Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (2005)

Director: Paul Schrader

Cast: Stellan Skarsgård, Gabriel Mann, Clara Bellar, Billy Crawford

Have I Seen it Before: Never.

Did I Like It: Here’s a confession: For my money, Lankester Merrin (Skarsgård) is one of the least interesting characters in the original The Exorcist (1973), and for that matter, William Peter Blatty’s novel, as well. He wanders throughout the film’s opening scenes encountering vague portents of what is to come (or to the reading of a post-Spielbergian moving going public, accidentally unleashed Pazuzu). He then disappears for the nearly the entirety of the film, only to show up to be just about the only thing that the demon is apparently afraid of.

Hence, hinging a whole movie on the idea thrown around in the film that Merrin once engaged in a protracted exorcism, apparently of Pazuzu, is a bit of strain. Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) tried—seems like the wrong word, let’s go with “flailed”—to truck in the same area.

The history of this version is notably fraught. Exorcist: The Beginning (2004) resulted after this version was deemed as too dull and unexciting by the studio, which in turn was too stupid,  needlessly bloody, and fundamentally unwatchable, necessitating the release of this film which by all rights would have been otherwise lost…

And he’s another confession (priests will have that effect on people): I’m not sure I disagree with Warner Bros.’s assessment* that this version is a little turgid. It reckons with some serious themes like morality and faith, but it’s not reaching for anything that the original film didn’t very nearly perfect. Letting Renny Harlin have at the film likely wasn’t the right answer to remedy the film’s problems**.

*For me to ever even dream of admitting that Warner Bros. made the correct decision where a controversial sequel is truly a strange turn of events.

**I took a quick look at the plot summary for The Beginning and determined that it did sound pretty dumb. Just not The Heretic level of dumb.

Cat People (1982)

Director: Paul Schrader

Cast: Natassja Kinski, Malcolm McDowell, John Heard, Annette O’Toole

Have I Seen it Before: Never. I did see the original 1942 version of the film several times after recording it off of a late night airing on Turner Classic Movies, just because that’s the kind of guy I am.

I’d love to re-watch that film again. Or any other movie after all of that.

Did I Like It: No. Good God, no.

My first inclination is to not kink shame, but I really want to throw some shade Paul Schrader’s way.

I suppose there’s something akin to effective horror found in an experience that makes me feel perpetually nauseated, but that’s only barely what this movie is about. Nearly every frame of film in which Kinski appears is meant to arouse*, but if I feel—doubly so when she shares a scene with McDowell—ill in all of those instances. It misses its intended mark so completely, I’m also not entirely fathoming why a filmmaker would aim for such a target with their film, especially in what is seemingly a mainstream entertainment. Under no circumstances do I ever want to meet or have a conversation with a person who would find that interesting, or even be less perplexed about the rationale than I am. At any rate, the forthcoming Beyond the Cabin in the Woods episode on the film will be interesting**.

Also, I’m having a significant, dare I say thorough, problem imagining any sort of fictional world where men view 1980s Annette O’Toole as some sort of presence to be barely tolerated.

No kink shame, though.

*Was John Heard supposed to be a sex symbol, even in the 80s? It feels like it might be heteronormative of me to say so, but I really don’t think that was ever the case.

**I might have been the one to recommend the movie for the show, based on Roger Ebert’s appreciation for the film. I think a little less of both Ebert and myself right now. New rule: no more sight-unseen podcast recommendations from me.