“Boorman and the Devil” (2025) / Z-View
Boorman and the Devil (2025)
Director: David Kittredge
Stars: John Boorman, Louise Fletcher, Mike Flanagan, Joe Dante, Linda Blair.
Tagline: Every artist has his demon.
The Plot…
After the success of The Exorcist, a sequel was a foregone conclusion. BUT, there were two BIG problems:
- William Peter Blatty, the autor of the original novel and the screenplay thought the story was complete. He wanted nothing to do with a sequel.
- The Exorcist director, William Friedkin also wanted nothing to do with a sequel.
So the studio turned to John Boorman. Boorman was coming off the success of Point Blank and Deliverence. Boorman wasn’t afraid to tackle the sequel. In fact Boorman had big ideas he wanted to explore and technically challenging camera set-ups he wanted to tackle. Boorman’s wanted to create an epic.
The reality turned out much differently. The movie went significantly over its shooting schedule and budget. Boorman became deathly ill forcing the production to shut down for five weeks. Boorman planned to shoot on location at The Vatican, in Ethiopia, and the original MacNeil house and its famous steps in Georgetown. Because of delays and cost overruns, none of this happened. Boorman was forced to repeatedly rewrite the script due to cost cuts. Actors sometimes received new scenes right before filming.
The film was a disaster. Critics savaged it. After the first week audiences stayed away. Audiences laughed during viewings. Boorman hurriedly prepared a director’s cut, but it was too late. It would be four years before John Boorman would direct another film.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Boorman and the Devil is an excellent peek behind the movie-making curtain. It’s ironic that this documentary is universally praised while the movie it was made about is almost universally panned.
Boorman and the Devil (2025) rates 4 of 5 stars.
