The Exorcist III Review- By Michael Carlisle

Title: The Exorcist III 
Year: 1990
Director: William Peter Blatty
Country: US
Language: English

Usually in a trilogy of movies, the third and final picture is the worst of all. In Francis Ford Copolla's The Godfather Trilogy, Part 1 was considered a flawless masterpiece that went on to win numerous Academy Awards, Part II was seen in a very similar light, and Part III was overlooked by critics and seen as the worst. The Exorcist Trilogy  has a different path; Part I transcended the genre, Part II was complete and utter crap and Part III...well here it is.

In The Exorcist III Lt. Kinderman and Father Dyer cheer each other up on the anniversary of the death of their mutual friend, Father Damien Karras, by going to see It's a Wonderful Life at the local theater in Georgetown, near Washington D.C. But there's no cheering Kinderman while a particularly cruel and gruesome serial killer is at large. His murders resemble that of the Gemini Killer, who has been dead for fifteen years.

In 1971 The Exorcist became a landmark in the genre of horror film, becoming critically acclaimed as well as financially successful. Six years later Exorcist II: The Heretic followed and was regarded as one of the worst horror films of all time. Thirteen years later came The Exorcist III and remarkably it's even better than the original. The Exorcist III both honors and respects the legacy laid down by the first film while looking ahead towards new horizons. It blatantly ignored the events from The Heretic, so you can be joyful that you don't have to watch II to understand III.

Like the original film, The Exorcist III is not just a horror film, but an investigative mystery as well.  In a sense, it was a kind of priest procedural. For the first hour or so, everything is up in the air.  It could be a deranged copycat serial killer or a case of the spirit of The Gemini Killer possessing people. While supernatural forces may be at work in this film, they're not what you expect. Another great thing about The Exorcist III is that we care about the characters therefore become legitimately worried if something bad happens to them. Too many modern films make their characters so unlikeable that we almost want to cheer for the killer.

In conclusion, The Exorcist III is also great because it has authentic fear. It does not rely on gross out special effects or random people jumping out of shadows, the horror is all atmosphere;  the incredibly claustrophobic shots and eerie lighting. Everything mentioned make this a worthwhile film to watch over and over. Don't overlook it, because it may as well be greater than the original. Praise it! 4,5/5