Exorcist: The Beginning then allowed Warner Bros. to release Schrader's version theatrically under the title "". It had a more limited release in May 2005, and received slightly better critical notices than Harlin's version. William Peter Blatty (the author/screenwriter of "The Exorcist") said that watching "Exorcist: The Beginning" was his "most humiliating professional experience." On the other hand, Blatty said that "Dominion" is "a handsome, classy, elegant piece of work." Critical responses to "Exorcist: The Beginning" were mostly negative, with the film earning a low 11% "rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Prominent critic Roger Ebert wrote, "I've seen both versions and much prefer
The Exorcist into the legitimacy of Merrin's exorcism of Regan in the first film. In flashback sequences, we see Regan giving Merrin his fatal heart attack, as well as scenes from the exorcism of a young boy named Kokumo in Africa many years earlier. "The Exorcist III" appeared in 1990, written and directed by Blatty himself from his own 1983 novel "Legion". Completely ignoring the events of "Exorcist II", this book and film presented a continuation of Karras' story. Following the precedent set in "The Ninth Configuration," Blatty turned a supporting character from the first film – in this case, Kinderman —