Boorman and the Devil

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Boorman and the Devil

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1h 52m

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57 Reviews

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

Filmmaker John Boorman seizes the opportunity to direct "Exorcist II: The Heretic," but the movie's disappointing reception from critics and fans nearly ends his career. Includes interviews with Boorman and actresses Linda Blair and Louise Fletcher.

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Critics Consensus

A fascinating, candid testament to the passionate excesses of 1970s filmmaking, Boorman and the Devil delivers a lively and funny autopsy of one of Hollywood's most infamous failures.

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

4 days ago

4/5

David Kittredge gives us a thoroughly enjoyable, detailed account of the catastrophe that was John Boorman’s 1977 film Exorcist II: The Heretic, the deeply ill-conceived and widely derided follow-up to The Exorcist.

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David Hughes

Time Out

Sep 16, 2026

5/5

Kittredge’s film comes neither to bury The Exorcist II: The Heretic nor to praise it. It allows Boorman to exorcise his own demons about the film... But it offers the audience so much more: a fascinating, funny and fully riveting film.

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Robert Abele

Los Angeles Times

Sep 8, 2026

The goal of a vibrant autopsy like this, after all, isn’t to reclaim a terrible movie as secretly great — even if the likes of Joe Dante, Karyn Kusama and some established film critics make a case to sample its madness.

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Saskia Baron

The Arts Desk

17 hrs ago

4/5

Boorman and the Devil concentrates on the directorial catastrophe that was The Heretic, but along the way it does provide a pretty good overview of John Boorman’s career.

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Dulcie Pearce

The Sun (UK)

4 days ago

4/5

This superb and often hilarious insight into Hollywood madness is a gem.

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Frank Swietek

One Guy's Opinion

4 days ago

B

A fascinating account of how a filmmaker’s ambition to do something great came crashing down in the face of practical realities.

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Michael S

@RT91783922 Sep 6, 2026

Since I was a child, I've loved "making of" documentaries. But "Boorman and the Devil" is much more than a mere "making of." It's an autopsy—no, a forensic autopsy—on what many regard one of the greatest major film production disasters in history: "Exorcist II: The Heretic." More than that, though, it's simultaneously a kind of whodunnit, a cautionary tale, and a tour of the inner workings of this complex amusement park called the film industry in the 1970s. I was "in" within the first five minutes of the film as the narrative began to slowly work out the who, what, where, when, and why of that masterpiece of film flops, "Exorcist II." This is the documentary film you didn't know you had to see, and now that you know, you have to see it.

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B P

@Bradster69 Aug 30, 2026

New Documentary Compels You To Appreciate A Much-Maligned Horror Sequel

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David Kittredge

Director

John Boorman

Self

Linda Blair

Self

Louise Fletcher

Self

Mike Flanagan

Self

Karyn Kusama

Self

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Synopsis

Filmmaker John Boorman seizes the opportunity to direct "Exorcist II: The Heretic," but the movie's disappointing reception from critics and fans nearly ends his career. Includes interviews with Boorman and actresses Linda Blair and Louise Fletcher.

Director: David Kittredge
Producer: Jim Fall, David Kittredge, Travis Stevens
Screenwriter: David Kittredge
Distributor: Yellow Veil Pictures
Production Co: Snowfort Pictures, Milton Ventures Media
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 28, 2026, Limited
Runtime: 1h 52m

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