Here is the official trailer for Boorman and the Devil, David Kittredge’s documentary, which shines a fresh light on one of Hollywood’s most infamous productions, exploring how acclaimed filmmaker John Boorman took on the impossible task of directing Exorcist II: The Heretic and created a film that remains one of cinema’s most divisive works.
Rather than simply revisiting a notorious flop, the documentary examines artistic ambition, creative risk, and the cost of challenging audience expectations. Directed, produced, and edited by Kittredge, the film features an impressive lineup of participants, including John Boorman, Linda Blair, the late Louise Fletcher, Karyn Kusama, Mike Flanagan, Joe Dante, Bilge Ebiri, Stephanie Zackarek, Simon Abrams, Jim Hemphill, and Rospo Pallenberg.
The documentary celebrated its world premiere in the Venice Classics section of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, and went on to screen at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival and the Overlook Film Festival. The film is scheduled to open in U.S. theaters starting on August 28th at The Quad in NYC, then opening wider in various cities on September 4th, including: Los Angeles, Columbus, Houston, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Seattle, and more.
After the success of Point Blank and Deliverance, Warner Brothers offered John Boorman the opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to direct a sequel to their smash hit, The Exorcist. The result was one of the biggest disasters in movie history. A critical and financial failure that not only changed how Hollywood did business, but nearly ended Boorman’s filmmaking career… but to be an artist is to be a risk-taker. Now, John Boorman, Linda Blair, Louise Fletcher, Karyn Kusama, Joe Dante, Mike Flanagan, and more reflect back on the ambition of the film, the artistry and craft, and the value of big creative swings.
Director David Kittredge explained his fascination with Exorcist II: The Heretic, saying, “Exorcist II: The Heretic was mesmerizing to me. It didn’t play like a conventional horror movie, in fact nothing felt conventional about it at all. It was a sequel that was nothing like the original — it was visually stunning, colourful, kinetic, overflowing with ideas and images. It felt like it came from another world.”
Reviewing the documentary for IndieWire, Alison Foreman praised Kittredge’s work, writing that “David Kittredge delivers a dazzling reflection on the career of John Boorman in the documentary “Boorman and the Devil,” a robust reframing of the legendary director’s “Exorcist II: The Heretic,” as strange and poetic as the disastrous 1977 production itself.”
Watch the official trailer for Boorman and the Devil above.
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