Quartile rating: 5/10 · 1 rating
William Friedkin attends an exorcism with Father Gabriele Amorth, as he treats an Italian woman named Cristina for the ninth time. Prior to filming, Cristina had purportedly been experiencing behavioural changes and “fits” that could not be explained by psychiatry, and which became worse during Christian holidays.
William Friedkin's documentary follow-up to The Exorcist has genuine curiosity value — the director of one of horror's greatest films attending a real exorcism decades later is an inherently compelling premise. However, the execution is uneven: the central exorcism footage is grainy and inconclusive, the film meanders into talking-head segments that feel padded, and the ending offers little resolution or insight. Acting is largely irrelevant in a documentary context but the subjects are earnest if unremarkable. Cinematography is rough and handheld with limited visual craft. Novelty earns a modest bump for the meta-narrative of Friedkin's personal journey back to this subject matter, though the film doesn't fully capitalize on it. Overall it's a curiosity piece that underdelivers on its fascinating premise.