Exorcise Plan

Post-firing, he finished it on his own, thanks to friends like composer Angelo Badalamenti (Twin Peaks), who worked for ''next to nothing.'' Tentatively titled Dominion: A Prequel to the Exorcist, it found a place at March's Brussels International Festival of Fantastic Film, where audiences and critics responded positively. ''I knew that once it was projected, it would 'exist,''' says Schrader. After the reviews, Warner Bros., Morgan Creek's distributor for both films, ''started to see the thinking behind a limited release, and the historical uniqueness of the situation.'' (No studio has ever released different versions of the same movie, much less with the same star, a year apart.) Adds Schrader: ''It'll be a talking point in film schools forever.''

So what possessed Morgan Creek to release Dominion now? According to Robinson, he'd always intended to release Schrader's picture (which is news to Schrader), and as a result shelled out $84 million on virtually identical films. ''I spent a lot of money on that movie. Why would I want to throw it all out the window? We got Renny's out, and waited for the right release slot for Paul's.'' Which is...the same weekend as Revenge of the Sith? ''Not everyone can go see Star Wars,'' he reasons.

For Schrader, whatever the box office, it's a personal triumph. ''It's like the '60s!'' he crows. ''Fighting the man!'' On the other hand, he laughs, ''After spending years raising expectations, now I have to start lowering them.''

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