William Friedkin Calls Exorcist II A Piece of Sh*t

The Exorcist is one of the most iconic horror films ever made, and it’s crazy to think that it’s sequel, made  just four year later in 1977, is an awful mess of a movie. Putting Linda Blair front and center of this film was probably not the best idea, as her acting skills were very limited back then, but the biggest blow comes from Oscar nominated Richard Burton, who pulls off one of his worst performances ever. Exorcist director William Friedkin seems to share the general consensus and recently spoke out about the awful sequel that should have never been made. 

Most horror fans will be familiar with the story of Regan MacNeil and her exorcism at the hands of farther Merrin. The film was a huge hit, so it was only a matter of time before a sequel materialized, it’s just a shame it appeared as the Exorcist II: The Heretic. The film was a commercial disaster but has gained some notoriety as a cult classic of bad films.

In a recent episode of The Movies That Made Me podcast, Friedkin told hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante just how he felt about the film.

“I tell you, I did see a great deal of Exorcist II, under the following circumstances, I was at the Technicolor lab, color timing something, and one of the timers said, ‘We just finished Exorcist II, would you like to have a look at it?’

 

And I don’t know why, but I went into the room and I sat through maybe 40 minutes of it. It’s the worst piece of sh— I’ve ever seen.

 

It’s a f—ing disgrace….And God, what a cast it had — Richard Burton, and Max von Sydow, and Louise Fletcher, plus Linda Blair. James Earl Jones.

 

That’s the worst 40 minutes of film I have ever seen, really, and that’s saying a lot.”

Even if Friedkin had sat through the entire film, I’m pretty sure he would feel the same way about it. The Exorcist II: The Heretic is, after all, a really terrible piece of shit!