Exorcist II: The Heretic mind". "Variety" wrote: ""Exorcist II" is not as good as "The Exorcist." It isn't even close." BBC film critic Mark Kermode stated: ""Exorcist II" is demonstrably the worst film ever made. It took the greatest film ever made and trashed it in a way that was on one level farcically stupid and on another level absolutely unforgivable. Everyone involved in this, apart from Linda Blair, should be ashamed for all eternity." Vincent Canby, writing in "The New York Times", was similarly dismissive: Given the huge box-office success of the William Peter Blatty-William Friedkin production of "The Exorcist," there had to
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