John Boorman Documentary 'Boorman and the Devil' Explores Exorcist II Legacy

Documentary filmmaker David Kittredge’s feature "Boorman and the Devil" revisits the making of John Boorman’s 1977 horror sequel Exorcist II: The Heretic. The film examines how the ambitious project, backed by Warner Bros., became a critical and financial disaster that nearly ended Boorman’s career and altered Hollywood’s approach to sequels.

The documentary includes new interviews with Boorman, original star Linda Blair, late actress Louise Fletcher, and contemporary filmmakers such as Karyn Kusama, Joe Dante and Mike Flanagan. It premiered in the Venice Classics section of the 2025 Venice International Film Festival, later screened at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival and the Overlook Film Festival, and is slated for a U.S. theatrical rollout beginning August 28, 2026, with wider release in September.

"Boorman and the Devil" frames the flop as a cautionary tale about artistic risk, highlighting the film’s unconventional visual style and its lasting influence on genre cinema.