Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)

Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977), an American supernatural horror film directed by John Boorman and written by William Goodhart, is the second installment in The Exorcist franchise. It follows the events of The Exorcist (1973), as we meet Philip Lamont, a priest struggling with his faith. Lamont travels to Latin America to exorcise a woman who claims to possess miraculous healing abilities. However, things take a tragic turn when the exorcism goes awry and sets the room on fire. Amidst the chaos, the possessed woman is killed after her dress catches on fire from lit candles knocked over in the commotion. Following this incident, Lamont is assigned by a Cardinal to investigate Father Lankester Merrin’s death, which occurred four years earlier while he was performing an exorcism on Regan MacNeil.

Interestingly, Merrin is now facing posthumous heresy charges due to his controversial writings that challenge traditional beliefs about Satan and modernizing Church practices. Despite appearing to have returned to a normal life with her guardian Sharon Spencer in New York City, Regan continues to be observed at a psychiatric institute under the care of Dr. Gene Tuskin. While Regan claims to have no recollection of her traumatic experience in Washington, D.C., Tuskin believes that her memories may be suppressed. Father Lamont pays a visit to the institute but is met with opposition from Tuskin, who fears that Lamont’s approach may cause harm to Regan.