ABOUT THE PROJECT
LOGLINE
The true story of how John Boorman made a big-budget sequel to THE EXORCIST, and how his surreal and unconventional film became a legendary disaster.
SYNOPSIS
In 1973, Warner Brothers released THE EXORCIST. The film became a critical and cultural phenomenon, nominated for ten Academy Awards, and it became the highest grossing movie in the studio’s history and the third highest grossing film of all time.
Four years later, the studio released a sequel, EXORCIST II: THE HERETIC. Directed by Academy Award nominee John Boorman (DELIVERANCE), the film had the biggest budget in the Warner Brothers’ history and was one of the most highly anticipated movies of all time.
But EXORCIST II: THE HERETIC would be one of the most infamous critical and commercial disasters in Hollywood history.
Through interviews with director Boorman, stars Linda Blair and Louise Fletcher, as well as critics, filmmakers, and many of the original crew, HERETICS details the towering ambitions of Boorman and his team: shooting African exteriors on Burbank soundstages, teetering skyscraper shots, using old-school in-camera effects such “ghost glass” and matte paintings, and embracing technologies like the brand new Steadicam rig. But disasters befell the production, Boorman almost died from a mystery illness, and the film barely finished to make its release date… only to see a hostile and disastrous reception.
Rather than a standard sequel, Boorman had set out to make a wholly original film, an “answer” to THE EXORCIST. But after its public failure, the director was forced to reassess not only his approach to filmmaking, but also whether he would ever make another movie.
HERETICS is a tribute to the amazing ambition of a generation of 1970s filmmakers and the studios who supported them. It marks the first feature documentary from Emmy-nominated filmmaker David Kittredge, who most recently served as lead editor and co-executive producer on Bryan Fuller’s limited series QUEER FOR FEAR: THE HISTORY OF QUEER HORROR.
PROJECT TYPE Documentary Feature
DIRECTOR David Kittredge
SCREENWRITER David Kittredge
PRODUCER Jim Fall, David Kittredge, Travis Stevens
WEBSITE hereticsmovie.com
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