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The Exorcist III 1990

The way that this film ties into the original "Exorcist" just never quite worked for me. George C. Scott's tormented cop certainly goes through his own private Hell, as the long-thought dead Gemini-killer played by Brad Dourif, returns to kill again.

This is certainly a slow movie but that doesn't mean it's not entertaining. There are a fair number of shocks along with a wealth of some pretty heavy dialogue. The scenes of Scott's Hinderman and Dourif's killer in his asylum cell are bleak and depressing but not really scary. These scenes are also very long and could have been trimmed down and still not lost their effectiveness.

There is one shocking scene when a nurse is attacked that really catches you by surprise and it leaves you wishing there was more of this kind of jump scare in the movie. I'm not a big fan of the jump scare, but this movie could have used more of them. Overall,this seems like more of a heavy crime drama. It gets supernatural at the end, but even that doesn't have the impact that it should given it's "Exorcist" bloodline.

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"I think the dead should shut up unless there is something to say"

Not the biggest fan of the original, thought it was overrated. But 3 is slightly better. Unlike the original they cutback on the supernatural stuff mostly and focuses more on the mystery. It's slow burning and dialogue-heavy but there weren't any moment throughout the runtime that had me bored. Some really intriguing and mysterious scenes, with The Gemini Killer being my favourite character along with George's main character. The performances were really good and Brad's performance is probably one of the best acting performances I've seen in a while. I would've loved to see more supernatural killings or even a bit more scares. The final moments were solid but feels rushed.

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(Theatrical Version)

Wasn't crazy about The Exorcist, couldn't finish Exorcist II: The Heretic, thought The Exorcist: Believer was generic but The Exorcist III is more my taste. It's very different from the others and for a good while there's no exorcisms in sight. It eventually kinda gets to that but it's strong suit is the serial killer stuff.

The most interesting aspect is the storytelling told by the characters within the movie, some well-told very troubling stories. It plays on the viewer's imagination instead of actually showing the murders. I really like George C. Scott in the main role he's amazing and his character is easy to root for. The real powerhouse is Brad Dourif though, a great performance.

Great acting and dialogue, a good pacing, no dead spots, love the dark and rainy weather. Not really any score except for some weird demonic voices mixed with loud instrumentals but it fits so well. The last ten minutes are so wild, part of me loved it for everything it brings visually but it doesn't fit at all with the calm tone previously established.

Well-placed Child's Play in-joke!

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As a movie that comfortably rests within my top 10 movies (or 20 or 5, idk... it's so hard to make definate lists) I can safely say that The Exorcist III is a must-watch. Not only for George C Scott and Brad Dourif's performances, not only for building on the first (and second) Exorcist movie without falling into cliché pitfalls, not only for the tense feeling you have while watching it, the Tubular Bells intro, the quoted scenes... In short: the whole movie.

I've seen this movie more times than I can safely remember (I think it's 5 now) and it still doesn't bore me despite clearly being slow-paced in contrast to more modern cinema. Still trying to find the definitive Director's Cut called "Legion" on a device I can play it on though.

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3 Thoughts After Watching ‘The Exorcist III’:

  1. The creepy voices were the true stars here. Very reminiscent of the original.

  2. Decent continuation story here, along with some genuinely eerie visuals. Weird editing at times. But the real downer of the film, for me, was the excessive exposition. They spent so much time explaining so much of what we already suspected. Felt wasteful.

  3. Brad Dourif’s performance was particularly impressive.

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Like me singing Queen: a little all over the place and nowhere near as good as the original.

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I'm really of two minds about "Exorcist III". On the one hand, I enjoyed the atmospheric, exciting, and interesting opening, but on the other hand, the film lost me more and more as the movie went on. The whole climax was no fun for me anymore because it just seemed slapped on, and it obviously was. At the latest, when suddenly a priest appears, whom one has never seen before and who suddenly wants to perform an exorcism, it becomes very clear that the studio has intervened. A calmer ending would have been far more appropriate for the film. Despite the promising start, I was ultimately unsatisfied.

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Blattys dialogue delivered by Scott & Dourif is pretty exceptional for a third entry in a franchise. I think you could cut 20 minutes and tighten it up for near perfection.

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After a disastrous second entry, William Peter Blatty returns to write and direct The Exorcist III. A police detective investigating a string of murders that resemble those of a dead serial killer discovers a dangerous mental patient who claims to be inhabited by the spirit of the serial killer, and that he’s possessing people to carry out more killings. George C. Scott, Brad Dourif, and Jason Miller lead the cast and give fairly decent performances. However, the plot is convoluted as all get-out, with only the tenuous of ties to the original film. Yet for all its problems, The Exorcist III delivers some disturbing and frightful chills.

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So close to brilliant; definitely masterful considering it was only Blatty's second film, ten years apart from his first one in 1980.

Découpage and shot composition are impeccable throughout most of the film. Tension is way high and very often even in the dialogue, and it just builds and builds. Excellent performances from Scott, Jason Miller and most definitely Brad Dourif, who seems able to do with his voice whatever the hell he wants, a feat he would reprise a few years later in the very first season of The X Files, not by coincidence in a very eerie episode.

Hospital corridors with Godfather vibes. Very strong Brian De Palma vibes. Some Silence of the Lambs vibes. Mild David Fincher vibes, but strong Zodiac ones. Also kinda reminiscent of Coma (1978) and Fallen (1998). So, what's not to like?

A very different film from the previous two, but still almost as good as the first.

110-minute theatrical cut.

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-yells demonically- “WE’RE FINE!!!!!!”

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Rivals the first in quality. Excellent horror.

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It was better then the second one and there were some nice moments, but I expect something else from Exorcist - 5/10

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