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Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist - jimbow8 - 05-20-2005

I don't know if anyone followed this or if it has already been discussed. Paul Schrader was originally the director of the Exorcist prequel. Apparently someone thought the final version didn't meet up to present day horror standards (blood, gore, no suspense, Japanese kids Wink, etc.), so they canned him, hired a new director (Renny Harlin), and reshot the entire movie. The result was the pile of crap (going by heresay, I've never seen it) that is Exorcist: The Beginning.

Well now the original Schrader movie is being released as Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist. Critics (well Roger Ebert, so far) seemed to like this version and uses such words to describe it as atmosphere and dread, which used to refer to horror movies but have lately been replaced by blood and gore and surprise. I'm very interested to see if this new version is received well by the masses. It seems to have only gotten a limited release so far.

Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist - Scott Hajek - 05-20-2005

It was rumored at one time that "Dominion" would've been released only on DVD along with "The Beginning." I guess that after Renny Harlin's pile of crap failed on all counts, the studio decided to milk more money out of it.

"Dominion" is the only version I was planning on watching. Renny Harlin hasn't done anything good except Die Hard 2 and he would've had to try really hard to screw that up.

Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist - stacyzinda123 - 05-20-2005

Scott Hajek Wrote:It was rumored at one time that "Dominion" would've been released only on DVD along with "The Beginning." I guess that after Renny Harlin's pile of crap failed on all counts, the studio decided to milk more money out of it.
That's what I heard too, but the DVD we rented only had the theater version on it. I didn't really care for it and would really like to see the other version. I'll have to watch for it.

Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist - jimbow8 - 05-20-2005

stacyzinda123 Wrote:That's what I heard too, but the DVD we rented only had the theater version on it. I didn't really care for it and would really like to see the other version. I'll have to watch for it.
I forgot to mention above that the new(er) version was released in theaters today, though in limited release.

Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist - xmradiodave - 05-21-2005

http://www.quartertofour.com/bloodynews/reviews/schraderetb_dave.html

Above is a review I wrote for Dominion. It is leaps and bounds better than the Harlin turd.

Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist - jimbow8 - 05-21-2005

xmradiodave Wrote:http://www.quartertofour.com/bloodynews/reviews/schraderetb_dave.html

Above is a review I wrote for Dominion. It is leaps and bounds better than the Harlin turd.
Nice review, Dave.

I have some questions to ask:

  1. Did Morgan Creek have anything to do with this version? Is this a way to try to recoup their losses? I almost hope they don't profit from it because of their initial ineptitude.


  2. Do you think it is worth seeing the Harlin version (before or after this version) in order to compare and contrast the two? Roger Ebert seemed fascinated by it from a film student type perspective.

    Related to the original Exorcist:
  3. Is this the same church as seen at the beginning of The Exorcist - I believe in Iraq? Does it tie in directly to The Exorcist.


  4. I am interested in buying the DVD of The Exorcist but am not sure which version to buy. Which do you recommend? The original is outstanding, given. The Version You've Never seen adds some good things, like the crab-walk (I haven't actually seen this version from beginning to end), but the ending seems tacked on and inferior to the original. You seem to be an "expert" since you write reviews for horror sites, so I was just wondering what your opinion was.



Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist - xmradiodave - 05-22-2005

jimbow8 Wrote:Nice review, Dave.

I have some questions to ask:

  1. Did Morgan Creek have anything to do with this version? Is this a way to try to recoup their losses? I almost hope they don't profit from it because of their initial ineptitude.

  2. Do you think it is worth seeing the Harlin version (before or after this version) in order to compare and contrast the two? Roger Ebert seemed fascinated by it from a film student type perspective.

    Related to the original Exorcist:
  3. Is this the same church as seen at the beginning of The Exorcist - I believe in Iraq? Does it tie in directly to The Exorcist.


  4. I am interested in buying the DVD of The Exorcist but am not sure which version to buy. Which do you recommend? The original is outstanding, given. The Version You've Never seen adds some good things, like the crab-walk (I haven't actually seen this version from beginning to end), but the ending seems tacked on and inferior to the original. You seem to be an "expert" since you write reviews for horror sites, so I was just wondering what your opinion was.



To answer your questions:

Morgan Creek barely has anything to do with Dominion. They would not even fork over the cash for Paul Schrader to finish the film. He paid a large amount of money out of his own pocket to put the finishing touches on the film. Morgan Creek will of course make money off of the DVD sales. The film received a limited theatrical release. It opened the same day as Star Wars. Another great move by the production company (Morgan Creek) and the distributor (Warner Brothers).

I would reccommend seeing Dominion first, as this was indeed the original version of the prequel. But I have to say, to truly appreciate Dominion you definitely need to see Harlin's debacle. Whichever order you choose, it will leave you scratching your head in confusion as to why Dominion was shelved in the first place.As far as the Roger Ebert "student film" quote goes, he was referring to Dominion. It has at times a very experimental feel to the film. Some imagery left me scratching my head. It at times felt very art-house in content. This does not by any means take away from the great story.

The Church: It is not supposed to be the same church. If it is or isn't is never disclosed. Seeing as Dominion takes place in Kenya, years before the opening scene of the original taking place in Iraq, I am going to say no to this one.

As far as which version of the original The Exorcist to purchase, The 25th Anniversary Edition is the definitive edition. This movie lacks the infamous spider-walk scene and the cheesy digitally inserted after effects, but the special features on this DVD are nothing less than spectacular. To go back to the spiderwalk scene, it is creepy imagery, but you can clearly tell that the actress used in this scene in not the young Linda Blair. It does not mesh with the rest of the scenes and in turn ends up taking away from the haunting aura of the movie.

As far as Dominion goes, there is some slight deviation from the source material. In the book "The Exorcist", Author William Blatty clearly states that the demon who possesses Regan MacNeil is the Winged Pazuzu, and although never named in the original film, the statue utilized throughout the entire film is that of the winged demon. In Dominion, the demon is actually the Devil himself as opposed to one of his many minions. The reasoning behind this are discussed at length with Paul Schrader himself HERE.

Mr Schrader was extremely kind and generous with his time in meeting with my former website partner and myself. I truly hope his film gets the recognition it so rightfully deserves.

Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist - smithers52 - 05-25-2005

Like the Harlin version from last summer, Dominion hasn't been getting great reviews from critics. Judging from the reviews I've read it's only marginally better than the Harlin version. I still have some time during the next month to be able to judge both films on a Exorcist marathon and see if they both are missed oppurtunites.

Anybody else dig Exorcist III? I think it's a pretty good film. Not on par with the original but it's fine in it's own right.