The horror genre is well known for its love of franchises, but some work out much better than others. Exorcist II: The Heretic, directed by John Boorman, is a notorious, poorly received follow-up to 1973’s The Exorcist. The new documentary Boorman and the Devil, directed and produced by David Kittredge, explores the making of the ill-fated film. And Yellow Veil Pictures has just acquired the North American rights to it.
Boorman and the Devil premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2025. Unlike its subject, so far the documentary has been a hit with a 100% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
“I am beyond thrilled that Yellow Veil has come on board to help us share this story with a larger audience,” Kittredge said in a statement. “Like myself and the rest of our team, they’re huge cinema-lovers. It’s so exciting that a film which is not only a love letter to John Boorman, but also to ambitious filmmaking, will be handled by people who share the same passions that our team shares.”
“I miss big, ambitious filmmaking that takes huge risks,” he added. “In 1977, John Boorman took an enormous creative and commercial swing with The Heretic which didn’t connect with almost anybody at the time—but now we can look back and appreciate how big creative swings are what going to the movies is all about. Boorman is one of the greatest filmmakers that has ever stepped behind a camera, and I’m so happy to be telling the story of the one film that not only nearly destroyed him, but forever changed the way he made films.”
Boorman and the Devil
The documentary features appearances by Boorman and the film’s star, Linda Blair. Alongside Louise Fletcher, Joe Dante, Mike Flanagan, Karyn Kusama, and critics discussing The Heretic legacy. It is produced by Kittredge, Jim Fall, and Travis Stevens.
“I first saw the film at an early festival screening and the post-screening buzz was just electric. Everyone was loving Boorman and the Devil,” says Yellow Veil Pictures Co-Founder Justin Timms. “To be able to team up with David and the filmmaking team on this release is incredibly exciting and we can’t wait to spread that post-screening electricity with audiences across the country.”
Yellow Veil Pictures plans to open Boorman and the Devil in New York at the Quad Cinema on August 28th. Followed by a wider theatrical release on September 4th.
