Samuel Love‘The Exorcist Untold’ is probably the wrong title for this straight-to-DVD doc – there’s nothing in here that hasn’t been said before a hundred times across various documentaries, books, articles, and commentaries. The film feels like something of a rush-job cash grab, presumably to tie in with the release of recent legacy sequel The Exorcist: Believer, much like the creative team’s previous project Oppenheimer: The Real Story was to Nolan’s epic.
The criticisms toward that previous doc release can largely be repeated here – the film feels cheap, hastily put together, and largely simplistic in its content. Bizarre that this should even exist, when there are already two definitive documentaries on the acclaimed horror classic in Mark Kermode’s The Fear of God and cinematic essay Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist.
The Exorcist Untold is certainly packed with some wonderful footage – the now infamous audience reactions in 1973 as patrons flee screenings and faint in cinema lobbies, and some fascinating vox pops with these audience members after viewings. But this footage has been recycled countless times before, so longtime fans will find nothing here they haven’t seen already. In terms of the content of the film itself, a quick glance at The Exorcist’s Wikipedia page soon makes it evident that the doc didn’t look much further than that for inspiration.
With all that said, viewers who come to this documentary with absolutely no knowledge whatsoever of The Exorcist or its legacy might find it entertaining. The film’s influence is massive, and its storied history does make for a compelling yarn. And at a brisk 75mins, it thankfully doesn’t outstay its welcome. It’s just a shame that the film can’t make good on the promise of its title, and instead feels like a rehash of dozens of docs that have come before it. And for those aforementioned folk with no knowledge of The Exorcist; if they are looking for a doc, there are far better options out there than this.
This disappointing documentary is packed with recycled insight and information, and does absolutely nothing to justify its existence.
