Trust Exorcise: Let's Scare Jessica to Death (1971) & The Exorcist III (1990) w/ Jessica Scott

Not Your Final Girl

We’re back, and talking to film critic and cosplayer Jessica Scott, who brought us two underrated and under-discussed bangers: John Hancock’s ethereal and unsettling Let’s Scare Jessica To Death (1971), and William Peter Blatty’s chaotic long lost successor to The Exorcist, The Exorcist III (1990 - and yes, The Exorcist II exists, but for our purposes, no it doesn’t).

You might wonder what these movies have in common for a double feature, and we’re here to tell you: actually a lot! Both were developed to diverge heavily from their source material (we’re dying to read the original It Drinks Hippie Blood almost as bad as we are to see the director’s cut of The Exorcist III), both use naturalistic relationships to drive the horror, both feature fantastic voice work and dream/nightmare logic, both were ignored by Roger Ebert, and of course, Zohra Lampert - who if you’re not familiar with as a performer, you’re about to be.

What these don’t have in common, in no particular order: 70’s pesticide horror, Weird Little Guy Things, creepy car-handle holding, the Catholic Joker, fear of free love, “a lesbian flick,” and Fabio.

Jessica Scott is an entertainment critic and culture writer who focuses primarily on feminist issues, mental health representation, and queer issues in the horror genre. You can follow her on Twitter @wewhowalkhere.

A proud part of the Morbidly Beautiful Podcast Network. Our drive for intersectionality aligns well with the Morbidly Beautiful ethos. We love that MB is a nonprofit that gives back to the horror community, and are thrilled to be a part of the network! Show now also streaming on morbidlybeautiful.com!

Movies Discussed: Let’s Scare Jessica To Death (1971), The Exorcist III (1990)

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I am Not Your Final Girl by Claire C. Holland- https://www.amazon.com/Am-Not-Your-Final-Girl/dp/0692966633

Bandcamp- arieldyer.bandcamp.com

Show art by Brian Demarest: instagram.com/evilflynn