Special Report: Exorcist II - The Heretic (1977)

On this special episode of The Projection Booth we fly upon the wings of a demon as we discuss John Boorman’s 1977 film Exorcist II: The Heretic.

It’s been a few years since we’ve seen Regan MacNeil, the little girl who, on the cusp of womanhood, was possessed by a demon in William Friedkin’s 1973 film. She’s back... And so’s the demon, Pazuzu…This time the titular exorcist is Father Philip Lamont (Richard Burton) who is investigating what happened to the ill-fated Father Merrin (Max Von Sydow) with the help of Dr. Gene Tuskin (Louise Fletcher) and her hypnosis machine.

Heretical super-fans Samm Deighan (Diabolique Magazine) and David Kittredge (who's directing a documentary about Exorcist II) join Mike (who did a commentary track on the new Scream Factory blu-ray release) to look at the film, how it came to be, and its fate after release. Professor Brian Hoyle (The Cinema of John Boorman) and writer Paul Talbot (The Unmaking of Exorcist II) join the fray to try and explain this cinematic oddity.