The Exorcist 3: Legion (1990)

Forget about the piss-awful “Heretic”, if you have the patience to actually pay attention this excellent film should erase all memories of that unfortunate shitfest from your head. Directed by the author of “The Exorcist” Mr. William Peter Blatty, this film was adapted from Blatty’s own novel “Legion” which was his follow up to “The Exorcist”. This is not a sequel in terms of another little girl getting possessed and puking up pea soup, as the only correlation from the first is with the character of detective Kinderman, played this time by George C. Scott and a few references to the first film’s events thrown in for good measure. The studio basically insisted on the “Exorcist 3” tag to capitalize on the name, but the film really does not need it as simply “Legion” would have sufficed.

A recent batch of especially brutal murders has hit the Georgetown area that are eerily similar to those of the “Gemini Killer”, a deceased madman that struck the area over fifteen years ago. During the investigation Kinderman discovers a mental patient who looks suspiciously like Father Damien Karras, the priest who helped on the first film’s exorcism. However, looks can be deceiving as it just may be someone or something else instead. The winds of the supernatural are once again blowing in Georgetown and it’s up to Kinderman to get to the bottom of it.

Let me just say that if you plan on watching this film, turn out the lights, turn off the phone, beeper, or whatever and actually watch it. This is not a film where a loud explosion or what have you occurs every ten minutes to keep you interested. The emphasis here is on the atmosphere and dialogue throughout the picture. The scenes between the characters of Kinderman and Father Dyer are excellent, as you really get a feel of friendship between the two. Scott does well as Kinderman, portraying a cop at the end of his career who’s rather sick of everything he’s seen through the years. He also questions a God who would allow such crimes to be committed, so there is that whole “lack of faith” angle added to his character. Brad Dourif and Richard Miller (returning from the first film) split time as Father Karras and while their scenes do become a bit to drawn out, both men do great with their individual roles. Blatty does a great job at creating atmosphere and suspense as I got three solid “jump scenes” out of this one, and it’s also loaded with tons of creepy whisperings and religious symbolism. The film is low on overall f/x as it’s not really about the blood and guts, though the tacked on studio ending complete with exorcism has its share of grisliness. However, the ending feels way out of place and almost ruins the tone that the film established earlier on. Still, for those who have the time to properly absorb it, “Legion” is a very rewarding film.