, so it takes very little effort to open them, but they produce a vicious force when being closed. This is not possible: the spring cannot produce more force when closing as it would take you to open it.

Quotes
Kinderman: This I believe in... I believe in death. I believe in disease. I believe in injustice and inhumanity, torture and anger and hate... I believe in murder. I believe in pain. I believe in cruelty and infidelity. I believe in slime and stink and every crawling, putrid thing... every possible ugliness and corruption, you son of a bitch. I believe... in you.

Alternate versions
Some European prints are rumored to include a scene depicting the violent killing of a priest, removed from the US version after unsuccessful sneak previews. A shot from this scene, showing the beheaded priest sitting on a bench and holding his own head in his lap, can be seen in the French publicity stills.

Connections
Edited into The Exorcist III: Legion (1990)

Soundtracks
Gloria
Liturgical Chant
Performed by Burleigh Seaver

User reviews334

Review

Featured review

7/10

Excellent Sequel

A police lieutenant uncovers more than he bargained for as his investigation of a series of murders, which have all the hallmarks of the deceased 'Gemini' serial killer, lead him to question the patients of a psychiatric ward.

Although I actually enjoyed the second "Exorcist" film, most people consider it a stinker and like to pretend it never happened. For those people, this is the right film to watch. A great tale of possession, that follows rather directly (though belatedly) from the original.

George C. Scott adds a certain weight to any film. Just as he did for "The Changeling", he makes what could be a forgettable horror film into something really worthwhile. He is a vastly underrated actor.