Hot Stuff
Browse
Genre Picks
Extras!
Stores
More Ideas
| |     |
I've Seen It:
| |
My Rating:
| |
Avg Rating:
| |
| |
| Father Merrin is on a visit to Africa; it's 1949.
Joining an archaeological dig he is part of the team which discovers a Byzantine church in near perfect condition... When an ancient evil is unleashed Merrin must rely on his faith to safe his life.
|
Here's what our members thought of this title. 5 stars = very good, 1 star = poor.
 |  | A New Chapter of Evil and God is Not Here...
Sequels and prequels are an awfully tricky business. So much to live up to. So many people to please. Take Exorcist: The Beginning, the fourth installment in the long-running horror franchise. A tale from the early days of Father Merrin, the demon-busting priest played by Max Von Sydow in the original, now played by fellow Swede Stellan Skarsgard, it's creation was fraught with peril. So terrified were the producers of messing things up that, after seeing director Paul Schrader's cut of the movie, they threw it out and started again. New writer, new director, new actors and everything. And that doesn't happen too often.
The writer hired to fix things was newcomer Alexi Hawley. "I watched a lot of scary movies," says Hawley of his prep work. "Obviously, the original Exorcist and Exorcist III. I also read up on the Roman Rituals and anything I could find on demonic possession. Honestly though, the biggest challenge I thought we were facing was our setting. The movie takes place in 1949 Kenya. The original Exorcist was so terrifying because it was in your house. Upstairs in that bedroom, the Devil was inside a 12-year-old girl. And that is way too close for comfort for most of us. Because we were so far removed from that, I felt that we had to go out of our way to make the scares in our version identifiable. We had to ground the terror of this movie in reality. Both physically and psychologically."
Replacement director Renny Harlin, whose credits include Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger and Deep Blue Sea, explains further. "We follow the same type of themes and ideas and maybe solve some of the questions and mysteries that were established in the original Exorcist. As this is a prequel, we had the chance to set up some of the things that were not explained in the 1973 film, and at the same time I felt it was important that the audience experience the same kind of fear and emotional discomfort as in the first film. The producers wanted to ensure the film was a character study focusing on the battle between good and evil, that it was scary and suspenseful like the original, but didn't rely on wild special effects that wouldn't make any sense. It's not about flying monsters and special effects at all."
"I had a great time working with Renny," adds Alexi. "He was an absolute professional who put the quality of the movie above all else. I found him to be a generous, intelligent director who showed extreme patience in a high stress situation. To his credit, he actively wanted me in Rome when they started shooting and wanted me right next to him on the set. He had no ego about asking my advice, and I feel like he challenged me to give my best at all times."
Joining an excavation in a remote corner of Kenya, Merrin unwittingly unleashes the Devil on the horrified locals. A chilling tale of death and damnation, the film proved a particular challenge for leading man Stellan Skarsgard. "A lot of journalists ask me the question, ‘Do you think you're big enough to fill the shoes of Max Von Sydow?' I didn't think I was worried about it, but obviously, unconsciously I was, because I had this dream the other night that I was walking down the street. Max Von Sydow comes walking towards me, and I'm happy to see him and he's happy to see me, but when he gets close, I find out that he's actually nine feet tall. Which says something about my relationship with him. Ultimately though, I'm putting my own spin on the character. I can't do what Max can do, I can only do it my way. It's also not necessary. His character was at the end of his life, an old man, and what he was like when he was younger, you can't tell. So, I have freedom to create the character in my own way."
Creepy crypts, fiendish sandstorms and possessions a-plenty await you, wild CG hyenas too, and no end of flies, maggots and crows for atmosphere. The power of Christ should compel you to add this to your list.
C 2005 Morgan Creek and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Distributed by Warner Home Video (UK) Ltd. a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. All rights reserved.
|
|
|
|