10 Movie Sequels That Got A Raw Deal
6. The Exorcist III
It's not easy being the sequel to a film that was almost instantly praised as the greatest horror film ever made. Hype around The Exorcist was as outlandish and extreme as it Is today, just to give a sense of how revered it is. And for the most part, it lives up to it. While not necessarily terrifying for everyone (those lacking in religous background might be less inclined to agree with the consensus), it's hard to argue that it's not a great film.
The same can't be said for the sequel, often cited as one of the worst of all time up there with Jaws: The Revenge. John Boorman's Exorcist II: The Heretic is the kind of confusing, bizarre, unappealing kind of bad that doesn't even qualify as unintentionally funny save for James Earl Jones' bee costume.
By the time William Peter Blatty took back control of the franchise with the third film, adapted from his novel Legion, no one had any expectations.
That's precisely why even its messy theatrical cut, with a studio-enforced exorcism in the film's final act and reshoots that only serve to confuse the audience, is still worth a look. The film follows Lt. Kinderman, a side character in the first film, following a series of murders that may be committed by the same demon.
That it includes what some call a scene scarier than anything in the first film and cameos from Samuel L. Jackson, Fabio and Larry King are just icing on the cake.