Father Lamont (Richard Burton), investigating the death of Father Merrin (Max von Sydow), questions Regan (Linda Blair) who is under the care of Dr. Tuskin (Louise Fletcher). Using Tuskin’s telepathic, hypnosis machine, Lamont has visions of a demon and healer in Africa and is convinced that there is a connection to Regan who is still in danger.
Yes, this is a film where the psychologist has a telepathic, hypnosis machine. Just plug yourself in to it and you can see other people’s dreams. You also see any demons that might have possessed them and those demons can grab your heart, so I suppose that’s why the machines haven’t caught on.
The plot of Exorcist II flops around with mind reading, healing children, grumpy cardinals, an invisible locust demon, and incoherent psychiatry before it finally decides on a story. It seems that there are good grasshoppers who can avoid becoming evil locusts…ummm, I mean good people who can hold off the coming demons (or something like that; it’s not that clear), and Regan is one of them. Demons really want to get rid of these good people before they breed and make the whole human race good (or something like that; it’s not clear either). I suppose there’s something of an interesting idea there, but it’s lost in all the African villages, locusts, and religious tirades. If you have been looking for a film where Richard Burton starts every conversation with “the evil demons within…!!!” and runs into James Earl Jones in a grasshopper suit, grab this film; it’s safe to say there won’t be another.
John Boorman is a talented director, which can be seen even in Exorcist II, with beautiful shots (such as when Regan steps to the ledge of the building). But he had no vision of where the story should go and no control on his actors. Exorcist II: The Heretic is often called the worst sequel in film history. That’s an overstatement, but it gives you the right expectations.