Before horror series like Chucky and Evil Dead came, there was Exorcist, probably one of the most popular and horrifying American horror series of all time. Here is the list of all Exorcist movies in order of release.
The Exorcist movies in order
- The Exorcist (1973)
- Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
- The Exorcist III (1990)
- Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)
- Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (2005)
About Exorcist Movie Series
The Exorcist, based on a famous novel written by author William Peter Blatty of the same name, first came out in 1973 and became a huge hit and set a benchmark in the horror genre. The series is based on two demons Pazuzu and Lamashtu, and Father Merrin in between them.
The series is one of the most popular horror franchises known for its horrifying scenes. The series is very intense and a perfect recommendation for anyone who loves to watch horror movies.
Exorcist Movies In Order: What Is The Correct Order To Watch The Exorcist films
The series starts with Chris’s daughter, who gets possessed by a demon, and Chris calls Fr. Merrin to help her but gets killed while performing Exorcism.
Are Exorcists Movies Connected?
Yes! all the Exorcists movies are connected, the first movie introduces you to the plot, and the main characters and two sequels continue the story, while the fourth part is a prequel telling the origin.
Do You Need To Watch Exorcist Movies In Order?
The exorcist series is very complex and has two prequels. The story of the series has a confusing lineage. To understand and catch up with the story, this is extremely important to watch Exorcist movies in order.
What order should I watch The Exorcist films?
There are two orders to watch Exorcists movies, chronological order and release order. The best order to watch the exorcist is to view them in the release order. You can also watch the series in chronological order, but the release order is fun and will not spoil your suspense.
Here is the list of all Exorcist movies in order of release, aka the best order to watch the exorcist films.
The Exorcist (1973)
- Director: William Friedkin
- Stars: Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair, Lee J. Cobb
- Writers: William Peter Blatty
- Runtime: 2h 2min
Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
- Directors: John Boorman, Rospo Pallenberg
- Stars: Richard Burton, Linda Blair, Louise Fletcher, Max von Sydow
- Writer: William Goodhart
- Runtime: 1h 57min
The Exorcist III (1990)
- Director: William Peter Blatty
- Stars: George C. Scott, Ed Flanders, Brad Dourif, Jason Miller
- Writers: William Peter Blatty
- Runtime: 1h 50min
Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)
- Director: Renny Harlin
- Stars: Stellan Skarsgård, Izabella Scorupco, James D’Arcy, Remy Sweeney
- Writers: William Peter Blatty
- Runtime: 1h 54min
Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (2005)
- Director: Paul Schrader
- Stars: Stellan Skarsgård, Gabriel Mann, Clara Bellar, Billy Crawford
- Writers: William Wisher, Caleb Carr
- Runtime: 1h 57min
The Exorcist (1973)
Father Merrin finds an amulet that belongs to the demon Pazuzu in Hatra, Iraq. Pazuzu is known for bringing Epidemic and a rival of Lamashtu, another demon who kills mothers to separate them from their children and suck their blood. Humans take help from Pazuzu to fight with Lamashtu.
Chris, is a famous Actress, One day, while playing with her twelve-year daughter, Chris finds an Ouija board but ignores it. After a few days, Chris starts to experience unusual activities in her house, and her daughter begins to behave weirdly. Further Chris learns that a demon possesses her daughter.
This film has two versions, The Exorcist – The Version You’ve Never Seen is slightly different from the main theatrical cut movie released in 1973.
Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
A South American girl who is possessed gets killed while priest Philip Lamont performs an exorcism to protect her. After the incident, Philip Lamont gets assigned to investigate Father Merrin’s death, who was killed while exorcising Regan (four years ago in the previous film).
Meanwhile, Regan is living everyday life with her guardian in New York City and is consistently monitored by a psychiatrist Dr. Gene Tuskin. Priest Lamont couples himself using a synchronizer to Regan and learn about a boy in Africa, Kokumo, who has developed extraordinary powers to fight with Pazuzu.
The Exorcist III (1990)
The movie continues the story after fifteen years of Regan’s Exorcism, a supernatural event that occurs in the church at night that clearly indicates the presence of an evil supernatural entity.
Lieutenant Kinderman while working on a death case Thomas Kintry learns that fingerprints on the crime scene do not match which indicates that a different person is responsible for the murder. Further Kinderman reveals that fingerprints belong to the “Gemini Killer” A serial killer who was executed fifteen years ago.
Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)
This movie is a prequel that explains the beginning of the Exorcist saga. In 1949, Ex-priest and archeologist Merrin is approached by Semmelier and asks him to recover an ancient Relic from an old church found in the British Excavation.
Merrin agrees and teams up with Chuma and Francis to go to the excavation site and learn that diggers are leaving because local tribesmen believe that the church is cursed. The three go inside the church and finds two disturbing oddities. Status of angels pointing their weapons downwards and an upside-down cross.
Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (2005)
The movie sets in 1947, where Merrin is working as an Archeologist, Merrin team up with Father Francis, Major Granville, and Chuma(his guide) decides to go inside an ancient Church found while excavating.
While taking a tour of the dig site, Merrin learns that the church is made in such a way to restrain something beneath it. Through a hidden passage, all of them reach an ancient Sanctuary where human sacrifices were performed.
Are Dominion and exorcist the beginning of the same movie?
Exorcist: The Beginning, Morgan Creek Productions terminated the project in fear of not well received by audiences. Production further performed a reshoot with director Renny Harlin. The film didn’t perform well, and In an attempt to recoup costs, Production finished the initial shoot and released it.
Hence the prequel part of the exorcist has two versions, Dominion and exorcist the beginning, and both are the same except for little tweaks in the story plot.
How many versions of The Exorcist are there?
There are two Versions of Exorcists. The first version is The Exorcist, a theatrical cut, while the second version is The Exorcist – The Version You’ve Never Seen, which is a director’s cut.
Chronological Order of The Exorcist Movie Series
It’s wonderful to watch The Exorcist Movies in chronological order. The series is very confusing, and sequels are disjointed, making it challenging to follow the chronological order. If you wish to watch it in chronological order, that is entirely fine, but I would highly recommend following the release order.
Here is the list of all Exorcist movies in chronological order
- Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)
- Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist (2005) – A different version of Exorcist: The Beginning.
- The Exorcist (1973)
- The Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
- The Exorcist III (1990)
All Exorcist Movies, Television Show and Cut Scenes In Release Order
The first Exorcist film has two versions, and the fourth movie in the series also has two different versions. Besides, the Exorcist franchise contains a Television series with two seasons and 20 episodes that continue the horrifying saga of Exorcists,
A direct sequel to The Exorcist (1973) is officially announced by the production. Here is the list of complete exorcists franchise is release order.
- The Exorcist (1973)
- The Exorcist – The Version You’ve Never Seen (director’s cut version of The Exorcist)
- Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
- The Exorcist III (1990)
- Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)
- Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (2005)
- The Exorcist (2016–2018)– Television series
- 1973’s direct sequel– Under Production.
Which Exorcist Movie Is Best?
Exorcists are known for the horror and killing scenes involved in the series and a fantastic horror story of demons told in 40 years. But out of all the Exorcist movies, which one is best? Here to answer the question, I have ranked all Exorcists movies from worst to best based on IMDb ratings.
| Exorcist Movies | Ratings on IMDb |
|---|---|
| Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) | 3.8/10 |
| Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (2005) | 5.2/10 |
| Exorcist: The Beginning (2004) | 5.2/10 |
| The Exorcist III (1990) | 6.4/10 |
| The Exorcist (1973) | 8/10 |
Other Popular Horror Series To Binge Watch
- Hellraiser Movies In Order [How To Watch Hellraiser Series]
- Scary Movie Movies In Order [How to Watch Scary Movies]
- The Conjuring Universe Movies in Order To Watch
- Saw Movies in Order [How to Watch Saw Movies]
- Evil Dead Movies In Order [Evil Dead Watch Order]
- Scream Movies In Order [Best Order To watch Scream Movies]
- Chucky Movies In Order [Chucky Watch Order]
- Insidious Movies In Order [Watch Order]
Conclusion
There are six movies in the Exorcists series. The first film has two versions followed by two sequels and a prequel released twice with different names and slight differences in the plot.
Exorcist is a popular horror franchise, and here in this article, I have discussed a brief guide to the franchise and have listed all Exorcist movies in the correct order to watch.
If you still have any questions, then let me know in the comments.