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Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist

Play trailer Poster for Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist R Released May 20, 2005 1h 51m Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
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29% Tomatometer 45 Reviews 25% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Haunted by terrible acts the Nazis forced him to participate in, the disenchanted Father Lankester Merrin (Stellan Skarsgard) focuses his energies on helping with an archaeological dig in the northern part of Kenya. There, the crew uncovers a church that predates Christian missions into the area, but the discovery also causes strange events to start occurring -- including physical changes to a young, disabled boy (Billy Crawford), whom Merrin grows to suspect has been possessed by a demon.
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Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist

Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist

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Critics Consensus

While director Schrader's attempt at a literate, internal exposition on evil temptations and human sin is admirable, this prequel suffers from hit-and-miss psychological tension, poor visual effects, and weak writing -- an overambitious failure of a horror movie.

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Critics Reviews

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Empire Magazine Rated: 3/5 Apr 1, 2006 Full Review Leslie Felperin Variety Schrader's intelligent, quietly subversive pic emphasizes spiritual agony over horror ecstasy, while paying occasional lip-service to the need for scares. May 26, 2005 Full Review Richard Roeper Ebert & Roeper The frights, the scares, they just weren't there. May 24, 2005 Full Review Mitchell Beaupre Paste Magazine Schrader’s version still has its issues, but it’s at least more interesting than the DTV-level schlock that was The Beginning. Rated: 5/10 Jun 24, 2024 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: C Aug 25, 2012 Full Review Tim Brayton Antagony & Ecstasy I can't call it a success, but it is certainly an outstanding failure, an attempt to broaden the horizons of a stale genre with real discussion of the matters that consume its maker. Rated: 6/10 Jun 7, 2011 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Doron G It's really a fever dream, and not in a funny way Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 12/05/24 Full Review Blu B The conclusion to one of the strangest things I've ever seen in movie history. This isn't a sequel, remake, or evena requel. It's the same movie of Exorcist: The Begininng just with a different director and every scene is different but the same with changes. It's one of the most bizarre things I have ever seen. That being said, this is still bad but it's a step better than the other. The other one just straight didn't make sense most of the time. This makes sense barely enough but it's still very stupid and I don't get how these plot lines really go together. The finding of a temple, Marions backstory, the deformed guy who becomes the new demon, the villagers vs British army. I get all the plot lines but they just don't add up as a whole at all and it has weird cuts to just bizarre scenes every now and than that just don't make sense. It's edited and paced terribly. The music is super boring and forgettable. Everything else isn't good overall. There are a few slight redeeming things. the camerawork is actually kind of good and Stellan isn't half bad in this. Problem is he will just sraight disappear it feels like for long stretches. Everyone is super serious acting like Last Airbender type stuff and it just comes off as boring and very forgettable. The direction in this isn't that good besides the camerawork. Skip This. Skip Both of Them. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 10/31/24 Full Review Korra N Not a great film but still an interesting and well-acted horror-drama, Dominion is a dark and gloomy picture that doesn't reach the heights of The Exorcist or The Exorcist III, but it is far better than Heretic, The Beginning, and Believer. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/08/24 Full Review Elvis D Es curioso que la precuela de The Exorcist haya tenido dos versiones que, de no haber sido dividida, sin duda hubiera sido una de las mejores entregas de la franquicia. Dominion fue lanzada solo para compensar el injusto fracaso de la versión publicada en los cines. Esta precuela alterna es una rareza llamativa para los amantes de esta franquicia, ya que tiene cosas que son mejores que la versión entrenada, pero que no son suficientes para volverla una mejor versión de la precuela. Esta versión tiene un mejor guion que profundiza más el cruel pasado de Merrin durante sus días en la segunda guerra mundial que lo llevaron a tener una crisis de fe y además, hay un mejor desarrollo respeto al conflicto que se desata en Sudáfrica por la educación cristiana y la llegada de los soldados británicos. Además, esta película es más cruda con escenas más fuertes y más gore incluido. Sin duda, es una película que pudo haber sido una digna entrega para la franquicia. El problema yace en las modificaciones que se agregaron para no reutilizar algunos elementos ya vistos en la versión estrenada. No solo cambiaron al individuo poseído, sino que quitaron la estatua de Pazuzu y su fragmento. Estos elementos eran esenciales para mantener el canon y la continuidad con la película original. Incluso Pazuzu no tiene ese macabro humor irónico que lo caracteriza tanto y se lo ve como una entidad mucho más paciente y calculadora. Debido a eso, es complicado encontrar la conexión canónica que esta película puede tener con The Exorcist. La versión estrenada mantuvo esos elementos esenciales y por eso es la mejor versión de esta precuela que logra aferrarse más a la continuidad de la película original. Si bien la versión estrenada no tuvo para nada el mejor CGI, en esta versión los efectos digitales son más evidentes y se notan más. Eso es debido a que los productores no quisieron agregar más presupuesto para mejorar la calidad de los efectos. Nada más el guion, los efectos de maquillaje y Stellan Skarsgard son lo que mantienen esta película a flote. Dominion hubiera logrado ser una digna precuela de no haber sido rechazada al principio y de no haber sido reeditada para hacer la versión que se estrenó en los cines. Al final, es solo una pieza interesante de colección para los fanáticos de The Exorcist. Mi calificación final para esta película es un 8/10. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/10/23 Full Review KerryWhite's S Rating: 6/10. 60/100 Rated 3 out of 5 stars 10/03/23 Full Review Sahooon C I didn't realise this is the same story as "exorcist the beginning" this film is better out of the 2 but still not mind blowing. Definitely not missing anything if you skip this one. Not scary barely a thriller Rated 2 out of 5 stars 08/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist

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Cast & Crew

Exorcist: The Beginning 11% 27% Exorcist: The Beginning Watchlist TRAILER for Exorcist: The Beginning Queen of the Damned 17% 66% Queen of the Damned Watchlist Dracula II: Ascension 0% 30% Dracula II: Ascension Watchlist House of Wax 28% 44% House of Wax Watchlist Sometimes They Come Back... for More 0% 24% Sometimes They Come Back... for More Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Haunted by terrible acts the Nazis forced him to participate in, the disenchanted Father Lankester Merrin (Stellan Skarsgard) focuses his energies on helping with an archaeological dig in the northern part of Kenya. There, the crew uncovers a church that predates Christian missions into the area, but the discovery also causes strange events to start occurring -- including physical changes to a young, disabled boy (Billy Crawford), whom Merrin grows to suspect has been possessed by a demon.
Director
Paul Schrader
Producer
James G. Robinson
Screenwriter
Caleb Carr, William Wisher Jr.
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
Morgan Creek Productions, Warner Bros.
Rating
R (Strong Violence|Disturbing Images)
Genre
Horror
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 20, 2005, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 3, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA)
$41.8M
Runtime
1h 51m
Sound Mix
Surround
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