8 Possession Horror Movies That Broke All The Rules
5. The Exorcist 3
The Exorcist 3 broke the rules of the possession movie so much that the studio actually had to step in, chop it up and order more scenes so it more neatly fit into the genre.
That's because, despite bearing the name, this third film wasn't supposed to feature an exorcism at all. Instead, the intention was to make a more psychologically-driven thriller that didn't resort to the pea-soup antics of its famous predecessor.
Instead, inspired by the Zodiac killer, the bulk of the story focuses on the mystery of the Gemini killer returning from the grave and continuing his spree over a decade after his supposed demise. The question is how he's managed to come back, and whether a demon was responsible for the crimes the entire time.
By request of the studio, there's ultimately a more concrete answer to this mystery and an explosive, blockbuster-friendly finale, but that doesn't stop the rest of the movie from subverting your expectations at every step.
Generally, The Exorcist series in its entirety never played it safe when it came to genre conventions, which is why it's such a shame that this is the only good sequel.