FAQ

Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist is a movie prequel to The Exorcist (1973), which was based on William Peter Blatty's 1971 novel of the same name. The screenplay for Dominion was co-written by American screenwriters William Wisher and Caleb Carr.

Both Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist and Exorcist: The Beginning (2004) are based on the same script. Dominion was the first version filmed by American director Paul Schrader. When it was completed, the studio disliked it enough that they fired Schrader, had the script rewritten, and hired Finnish director Renny Harlin to direct The Beginning. Much of the footage was re-shot but, side-by-side, the movies are obviously telling the same story.

The basic plot of Father Merrin ( played in both films by Stellan Skarsgård)'s first contact with the demon Pazuzu in Africa is the same, although Pazuzu's name is never used. He is referred to only as "Satan" and the "demon". Most of the same characters remain, although some are recast and their names changed, e.g., Dr Sarah (in The Beginning) is Dr Rachel (in Dominion). James and Joseph are in both movies, but with much smaller roles in Dominion. The demon does not possess Joseph; rather he possesses a crippled village boy named Cheche (Billy Crawford). Probably the most noticeable difference is that Dominion concentrates on Merrin's doubts about his faith, whereas The Beginning is geared more towards the horrific and scary elements of the story. Also, the majority of the characters live in this film, whereas almost all of them are killed off in The Beginning.

Twenty-eight (28) years. The events in The Exorcist (1973) take place in 1975. Although the opening scenes in Dominion take place in 1944 Holland, the majority of the movie takes place in 1947 East Africa.

After begging God to forgive his sins and disbeliefs, Fr Merrin dons his priestly garments and re-enters the church to face the demon. Once inside, he begins the rite of exorcisim. When Merrin splashes the demon with holy water, the demon bats him into the cave walls, but Merrin continues the ritual. The demon offers him a way of forgetting the events that happened in Holland, but Merrin reads on. The demon spits forth a plague of insects, but Merrin ignores them and finishes the exorcism. The demon disappears. Several days later, the British soldiers are packing up to leave. The Turkana chief wishes strength to Merrin but assures him that the demon is now his enemy and will pursue him. On his way to the Infirmary, Merrin passes the grave of Father Francis (Gabriel Mann). In the informary, Dr Rachel (Clara Bellar) and her new houseboy Cheche are making beds. Merrin informs Rachel that he's returning to Rome. Rachel gives him a rosary as a parting gift. In the final scene, Marrin kisses Rachel's cheek and walks out of the infirmary.