The Exorcist is rightfully seen as one of the most iconic films of the Horror genre. It was even nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, the first film from Horror to do so. Which is why it was odd when John Boorman was selected to direct the second film, considering he didn’t find the original scary. That said sequel, subtitled The Heretic, ended up being negatively received by critics and audiences. Better off ignored, the third film had a lot to prove and live up to. You don’t hear many people talking about the movie, which is tragic, because it is a truly great film worth of the original’s legacy.

This film takes place 17 years after the events of the original. We focus on a police Lieutenant – William Kinderman – as he investigates a series of murders. The crime scenes seem to have disturbing similarities with the murders of an infamous serial killer, the Gemini Killer. But the problem with that is that he was executed 15 years prior. While at the hospital during his investigation, he meets an unnamed patient discovered by the staff, someone who seemed to have amnesia. As the Lieutenant sits down with the patient, it becomes clear that he is something else entirely. He appears to be Damien Karras, the Father who sacrificed himself in an attempt to kill the demon. However, he is not alone or in control of his body. It appears as though the Gemini Killer and that same demon are using his body to continue their killing spree.

Something about the original film helps it stand out from a lot of mainstream Horror flicks. While the look of a possessed Reagan can be outright creepy and scary, it was a Horror movie focused more on the implied meaning of an evil such as the demon possessing a young girl. What that existence of such a creature means to someone like Damien Karras and how that can change a person. The third movie takes more influence from the original than the second film did. Focusing more on the mood & atmosphere it was presenting. And while we do have a few kill scenes, the true fear can be induced by the acting of our killer.

Jason Miller returns to portray the character of Damien Karras, a once heroic man now being used by evil itself. But he isn’t the only actor who gets to play the Gemini Killer. While a number of scenes show Lieutenant Kinderman talking to Damien and that actor, the movie will sometimes switch him out with the man we must assume is the true Gemini Killer, portrayed by Brad Dourif. The back-and-forth between these two actors – often in the same scene – is fairly seamless and helps bring intensity and intimidation to this character. For a little while in the movie, the movie lets us wonder if this is actually real or the imagination of other characters run wild. But it does seep in that this is real and how out of his depth this policeman truly is. Despite that, he does get a chance to fight back and help assist in exorcising all of the souls of his former friend’s body.

It is by no means a flawless film. But it is a film that needs more attention. It focuses on the psychological effects the evil has in the movie, a much more character focused story than the second movie. Not to mention a powerful performance by Miller & Dourif, going up against a strong performance from George C. Scott as the Lieutenant. This is a movie where Biblical Evil is real. And it can put fear into men of strong will, sometimes even use them as tools. But as long as good men continue to fight back as best as they can, it can be held at bay. And that is why this is an underrated movie that everyone should put on when the leaves fall from trees.