20 Awesome 90s Movies The World Forgot

Written and directed by William Peter Blatty, the author of the original Exorcist novel, The Exorcist III was released in 1990, over a decade after the disastrous first sequel. A talky and philosophical horror film that is largely devoid of traditional scares (although it does contain that jump scare), The Exorcist III wasn't necessarily what fans wanted, which might explain why the reviews at the time were so muted. Otherwise, it's hard to think why. 

The Exorcist III is one of the best horror sequels you'll ever watch and, much like the beloved original, it arguably works even better as a drama than as a horror. It takes the twisty story of a demonic serial killer and enhances its many thrills with rich character work and fantastic performances from a stellar cast. The late, great George C. Scott is as brilliant as ever in the lead role, but Brad Dourif, playing an incarcerated serial killer, steals the show with a short but magisterial supporting performance that, quite frankly, deserved an Oscar nomination. 

And besides, even if there aren't many scares, the whole thing is laced with disturbing dread and it will effortlessly worm its way into your psyche, especially when its terrifying serial killer antagonist is on-screen. Not only is this one of the most underrated horror films of the 90s, it's one of the most underrated horror films at large, and it's almost as good as the original. It really is that awesome.