Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist followed later that year by a DVD release. While William Peter Blatty, the author and screenwriter of "The Exorcist", described "Dominion" as "a handsome, classy, elegant piece of work", critical reaction to the film has nonetheless been mixed to negative. Many critics stated that it is only slightly better than Harlin's version, holding a rating of 30% on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 55 out of 100 on Metacritic, whereas "Exorcist: The Beginning" holds a rating of 11% on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 30 out of 100 on Metacritic. Nonetheless, the good reviews "Dominion" did get were
The Exorcist into the chief protagonist. Though the characters of Karras and Kinderman were acquainted during the murder investigation in "The Exorcist" and Kinderman expressed fondness for Karras, in "Exorcist III" Blatty has Kinderman remembering Karras as his "best friend". Jason Miller reprised his Academy Award-nominated role in "The Exorcist" for this film. Because of the studio's dissatisfaction with Schrader's version of the prequel (see "Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist"), Renny Harlin was then hired as director to retool the movie. Harlin reused some of Schrader's footage but shot mostly new material to create a more conventional horror film. Harlin's new version