Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)

User Rating:

5.0/10   

Director:

Renny Harlin

Writers (WGA):

William Peter Blatty (movie The Exorcist)
William Wisher Jr. (story) ...

Release Date:

20 August 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

A new chapter of evil

Plot:

Years before Father Lancaster Merrin helped save Regan MacNeil's soul, he first encounters the demon Pazuzu in East Africa. This is the tale of Father Merrin's initial battle with Pazuzu and the rediscovery of his faith.

Plot Keywords:

Church | Faith | Kenya | Atrocity | Archeologist

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Stellan Skarsgård	...	Father Merrin
Izabella Scorupco	...	Sarah
James D'Arcy	...	Father Francis
Remy Sweeney	...	Joseph
Julian Wadham	...	Major Granville
Andrew French	...	Chuma
Ralph Brown	...	Sergeant Major
Ben Cross	...	Semelier
David Bradley	...	Father Gionetti
Alan Ford	...	Jefferies
Antonie Kamerling	...	Lieutenant Kessel
Eddie Osei	...	Emekwi
Israel Aduramo	...	Jomo
Patrick O'Kane	...	Bession
James Bellamy	...	James

Also Known As:

Exorcist IV: The Beginning (USA) (working title)
Exorcist Prequel (USA) (working title)
Exorcist: Dominion (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and gore, disturbing images and rituals, and for language including some sexual dialogue.

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.00 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Germany:16 | Singapore:M18 (video rating) (cut) | Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18PL | South Korea:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:18 (theatrical release) | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Brazil:16 | Canada:18A | Czech Republic:12 | Finland:K-18 | Hong Kong:IIB (original rating) | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:18 | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Philippines:R-13 | Singapore:NC-16 (heavily cut) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #41064)

Filming Locations:

Casablanca, Morocco

Company:

Morgan Creek Productions

Trivia:

Ryan Phillippe and Kerr Smith were both considered for the role of Father William Francis.

Goofs:

Continuity: Father Merrin cuts his hand lengthwise on a piece of glass. Later, Sarah cleans and bandages his hand. But when we see the bandage, it is going across, not up and down like the wound.

Quotes:

Father Merrin: Everbody died... Who buried them?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Exorcist: The Beginning - Behind the Scenes (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

Sharetny Oyounha

A very scary movie for 2004

I have read many of the comments concerning this movie and find that I tend to feel that this movie should not be judged in relation to the first. This movie stands out on its own by reviewing Father Merrin's life long before his fateful encounter with Regan years later. My son Nathan and daughter Ryann both found this too scary for them and felt it was far more scarier than the first. I saw it to be more historical and would judge it on that content. Yes, people are right in their comments about all the gore and vileness, but I saw that in the first movie in 1973 when it came out. I'm going to venture to say that people are turned off by this movie simply because it in no way resembles the original. This is the part where a director steps back and quits trying to leech off the first success. Give him some credit about trying to diversify this movie for the audience. Don't go in with any type of preconceived notion about the original or you will be disappointed like the rest in these comments. It is a good movie and well worth seeing. Mark Lockwood, Lubbock Tx...