Connect with us

Editorials

A Tale of Two ‘Exorcist’ Prequels; Which One is Better?

Published

on

The franchise that followed the original The Exorcist was always an unusual one. The second film was critically panned upon release and hasn’t fared much better in the intervening years. The third entry was more effective and frightening, but it was only tangentially related to the original film. One of the most interesting entries of the series, a spin-off film called The Ninth Configuration, which followed a minor character from the original, isn’t usually even considered a genuine part of the series.

And then, of course, there is the prequel. Or, more appropriately, the prequels. How did they come about, what went wrong, why are there two of them, and which is ultimately the superior film?

Let’s take a look at Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist and Exorcist: The Beginning.

William Wisher Jr., co-writer of the first two Terminator films, was originally asked to come up with a new story for the Exorcist franchise; his reaction to that request, in the interview book The Anatomy of Fear: Conversations with Cult Horror and Science Fiction Filmmakers (written by Kathleen Fernandez-Vander Kaay and myself), was to say, “Not only do I NOT want to do that, I don’t think the world needs another one of those.

He changed his mind, however, after a small mention from the first film popped into his head. Describing a plot point about The Exorcist, Wisher said, “In the original book and 1973 film, the Church calls Merrin because he’s the only guy they can find who has previously performed one of those things. And I went, ‘that’s the story’; it’s 1946 in Africa, he’s just come out from the Second World War, and like fifty million people died – it’s easy to set up that he’s lost his faith in God, and he goes to this village because he’s running away. And he meets this poor child, and in helping him, and fighting the devil, and facing his own demons, he gets his faith back.

Armed with that idea, he wrote the script, and a seemingly brilliant package was formed when writer/director Paul Schrader signed on to direct the film. A smart writer creating back story based on elements from the original film, all brought to the screen by an iconic director. What could go wrong?

That was the weirdest project I have ever been involved with in my life, and it’s a heart breaker,” Wisher said, referring to the very strange and oddly public trouble the film went through. That trouble started when James Robinson, owner of Morgan Creek (the studio that financed the film), saw the cut of Paul Schrader’s film Dominion and said outright that he wasn’t going to release it. However, because the intellectual property was valuable, they weren’t just going to shelve the movie. So the company made other plans.

They made two movies out of that movie,” Wisher said, “and Paul Schrader directed the movie that I wrote, shot it, edited it. Finished it. But that movie got shelved and Renny Harlin was hired. Jim Robinson didn’t like Schrader’s movie of my script, he said it wasn’t enough of a horror film.

Thus began the production of the second film, helmed by Harlin, with a new script by Alexi Hawley that strangely contained nearly every single beat and plot point of the Schrader and Wisher version. Wisher described watching the new version as “one of the oddest experiences in my life. Like they had taken the script, broken it into 3×5 cards, threw them in the air, mixed them with a bunch of new cards from some other writer, then stuck them back together in random order and shot that.

When Harlin’s film was completed and released as Exorcist: The Beginning, it did not find favor with audiences or critics. It was dismissed as a bundle of half-hearted jump scares and awkward action sequences strung together with passing nods to the original film in the series but little else to distinguish itself. Mainstream audiences weren’t interested in seeing it, and horror aficionados were insulted by its lack of ambition. It made its budget back but barely broke even after advertising, and the film currently has an 11% freshness rating at Rotten Tomatoes.

The production company saw that perhaps there was a silver lining to the problematic public issues the film suffered from; the moviegoing public already knew there was another, fully completed version of the film, so why not release that one as well? Dominion finally saw the light of day as a DVD release, and possibly for the first time in history, two distinct versions of the same story made around the same time, produced by the same company but from different filmmakers, were both commercially available.

Dominion was by no means a huge success, either. Even ignoring the fact that it premiered on DVD and therefore would not make as much money, the film itself suffered from pacing issues, questionable special effects, and an overall feeling of a lack of investment in the subject matter. Though the spiritual and psychological aspects were more pronounced in the Schrader version, the filmmaking itself left something to be desired.

So which film is the superior film? “I prefer the quiet, emotionally disturbing nature of the first one we made, over the overt horror story they finally released,” said Wisher, perhaps unsurprisingly. He did note something interesting, however, regarding his struggles with James Robinson about the nature of the film itself: “I kept telling him The Exorcist wasn’t a horror film. It was a disturbing film. It’s a slow, cold, creepy, terrifying thing, but it’s ultimately about faith and God.

Neither of the films were particularly well-received, so it wasn’t as if audiences flocked to the Schrader version as the superior movie upon its DVD release. Perhaps the reason for the financial failure of both prequels can be addressed by the absence of what made the 1973 film such a success.

Paul Schrader has always been a smart and engaged writer and director, and his Calvinist religious upbringing led to him creating some excellent filmic observations of the struggle of faith, from the script for The Last Temptation of Christ to Touch. Almost all his films deal in some way with man’s struggle against his own base desires, and his scripts for Taxi Driver and Raging Bull were made into epic classic films. He has not, however, always had a flare for visual storytelling, often directing films with a cool distance and stillness.

Renny Harlin, on the other hand, has a visual flourish that nearly always comes through, no matter the subject matter or budget. From A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master to Die Hard 2 to The Long Kiss Goodnight, Harlin has delivered films whose imagery and fluid movement are always impressive. He has not, however, had to tackle something as heady, reverent, and emotionally devastating as The Exorcist, and that isn’t exactly his forte. Both versions of the prequel to The Exorcist were lacking in aspects because each was missing the half that the other was better at; that is why the original film will always be remembered and revered.

William Peter Blatty, the writer of the book and the original film, was the smart, passionate man of faith that brought the story to vivid emotional life. William Friedkin, the director of the original, was one of the most skilled and daring visual storytellers of his day, a risk-taker who formed a surprising but strong bond with Blatty to create one of the most iconic works in film history. If nothing else, the dueling versions of the Exorcist prequel, and their lack of connection to a wide audience, remind us how difficult it is to find a pairing like the original’s.

the exorcist anniversary

Editorials

‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel

Published

on

leprechaun returns

The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.

The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.

Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.

LEPRECHAUN

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).

It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.

The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.

LEPRECHAUN RETURNS sequel

Pictured: Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, and Sai Bennett as Lila, Katie and Rose in Leprechaun Returns.

The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.

Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.

Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.


Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.

The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.

Leprechaun Returns movie

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

Continue Reading