Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

The 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.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias

It 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.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

Instead of cheap thrills, Schrader gives us a frightening vision of a good priest who fears goodness may not be enough.

Slate David Edelstein

It's a good, thoughtful horror picture--and thiiis close to being a very good one.

LA Weekly Scott Foundas

The strengths of Dominion, however, have been little diminished by its long shelf life and, in fact, may have grown stronger with age.

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

Not bad. It actually might have been considered pretty good had it been made 30 years ago, when people might have cared about the backstory of Father Merrin.

Variety Leslie Felperin

Result 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.

Village Voice Michael Atkinson

The film will come to share the video store shelf with Harlin's infinitely stupider rendition soon enough, but it's a shame they couldn't have been released theatrically head-to-head -- a death match-cum-clinical trial that might've supplied some objective stats on how much condescension the American moviegoer actually enjoys.

Los Angeles Times Kevin Crust

Instantly forgettable.

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

Schrader, in Auto Focus, displayed a devious sense of sin, but in Dominion the Calvinist schoolboy in him insists on trumping sin with guilt.

New York Post Kyle Smith

Maybe nothing here is supposed to be as scary as in the 1973 movie because this is merely the opening act. That's the problem with prequels, isn't it? It's like being asked to pay full price just to watch batting practice.

The Hollywood Reporter Michael Rechtshaffen

Awfully dull, with scant evidence of the sort of things that make horror movies attractive -- like mounting suspense and spine-tingling creepiness and, oh yeah, the element of horror.

The New York Times Stephen Holden

There's no escaping that "Dominion" is finally an act of commercial scavenging. You may retrieve the eggshells, coffee grounds and banana peels from your trash and assemble them into a cute, novelty gift basket. But if you bend down and take a whiff, your nose is still met with the scent of garbage.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

The verdict: More thoughtful than Harlin's version, but hardly the invigorating mix of shocks and metaphysical horror needed to revitalize the Exorcist franchise.

Dallas Observer Robert Wilonsky

It's chatty when it wants to pretend it's deep and spiritual, messy when it's striving for chaotic and thrilling, and boring when it has no other options left.

San Francisco Chronicle Peter Hartlaub

Devoid of thrills, and with nothing even vaguely frightening to distract moviegoers, it becomes clear that the story wasn't worth telling in the first place.