I heard something on my local radio station today about summer movies, and they mentioned "Exorcist 2." Now since there already is one, I have to wonder: Is this "The Heretic: The Version You Couldn't See In Theatres", or is this a remake? And if so, how much $ do you think Richard Burton wants for coming back from the dead and reprising his role as the priest? Heh.
Hero
I think they actually meant "Exorcist: The beginning" (2003)
http://us.imdb.com/Title?0204313
John Frankenheimer ("Ronin", "The island of Dr. Moreau") shot most of it before dying recently. Looks like, of all people, Paul Schrader has finished it. From what I've heard the movie covers the events that appeared in the 2nd movie as a flashback (the posession of a native child in Africa). I don't know if it will be any good, but just for the two directors involved (they both have great movies in their respective careers) it sounds promising.
Right,Neville,for that radio guy got the news wrong,since this new Exorcist movie is actually Part 4; the prequel.
And,there definitely won't be both a re-issue of Part 2,and a direct sequel to that movie,any time soon.
Ugh. Maybe the radio guy was right, in a way--because this smells a lot more like "Heretic" than the other two...a cheap attempt to cash in.*
(I may be alone here, but William Peter Blatty's "Exorcist III" creeped me out, and made me jump out of my seat TWICE--anyone who's seen it knows what I'm talkin' about--and if it weren't for the hyperpsycho SFX finale, I'd consider it perfect.)
*I don't think John Boorman wanted to exploit the original; but Warner Brothers certainly did.
See, you'll probably want to hit me for this, but I kinda liked E2. It wasn't a classic, and it wasn't as scary as the first one, but it had a certain trippy quality to it that was entertaining at the time I watched it (not to mention Richard "Bug-Out" Burton). Actually, the trailer for it is scarier than the movie will ever be except to a schizophrenic 5 year old, but "Heretic" should be seen at least once as a kind of experiment: ask yourself while watching it if it's better or worse than the worst movie you've ever seen, and you should be fine.
Hero
"To know life, Otto, you must f#@& life in the gall bladder!!"
For me,there is no Exorcist 2.They went straight from 1 to 3.