Happy October! It's the season of scary movies and your favorite librarian podcasters are discussing EXORCIST II: THE HERETIC (1977), John Boorman's widely maligned sequel to William Friedkin's THE EXORCIST (1973).
Amelia and Janine are reviewing this movie in preparation for Knoxville Horror Film Fest, where they will be showing the 2025 documentary BOORMAN AND THE DEVIL about the production of the film. Checkout Cinema will be at the festival and posting mini-reviews of the hellish horrors being screened!
As Janine and Amelia grapple to understand this film and its vision, there is some discussion of trauma and adverse childhood experiences, including references to childhood sexual abuse. If you are sensitive to these topics, please take care of yourself and skip this one. You can find resources for support through RAINN (rainn.org), or call the hotline at 800-656-HOPE.
Thanks to Darrell Winfree for editing this podcast. Support your local library!
Clips used:
Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) - Bonus Clip: Actress Linda Blair Discusses The Sequel (HD) https://youtu.be/5dBA_tShNl0?is=DGvPpFIjXVMFiWfl
Brad Dourif on Exorcist II https://youtube.com/shorts/9t9DKN8muJQ?si=8ByQWer0GaL3IHWM
Clips from the films The Exorcist and Exorcist II
00:00 Intro
01:15 Knoxville Horror Film Fest (KHFF) History
02:15 KHFF Lineup 2026 / Intro to our film review of Exorcist II
04:00 Amelia's experience of KHFF
06:00 Sticks and Stones short film starring Amelia
08:45 KHFF 2026 Theme: Hell-Centered Horror
09:45 Beginning of Exorcist II: The Heretic review / Discussion of The Exorcist (1973)
12:56 Discussing the disappointment of Exorcist II
17:25 Boorman and the Devil (2025) showing at KHFF
18:02 How does Exorcist II work as a sequel?
20:10 Summarizing the plot
21:56 Exorcist II as an examination of trauma
25:45 Good vs Evil rather than grounded in Catholicism
29:20 Metaphysical philosophy framework
34:41 Discussion of psychological effects of adverse childhood experiences
38:17 Regan's possession as a metaphor for sexual exploitation of a young girl
42:40 What would a successful sequel look like?
44:30 Interesting visuals in the film
45:18 Audience in 1977 versus today's horror movie watching audience
48:00 What if they made a sequel today?
50:55 Final thoughts on the film
52:30 KHFF 2026
53:15 Future series: Ballroom dancing films
54:19 Would you checkout the film again?
55:30 Outro
