The Exorcist franchise has become one of the weirdest in horror history, and here's how the five films to date rank, from worst to best. When it comes to demonic possession movies, there's 1973 classic The Exorcist, and everything else. Much like 1975's Jaws and killer shark movies, The Exorcist set a standard no other possession movie has ever really come close to matching, and also created a template that many horror movies have attempted to shamelessly ripoff for their own gain.
As great as The Exorcist is though, most of its sequels are, to put it bluntly, terrible. There have so far been five Exorcist films - and a short-lived FOX TV series - and for the most part, fans haven't really gotten treated to a franchise worthy of being associated with William Friedkin's original film. Still, horror is built on long-running series, and for the completists out there, there's no other option but to take in all the various adventures of Father Merrin, the demon Pazuzu, and the rest.
Without any further ado, here's our ranking of all five Exorcist films made to date, from 1973 to 2005. The power of Christ may compel the original film, but some of these sequels are worthy of punishments in Hell.
5. Exorcist 2: The Heretic (1977)
Released four years after the first Exorcist became a phenomenon, Exorcist 2: The Heretic is often cited as one of the worst sequels in horror history, making it an easy choice for this bottom spot. Linda Blair returns as a teenage version of Regan MacNeil, and despite the character being only 16, she's bizarrely and creepily turned into a sex object. What's even worse is that she tries to tempt the main character, a priest, into sex, and almost succeeds. The story overall is quite baffling, and is miles away from the unnerving terror found in the original, even with Max von Sydow briefly back as Father Merrin in flashbacks.
4. Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)
Taking this spot in the ranking is 2004 prequel Exorcist: The Beginning, one of two nearly identical Exorcist prequels made, thanks to an infamously troubled production. Directed by Renny Harlin, Exorcist: The Beginning shows promise in spots, and features a good performance by Stellan Skarsgard as a young Father Merrin. Unfortunately, it falls apart whenever it tries to ramp up the horror factor, plagued by embarrassingly bad special effects, characters that for the most part are thinly sketched and hard to care about, and an final act that attempts to copy the original Exorcist and pales in comparison.
3. Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (2005)
Directed by Paul Schraeder, this alternate Exorcist prequel was released after The Beginning earned derision from just about everyone, and bombed at the box office. Dominion was actually shot first, but deemed too cerebral and understated to release by Morgan Creek, leading them to reshoot the story with a new director. Sadly, Dominion, while better than The Beginning, still basically tells the same underwhelming and largely uninteresting tale, with mostly the same cast, and trades in The Beginning's laughable demon battles for lots of slow talking scenes that threaten to cure insomnia.
2. The Exorcist 3 (1990)
The only Exorcist sequel that's actually any good is The Exorcist 3, which makes sense as it was written and directed by William Peter Blatty, author of the book the original Exorcist was based on. Smartly, Exorcist 3 ignores Exorcist 2, and focuses on Lt. Kinderman (now played by George C. Scott), one of the characters from the original film. Kinderman's hunt for a brutal serial killer leads him to a man literally possessed, alternately played by Brad Dourif and Jason Miller, who played Father Damien Karras in the first film. While the final product was hampered a bit by executive meddling, The Exorcist 3 is the one follow-up to do any kind of justice to the Exorcist name.
1. The Exorcist (1973)
In this case, the obvious choice is easily the correct one. One of the most famous movies ever, The Exorcist is deservedly iconic, and is the only possible option to top this ranking. It's a truly excellent film, and one of the only horror films to be nominated for Best Picture. The Exorcist is a classic for a reason, and should be watched by every horror fan at least once.