The Exorcist remains my choice for the greatest horror movie ever made. Some may argue for Rosemary’s Baby, The Shining, or Night of the Living Dead, but as a good Catholic boy, nothing has ever gotten under my skin the way William Friedkin’s original did. Naturally, Hollywood tried to turn the film into a franchise, despite Friedkin having little interest in sequels. The result is one of horror’s strangest franchise legacies, filled with misguided sequels, troubled productions, and one genuinely excellent follow-up. Here are the Exorcist movies ranked from worst to best.
| Rank | Movie | Year | Director | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Exorcist II: The Heretic | 1977 | John Boorman | Wildly entertaining disaster |
| 5 | The Exorcist: Believer | 2023 | David Gordon Green | Generic and disappointing legacy sequel |
| 4 | Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist | 2005 | Paul Schrader | Interesting but ultimately dull |
| 3 | The Exorcist: The Beginning | 2004 | Renny Harlin | Silly but entertaining action-horror prequel |
| 2 | The Exorcist III | 1990 | William Peter Blatty | The franchise’s only truly great sequel |
| 1 | The Exorcist | 1973 | William Friedkin | The greatest horror movie ever made |
6. Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
Director: John Boorman
Starring: Richard Burton, Linda Blair, Max von Sydow, James Earl Jones
Release Year: 1977
Subgenre: Supernatural horror
Notable For: One of the most infamous horror sequels ever made
So, worst is a degree here rather than a black-and-white fact. All of the Exorcist sequels – with that one exception I’ll get to later – are terrible. Yet, of them all, none is quite as bad as the infamous Exorcist II: The Heretic. What’s crazy is that the movie comes from a pretty fantastic director, John Boorman. Still, he’s also a guy who, in between making masterpieces like Excalibur and Deliverance, also made the odd stinker, like Zardoz.
Exorcist II: The Heretic is like the overacting Olympics. Poor Richard Burton sweats booze as Father Lamont, who’s having a crisis of faith while investigating the death of Father Merrin (Max Von Sydow was lured back for a small role). He meets with Linda Blair’s Regan MacNeil, who’s now a teenager and seems well adjusted, all things considered. There’s a batch of hokum that includes ESP, James Earl Jones dressed as a Locust, a weird Italo-disco score by Ennio Morricone, not one but two tap dancing sequences for Linda Blair, and Burton doing all of his own sweating and looking like he needs a drink – badly.
This movie was so bad that Boorman had to physically cut film prints that were already playing theatrically in order to make the movie a little shorter. Yet, as bad as it is, it’s one of the most entertainingly awful movies ever made, and the cinematography by William A. Fraker is legitimately great. Also, no one says Pazuzu like Richard Burton.
5. The Exorcist: Believer (2023)
Director: David Gordon Green
Starring: Leslie Odom Jr., Ellen Burstyn, Ann Dowd, Lidya Jewett
Release Year: 2023
Subgenre: Supernatural horror
Notable For: Ellen Burstyn’s return as Chris MacNeil
While not as poorly made as Exorcist: The Heretic, director David Gordon Green’s Believer is undoubtedly a more boring film (despite the jump scares) and about as lazy a horror movie as you’re likely to encounter. Judging by the toxic word of mouth, you can imagine Universal is kicking themselves by shelling out $400 million for the rights to the franchise, even though none of the sequels have ever been financially successful.
Fifty years after starring in the original film, Ellen Burstyn reprised the role of Chris MacNeil for this film, and of course the movie couldn’t even handle her character correctly.
4. Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (2005)
Director: Paul Schrader
Starring: Stellan Skarsgård, Gabriel Mann, Clara Bellar
Release Year: 2005
Subgenre: Psychological horror / religious drama
Notable For: The original prequel version rejected by the studio
Director Paul Schrader’s Exorcist prequel was considered such a disaster that the studio that made it, Morgan Creek, shelved and remade the entire film. While it’s hip to say Schrader’s movie is excellent, the truth is that despite some interesting moments, it’s very dull. It’s an interesting curiosity, and Schrader would eventually make a masterpiece about faith (First Reformed), but this isn’t it.
That said, I’m happy it eventually saw the light of day as I’m not in favor of shelving movies, no matter how bad they are.
3. The Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)
Director: Renny Harlin
Starring: Stellan Skarsgård, Izabella Scorupco, James D’Arcy
Release Year: 2004
Subgenre: Action horror / supernatural horror
Notable For: The studio-mandated replacement for Dominion
Like The Heretic, this alternate Exorcist prequel by Renny Harlin is of the so bad it’s good variety. Harlin turned the franchise into an action film, with Stellan Skarsgård’s Father Merrin reimagined as a badass priest who even performs a holy head-butt at the film’s conclusion. It isn’t good, but it’s kind of fun.
Skarsgård really does his best, and its interesting to compare his Liam Neeson-like action star performance in this to his quiet turn in Dominion.
2. The Exorcist III (1990)
Director: William Peter Blatty
Starring: George C. Scott, Jason Miller, Ed Flanders, Brad Dourif
Release Year: 1990
Subgenre: Psychological horror / police thriller
Notable For: Adaptation of Blatty’s novel Legion
It’s literally the only good Exorcist sequel. William Peter Blatty initially set out to make a looser kind of sequel, with it being an adaptation of his novel Legion. But, after the movie was completed, Morgan Creek got uncomfortable with his police thriller version of the film, insisting he reshoot the ending to include Jason Miller’s Father Karras and a grand guignol, eighties-horror style Exorcism.
Despite being compromised (you can see the reconstituted director’s cut on the Blu-Ray), the movie is still quite good, with George C. Scott excellent as the recast Lt. Kinderman (the original actor – Lee J. Cobb – was dead by this point). Blatty also includes some weird touches, including a cameo by Fabio as an angel.
One might also consider Blatty’s The Ninth Configuration as a quasi-sequel given that a minor character from the first film is the star, but the genres are very different. If that one were counted it would place highly on our list of Exorcist Movies Ranked.
1. The Exorcist (1973)
Director: William Friedkin
Starring: Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, Max von Sydow, Jason Miller
Release Year: 1973
Subgenre: Religious horror
Notable For: Widely regarded as one of the greatest horror films ever made
Simply put, the greatest horror movie ever made. If you’re making a list called Exorcist Movies Ranked, and the original film doesn’t land in first place, what are you even doing?
Friedkin was right never to try and make a sequel because it can’t possibly be beaten, or even equaled. That said, avoid 2000’s The Version You Never Saw, as that was Friedkin doing a favour for William Peter Blatty, who hated how vague the director had left the conclusion of his battle between good and evil. I much prefer the darker original. As for the Spider-Walk – who needs it?
If you want to see another quasi-horror film from Friedkin, check out the 1980 serial killer thriller Cruising, which is very disturbing and loosely based on a real killer’s exploits. The kicker – this killer was a radiologist who played himself in The Exorcist! It’s weird but true.
FAQ
What is the best Exorcist movie?
The original The Exorcist (1973) is widely considered the best film in the franchise and one of the greatest horror movies ever made.
Is The Exorcist III worth watching?
Yes. Many horror fans consider The Exorcist III the only genuinely strong sequel in the series.
Why are there two Exorcist prequels?
Morgan Creek rejected Paul Schrader’s original prequel, Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist, and replaced it with Renny Harlin’s Exorcist: The Beginning.
Is The Exorcist: Believer connected to the original movie?
Yes. The film serves as a legacy sequel and brings back Ellen Burstyn as Chris MacNeil.
Was William Friedkin involved in the sequels?
No. Friedkin declined to direct sequels after the original 1973 film.
Despite decades of sequels, prequels, and reboots, The Exorcist remains one of the few horror films whose reputation has never faded. While the franchise itself has struggled to escape the shadow of Friedkin’s masterpiece, The Exorcist III proves there was at least one worthwhile continuation of William Peter Blatty’s world of faith, evil, and spiritual terror.
How would you rank the Exorcist movies? Let us know by leaving a comment below – and if you watched the TV series from 20th Century Fox Television, add that into the mix as well.
The post Exorcist Movies Ranked: From Worst to Best appeared first on JoBlo.
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