# Making Exorcist II Was Hell on Earth, and This New Documentary About Director John Boorman Proves It

> **Open Intelligence Dossier** · First detected: 2026-08-29 00:07 UTC · Category: Entertainment

## Executive Summary
A new documentary titled 'Boorman and the Devil' examines the chaotic and plague-ridden production of the infamous sequel 'Exorcist II: The Heretic'.

## Intelligence Brief
The entertainment industry is currently focusing on the release of 'Boorman and the Devil', a new documentary that details the production of 'Exorcist II: The Heretic'. According to coverage from IGN and The Wall Street Journal, the film explores the 'hellish tale' and the 'hell on earth' environment that director John Boorman faced while creating the sequel. The documentary focuses on how one of the most notorious botched sequels in cinema history came to be, providing a behind-the-scenes look at a production described by The New York Times as 'plagued'. Critical reception and analysis of the documentary are widespread across multiple major outlets. Variety focuses its review on how the sequel became so bad, while The New York Times highlights the difficulties of the plagued production process.


Roger Ebert characterizes the film as a 'must-see for cinephiles', and The Wall Street Journal emphasizes the 'hellish' nature of the storytelling. Additionally, National Review uses the documentary to discuss the intersection of John Boorman, the devil, and what it terms 'modern movie illiteracy'. To understand why this documentary is trending, readers must consider the reputation of 'Exorcist II: The Heretic' as one of the most significant failures in film history. Yahoo describes it as one of the film world's biggest botched sequels that is finally getting its due. The documentary, directed by David Kittredge, seeks to make a case for the film's existence and the risks involved in its creation.


As Kittredge is quoted by iHorror, the sentiment is that a filmmaker must be able to risk a project like 'Exorcist II' in order to eventually achieve a success like 'Excalibur'. Future interest will likely center on the specific evidence presented in 'Boorman and the Devil' regarding the production's failures. Current coverage from TheWrap suggests that the documentary attempts to reframe the narrative surrounding Boorman's work on the project. Observers will be watching to see if the documentary successfully shifts the legacy of 'Exorcist II' from a simple failure to a complex study in cinematic risk. The discourse across Variety, IGN, and other outlets suggests a deep dive into the mechanics of how a high-profile sequel can collapse during production.

## Multi-Source Evidence Table
| Source Outlet | Headline | Verification URL |
|---|---|---|
| Variety | 'Boorman and the Devil' Review: How 'Exorcist II: The Heretic' Got Bad | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMipAFBVV95cUxOSzV2Z0xKNFI3RDNnZkJrcVdudVc1WjUxTG1QRjN5dzFxOU1ERVNaa0VmeXJsNV9MUHRtZ3JyYkVCeTB1RTVuWmRCTTUzZVA1WDFjdWZzUXhSc0xJeXZ1dmNqRHhNOGFZaGF0YVcyTm5ONWxYZC1vbnA0aW5hZU5MejRScGV4b0FUYVBKZ09zd2stQ2hPb2pOYmpmQzBwZTZKNXh1ag?oc=5) |
| iHorror | "You Have to Be Able to Risk an Exorcist II to Get an Excalibur": David Kittredge on Boorman and the Devil | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMid0FVX3lxTE00aXZVbXl3dUdzYVdEOTJxNGhKZXdHQXZsN0s2eUpZVjgydzcwX3JKT2tMYVNodW1QNmljRTc1bUlOUzVXcG11dFU4bkljWEs3QlE5RUVGa0h5dzVwMFBhaHVNWVZxcnZKbmRGMF9Na2V2dk45azM0?oc=5) |
| Roger Ebert | Boorman and the Devil review: A must-see for cinephiles | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMingFBVV95cUxOc3hPUVRBX3Vpclp1N3NxcmdrdTFrY1lGTGhSUTNSUm52cDRvb04yN2NnOW1tMXJ1U2phWDNKME5CT2J1QkczeU5ISFFydEs1Y3hJZ3BsZVpaTEo0OGQ4SGIxc1htbExhckJfZm9ObkVYdkxJT0owb0l0dVloM2dtYzVQTTF2M20tNlBEYXAwQWE0cVJtajVzZHBzeU9JQQ?oc=5) |
| TheWrap | How ‘Boorman and the Devil’ Director David Kittredge Makes a Case for ‘Exorcist II’ | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiqAFBVV95cUxPSzAySW1hQTlJMWh2V1Bjd3NiQ2pmXzFlREhRQkdEUEd6M20yX0pxMWxKcHEySmdURnl4YmRST19EYXUydlBLQ1lJQ2MtaWpTWWxyT1VncUU1NVBEc0dzWjU4SUI0MEVWMFlFeWpnNVAxY0VpZTJBbzd6TjVWazBieTVXTGFDTmhzX2tBdWtRN0VWZ2hmSUQ4VEV0TFpiRkplandqMy1HX1U?oc=5) |
| Yahoo | One of film's biggest botched sequels finally gets its due in Boorman And The Devil | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiogFBVV95cUxQcXhoT1JwbUdzSGV4ZVBYNXBSSml0Z3FzY3FwUWVyTmlkOVJFMW5QRlI2YVJqOHRGd0FTckt4V3RYWTgyRlUyRk03eDJhR0tqWFRWRWQ0NzctMFpkS1FRWDJwRVg5YVp3TEw2VVF3VExSLTZqN0IwOTFfSi02R0tQb001SGpZaXJ3QV92aDZfSGJ3OEg3bkJEUUp2Q3VsZmZfZ0E?oc=5) |
| National Review | John Boorman, the Devil, and Modern Movie Illiteracy | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMilAFBVV95cUxOTGRUUkRUUTJid0xjaThsUjJiS01uaExDRmNSQU1VMUJlbW9Cd1JLMmQxNlVTQ2pWSURTX1lVNTNFM2Fndjk3dlp3a2hPekVUdGFMd21TYjFPcDc4dHp3UWVOLU8zN2NaNURZaVoyWmU1SEZQbUh6bk54UXAydGt6T1V0U3dGZnFaOWQ2ZEFOZmdubTg20gGaAUFVX3lxTE1qeVNKVUhLOHFSRDdpQ3dIZ0FsR0wyUXJRMnBBNnY5dkxsdUgyREM3c3VMT2g2T25oVW5veDdxVHhMSmRicE94OGpiMWQzXzRNeFBJQkpvRGZkRU1aSXVVcHR2WXlMbzN5SkdDbks4Rngyd251NGNBTTBpd2xIZTctaGlSbnVPeUxZSWI2QWliN29SSDBRWFhYLXc?oc=5) |
| WSJ | ‘Boorman and the Devil’ Review: The Hellish Tale Behind ‘Exorcist II’ | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMisAFBVV95cUxQbVJ3dEdydk9qc2hjOFoxeFV3Z0xQZi1sUnA1UVY5WVBZQnVJcVNoaERKV256ZElsOTJsWTVRSkNPWVVFc2l3NFNpSTBoSmlac3U4ckg0MF8yZ3RsRGVxMWNrbDVwTkNtU0pERnNjaHRnNFdBNHFEV05Ca1FabTNEN1F2d1ljWU1jbExVZl9RLVAtSS1EQmFxOGFsc29YSFo2eVB1Q3NQSXYxRUZuSFhmTQ?oc=5) |
| The New York Times | ‘Boorman and the Devil’ Review: Behind a Plagued Production | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMigAFBVV95cUxPekt0V3g5Sk1CUWUwTmZibzR2WnhfN0o0d3VFWnhtNDlfemhJa05VT2NXMFlUTXVRWHhWd2JPUlk0VnFrWXhDNTZFeHVONUQ1b05KT21hYW5GTjRDemdFdm03N3dEdUJxRDRiNHlQcm44MTZqM0Z6QlptVkRBM3VpVg?oc=5) |
| IGN | Making Exorcist II Was Hell on Earth, and This New Documentary About Director John Boorman Proves It | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiaEFVX3lxTE5QUE56cXVwcW1XR0lLZndSTXNFS1pqbEpfS2lKN19sQ0ozcXREX3ZlZG5OOUdoRncxQW9TRFJUQnRSNHV2enFEck96aEZiTVlwTnZXZzlzZ2hCdTljR0dOSkZUd1lYbjFE?oc=5) |

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*Canonical Source: https://pulse.byoviral.com/trend/2026-08-29/making-exorcist-ii-was-hell-on-earth-and-this-new-documentary-about-director*