
Lankester Merrin is a archaeologist by profession but an ordained Roman Catholic priest who has lost his faith and abandoned his vocation. He is haunted by what he was forced to do in his native Holland during World War II. The church he's excavated in Northern Kenyan dates to the Byzantine period but this puts its construction hundreds of years before Christianity was introduced to the area. the church was buried to the rooftop in sand and as its structure is exposed, a madn... (Full plot summary below)
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Lankester Merrin is a archaeologist by profession but an ordained Roman Catholic priest who has lost his faith and abandoned his vocation. He is haunted by what he was forced to do in his native Holland during World War II. The church he's excavated in Northern Kenyan dates to the Byzantine period but this puts its construction hundreds of years before Christianity was introduced to the area. the church was buried to the rooftop in sand and as its structure is exposed, a madness slowly descends on the camp. the local tribesmen are prepared to go to war and demand that the church be buried. Soon, two British soldiers are found dead and their commanding officer, Major Granville, shoots a innocent civilian in cold blood. As fear descends upon everyone in the camp, it becomes apparent that a young disabled boy, Cheche, is possessed by the devil forcing Merrin to re-examine his own beliefs.
Leave your thoughts about Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist.
| Christian Science MonitorDavid SterrittThe material is right up Schrader's alley, and while his vision of the first "Exorcist" chapter isn't a masterpiece, it's far superior to the Renny Harlin prequel to "The Exorcist" released last year. |
| VarietyLeslie FelperinResult is hardly a diabolical failure, if not quite a heavenly masterpiece. Schrader's intelligent, quietly subversive pic emphasizes spiritual agony over horror ecstasy, while paying occasional lip-service to the need for scares. |
| Dallas Morning NewsChris VognarDominion is indeed a plodfest, and though it's not as garish as Mr. Harlin's version, it's way too dire for its own good. |
| One Guy's OpinionFrank SwietekThe austere, cerebral 'Dominion' is a serious and ambitious alternative to Harlin's movie, but it's only marginally superior to it. |
| The A.V. ClubScott TobiasIt may not have been what the producers had in mind, but they asked for a Paul Schrader movie, and that's exactly what he delivered. |
| NewsdayJohn AndersonIt's a movie possessed, in the end, not by the devil, just by errant ambition. |
| Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertInstead of cheap thrills, Schrader gives us a frightening vision of a good priest who fears goodness may not be enough. |
| Reel.comTimothy KnightSchrader's Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist may be slightly more literate than Harlin's dopey schlockfest, but this deadly dull and pretentious film is ultimately just as bad. |
| Film ThreatRory L. Aronsky"Dominion" isn't outright horror, and a welcome relief from the days where shots are shorter than the hairs on our heads. |
| Los Angeles Daily NewsBob StraussIntriguing, then, mainly for historical and comparison purposes. |