[forwearemany]

As a movie, The Heretic holds up Ok, but as a sequel to possibly the greatest film ever made, it failed spectacularly, I think the bigger problems were in casting, this was not a Richard Burton type film, the theme of the film was interesting, in looking at the origins of the demon Pazuzu it offered an opportunity to tell a more complete story, Linda Blair reprising her role as Regan, who was now in a clinic being assessed for after effects of her possession ordeal, also gave an opportunity to delve into the psychological aspects of being demonically possessed, they missed a trick, or they at least airbrushed it,

 

One of the bigger problems in trying to tell the story was how it came across as a history lesson, particularly when detailing the relationship between Kokumo and Pazuzu, too much time was spent with the symbiocity between the two, and not on how the possession had affected Regan, I get that she would be subject to flashbacks, and that could have been shown more graphically, and when she was visited by Pazuzu, it could have given a prescence to the demon, Pazuzu took the form of a Locust, which brought famine and disease, and appeared in Regan's room when she revisited the house on prospect street, John Boorman was in a no win situation, he could make a near copy of the original, or make his own movie, which he did, unfortunately, the original was too hard an act to follow, and ultimately the movie got panned, and the audiences didn't show.

[forwearemany]

Hi Iamnoone,

I am a new member, I am an enormous fan of the Exorcist, Novel and film, I have read Burke's symphony, I like the title, as it explains the missing information regarding Burke Dennings death,

 

You skill as an author is unquestionable, you have set a great tone to the piece, creating the scene as Burke was alone in the McNeil house, and building the tension as he voluntarily visits Regan in her bedroom, I liked the sense of fear you created in Regan at the prospect of an intruder, and the overall unease that invades the reader, it was like reading a scene omitted from the novel, well done and thank you.

[forwearemany]

The statue of the Demon Pazuzu was constructed for the shooting of the film, due to years of warfare in the Middle East many of the great temples and palaces had been destroyed, the area where this scene is shot, Ninevah, was once home to the kings, Ashurbanipal, and Nebuchadnezzar, a dynasty as rich as ancient Egypt, and the very cradle of civilisation, Mesopotamia, (the land between two rivers) the Tigris and Euphrates, was a hotbed of political and military unrest, not to mention the division between the religious leanings, all added to the collapse of possibly the greatest civilisation on earth.

 

To this day, these lands are embroiled in continuing warfare, I wonder if William Peter Blatty was conscious of his decision to set his novel in Northern Iraq, given it's strong belief in God's and other Deities.

[Author]

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