Overview
- Boorman and the Devil compiles new interviews and archival material to chronicle the troubled production of Exorcist II and to center John Boorman's own account of the shoot.
- The documentary details concrete production breakdowns including Boorman's hospitalization with San Joaquin Valley fever, Richard Burton's inconsistent participation, on-set rewrites by Rospo Pallenberg, and a rewritten climax followed by a mid-release recut.
- Director David Kittredge says his intent was not to declare Exorcist II a lost masterpiece but to show the film's technical ambition and the creators' sincerity, and he describes the project as emotionally healing for Boorman and several crew members.
- Contemporary critics praise the documentary for its thorough, sympathetic context that acknowledges both the original film's bold intentions and its real failings without attempting full rehabilitation.
- Reviewers and historians say Exorcist II's 1977 collapse helped shift studio practices and signal the end of a risk-tolerant era in Hollywood, making the film a touchstone for debates about auteur risk and commercial accountability.