'Boorman and the Devil' Review: Revisiting the Disaster of 'Exorcist II: The Heretic'

A new account titled "Boorman and the Devil" offers a detailed retrospective look at the making of "Exorcist II: The Heretic," the 1977 sequel to the hit horror film "The Exorcist," which was widely panned upon release, according to a Guardian review.

The account, by David Kittredge, details filmmaker John Boorman's experience directing the sequel, which the review describes as a "deeply ill-conceived" but ambitious supernatural film that drew ridicule from audiences and critics despite technical innovations, including pioneering use of Steadicam technology.

The sequel brought back Linda Blair and Max von Sydow from the original film, and added Richard Burton as a troubled priest and Louise Fletcher as a psychiatrist, though the review notes the finished film's more unusual elements, including a device meant to allow "mind-reading," were received as unintentionally comedic by audiences.

According to the review, the film's poor reception was severe enough that Boorman recut the film to remove some of its more widely mocked sequences after its initial release, though the changes did not significantly alter its critical standing.

The review characterizes "Boorman and the Devil" as an engaging account of a notorious film production, offering insight into how an ambitious project involving major stars and technical innovation nonetheless became one of the more widely mocked sequels in horror film history.