BOORMAN AND THE DEVIL

BOORMAN AND THE DEVIL

A Fascinating Story Behind the Making of “Exorcist II: The Heretic”

When John Boorman, the legendary director of “Deliverance”, agreed to direct the sequel to one of the highest-grossing films of all time, he had no idea the project would nearly kill him—and almost destroy his career. As the director of “Exorcist II”, he was expected to earn Warner Bros. millions more, terrify audiences even more than the original, and cement his place in cinematic history.

Instead, he infuriated audiences, became the producers’ nightmare, and went down in film history as the creator of one of cinema’s most notorious disasters—a film so reviled that viewers demanded refunds and theater owners reportedly pushed for changes to consumer laws. But was this reputation deserved?

This is the subject of the brilliant documentary “Boorman and the Devil”, which explores the making of “Exorcist II: The Heretic”. Was it truly a terrible film? Or did it simply fail to deliver what audiences were expecting—primal fear instead of cerebral musings? Was “Exorcist II” an empty, pretentious mess inflated by the director’s ego?

Those questions are explored on camera by Linda Blair, John Boorman, Louise Fletcher (to whose memory the film is dedicated), and leading contemporary horror filmmakers. “Boorman and the Devil” is a gripping tale of an artist’s torment and ecstasy, a creative vision ahead of its time, and the pain of being misunderstood. It is also a story of humility—something Boorman, now in his nineties, was forced to embrace after the film’s disastrous release.

Does he regret making the film? What does he think of Richard Burton’s performance? And why did working on “Exorcist II” nearly cost him his life? “Boorman and the Devil” plays like a horror film itself—breathless, riveting, and surprisingly moving.