The legendary bomb that solidified Blair's future as a Grade-Z movie actress.
She didn't get star billing in the first film, but was able to be wooed back for a sequel if her name was at the top of the marquee. In a major plot hole, Burstyn (who played her mom in Part 1) is totally absent from this story. The character is said to be on a business trip. Burton plays the priest in this one, who suspects that the now 17-year-old Blair is still under the influence of the demon that possessed her four years ago.
William Friedkin, director of the first film, wisely decided to pass on this one. Directing chores were given to the normally adept Boorman, who gave us "Deliverance," "Zardoz," and "Excalibur," three excellent movies. Well, only history will judge whether Boorman can ever live this movie down. When it was released, the film was laughed out of theaters. Boorman attempted to re-edit it to make some sense out of the storyline, but to no avail. The film doesn't even deliver cool possession scenes--only flying insects and bad dialogue from Burton's priest, who chatters on about how evil is a living being. It bombed badly at the box office, but that didn't prevent yet another sequel. The mildly superior "Exorcist III: Legion" was released 13 years later.
