A match made in Heaven… or erm, hell?
Blumhouse Productions, the company behind horror hits like The Invisible Man, The Purge and Get Out are developing a sequel to The Exorcist.
Observer reports that David Gordon Green, who directed the 2018 Halloween movie (and its delayed-follow-up Halloween Kills), is in talks to direct the film.
Blumhouse head-honcho Jason Blum, David Robinson and James Robinson will act as producers on the film.
The Exorcist is one of the most infamous horror films of all time. Based on the novel by William Peter Blatty, it is now acknowledged as a classic.
Yet when it first came out in 1974, it faced protest from Christian groups in the UK and was banned in numerous counties. It was released on VHS in Britain in 1981, but following the passing of the Video Recordings Act 1984, it was unable to get a certificate. It was therefore withdrawn from sale in 1988, making it essentially unavailable in the UK.
Following a return to cinemas in 1998, it was finally passed uncut with an 18 certificate in 1999 and re-released on video. It would air on Channel 4 in 2001.
There have already been several sequels to the film, but none of them have been very successful. Exorcist II: The Heretic is widely regarded as one of the worst sequels ever, though The Exorcist III got somewhat better reviews.
In 2004, there was an attempt to produce a prequel, though the producers hated director Paul Schrader’s original version and brought in action film specialist Renny Harlin to retool it. Upon release, Exorcist: The Beginning was such a critical and commercial failure that Schrader’s version was also released, as Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist. The reviews for that were not much better.
Blumhouse Productions has become probably the leading name in American horror movies. As well as Get Out, the company has also given us the likes of Paranormal Activity, Insidious, Sinister, The Purge, Oculus, The Gift, Split, Get Out, Happy Death Day, Upgrade, and many, many more.
