GOD IS NOT HERE.

In 1949, Lankester Merrin (Stellan Skarsgård), a former Catholic priest, takes part in the excavation of an ancient church in Kenya and finds that Satan is very much present there.

This prequel to The Exorcist (1973) depicts a time in Father Merrin’s life when he had turned his back on the church but found a reason to fight evil on God’s behalf again. Paul Schrader made an original film that was rejected by the studio who instead hired Renny Harlin to shoot a different take on the story.  

The result is a strict horror movie without any fuss. The final showdown delivers the goods, but on the whole it’s forgettable stuff.

2004-U.S. 114 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Renny Harlin. Cast: Stellan Skarsgård (Lankester Merrin), Izabella Scorupco (Sarah Novack), James D’Arcy (Father Francis), Remy Sweeney, Ben Cross, Andrew French. 

Trivia: Before Schrader replaced him, John Frankenheimer was originally set to direct. Schrader subsequently released his version of the story as Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist (2005).