Review by E.C.McMullen Jr.

EXORCIST NEWS

AUG! 2, 2004

THE GLOVES ARE OFF?
Co-writer of the screenplay for EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING, Caleb Carr, is whistling a different tune these days about Paul Schrader. Last year, Caleb said simply that Director Schrader, didn't deliver the scares the studio was looking for. Others in the production said that Schrader delivered exactly what the screenplay called for. A month later, Caleb started dissing Paul at Horror Express. At one point, Carr even sneers at Schrader's track record as a director! But look who they got to replace Paul! About 3 months after Paul was fired, Schlockmiester Renny Harlan (A NIGHTMARE ON ELMSTREET 4, DIEHARD 2, CLIFFHANGER, CUTTHROAT ISLAND, THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT, DEEP BLUE SEA, DRIVEN, MIND HUNTERS) was hired to reedit and up the gore factor as he saw fit. But according to imdb.com, now that the movie is in the can, Caleb Carr is accusing Schrader of trying to rewrite the script to give himself a writer's credit in the picture. Something that Paul admitted to in this interview with Film Freak back in December of 2002. But when Paul said that, it was at the very beginning before Caleb Carr was even involved. Caleb didn't get put onto the movie until after Paul was finished shooting it, which makes you wonder what Carr is going on about since, on the surface, it appears that Carr was hired to do exactly what Paul was hired to do in the first place.

Depending on what you're reading, the confused mess is this: Either Renny Harlan is doing cleanup and merely shooting a few additional scenes, or he has re-shot the entire movie with a story written by Caleb Carr. If the former, that means that Caleb is likewise doing cleanup, re-editing the scenes in a script. If the latter, that would mean that EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING is an entirely different movie than the one movie studio, Morgan Creek, hired Schrader to do in the first place. Which would mean that Schrader DID make Morgan Creek the movie they thought they wanted.

Ugh.

Many are saying that the film itself might be cursed. Personally, I can't remember a worse case of replacement switch hitting on a movie since 1982's, ALTERED STATES. While the author of the book, Paddy Chayefsky, hated the second director, Ken Russel's psychedelic light show (which in turn disappointed newbie make-up artist Dick Smith who hoped to show off his prosthetic talents) vision, the film still made money and remains a classic of SF/Horror. So who knows what all this shuffling will mean for the picture?

Well, when all is said and done, this will largely be a Renny Harlan film, which means that Morgan Creek won't want the critics to talk about it before the film hits the screens. This will also mean no limited distribution before the movie goes wide. Morgan Creek will likely show the flick to critics just days before it gets released to theaters, and I won't be surprised if this turns out to be a flick by Alan Smithee.

More info at Guardian UK.

More info at Independant UK.

AUG! 27, 2003

THE FILM IS IN THE CAN? GOOD! NOW FIRE THE DIRECTOR!
Paul Schrader has built his reputation on writing highly intense, hard hitting, spiritually bone breaking movie scripts that haunt you for years after. Movies like TAXI DRIVER, RAGING BULL, and BRINGING OUT THE DEAD, just to name a few bear the mark of Schrader. Paul's latest opus in which he both wrote and directed, EXORCIST IV, no doubt carried most of Pauls' dark, soulful trademarks. But, according to the New York Post's "Page Six" column, Paul's studio bosses over at Morgan Creek shit canned him for only one reason and one reason specifically: The film wasn't gory enough. They've hired a new director to re-shoot a few key scenes and up the offal content.

Will that make it a better movie? We'll have to wait and see. But if the movie is better for the gore, we'll know who to thank. And if becomes a joke because of the gore, we'll know who to blame. Paul Schrader knows how to write the darkness. Let's hope that the honchos at Morgan Creek know how to make it bleed. Because If They Don't...!

More info at eonline.com

AUG! 5, 2002

Report by Monica J. O'Rourke
LATEST UPDATE ON NEW EXORCIST
John Frankenheimer, who passed away last month, had been set to direct the EXORCIST prequel flick (tentatively named EXORCIST 4:1). In negotiations with Morgan Creek is director Paul Schrader (CAT PEOPLE), who is expected to take the helm.

The prequel is set to star Liam Neeson (THE HAUNTING [1999]), Gabriel Mann and Australian actor Billy Crawford. The movie follows Father Merrin (Neeson) doing missionary work in post-World War II Africa and his first encounter with the devil, as well as his doubt in his faith in God.

Shooting is expected to begin in November in the United Kingdom and Spain.

This review copyright 2004 E.C.McMullen Jr.

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