What actually happens
None of the fingerprints match
Fifteen years after Regan MacNeil's exorcism, Father Joseph Dyer and Lieutenant William Kinderman in Georgetown reminisce about their friend Father Damien Karras. The next night, something supernatural happens at a church and the Christ figure on a crucifix opens its eyes. A man on the street describes a dream in which he falls down a long staircase. Kinderman is called to a murder: Thomas Kintry, a young man, turns up with the head of a Jesus statue where his own should be. Father Kanavan is then murdered in the confessional and decapitated. The fingerprints at each scene do not match, which suggests different people did it. Dyer falls ill, ends up in a hospital with a psychiatric ward for the elderly, and is murdered and decapitated as well, with his blood poured into small bottles. Kinderman, with Sergeant Mel Atkins, questions the patients and recognizes the method of James Venamun, the Gemini Killer, who was put to death fifteen years ago.
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The patient who is not who he says
Kinderman questions an elderly patient, Mrs. Clelia, who knows nothing about Dyer's murder, then meets Dr. Temple, who heads the psychiatric ward. Temple describes a patient who was found wandering fifteen years ago with amnesia, stayed silent and rigid for years, and woke up violent six weeks ago, saying he is the Gemini Killer. The patient turns out to be Damien Karras, an old friend of Kinderman's, and Venamun is the one possessing him. The Gemini Killer says he has never heard of Karras but brags about the murders, and after his appearance changes to the Gemini Killer's, he threatens Kinderman unless the paper reports that the Gemini Killer is still killing. Kinderman then visits Father Riley, who ran the church council Kanavan and Dyer worked for. Riley says all the victims connect to the Regan MacNeil case, and he suggests Kinderman talk to Father Paul Morning, who performed an exorcism in the Philippines.
The longest hallway in Georgetown
The same night, Nurse Amy Keating is murdered and Dr. Temple takes his own life. This is the scene people dread most: Keating walks a hospital corridor in a slow stretch of about four and a half minutes, with a fake-out scare partway through in a patient's room, and then the real scare arrives with a loud sound effect. The murder itself is never shown. The film cuts to a headless statue. Kinderman then goes back to see Karras, who remains under the Gemini Killer's control. The Gemini Killer explains that he works for The Master, presumably Pazuzu, who wanted revenge on Karras for expelling him from Regan. The Master took Venamun's spirit, executed the same night, and put it in Karras's body, with Karras's own spirit locked inside to watch the murders as punishment. The Gemini Killer has also taken over other people at the institution to carry out the murders and forced Temple to help him.
A second exorcism goes wrong
The Gemini Killer possesses another elderly patient, who disguises himself as a nurse, leaves the hospital and tries to attack Kinderman's family at their home. The attack ends when Father Morning turns up at the hospital to face Karras, having felt called to perform another exorcism. As he tries to cleanse Karras, The Master takes over Karras's body, and Morning is badly mutilated. Then Kinderman hurries back to the hospital, bringing the patient who has passed out, and tries to euthanize Karras. Karras, still possessed, torments Kinderman and tries to kill him.
The ending, explained
While The Master chants that victory is his, Father Morning comes to and urges Karras to fight. Karras briefly regains control of himself and begs Kinderman to shoot him. Kinderman does, which frees Karras from both the Gemini Killer and The Master. Later, Kinderman and Sergeant Atkins attend Karras's funeral, and the tombstone gives his death as October 9, 1975, at age 40.
The post-credits ruling
Nobody has confirmed whether there's a scene after the credits.
✓ Spoiled safelyDog status: fine, no dog dies.
Questions people ask at 1am
Is The Exorcist III scary?
Yes. The Exorcist III is a 6.5 out of 10 with medium dread: a murder mystery with one long hospital hallway scene that ends in a jump scare, and the murder in that scene is never shown.
How does The Exorcist III end?
Karras briefly regains control and begs Kinderman to shoot him, and Kinderman does, freeing Karras from the Gemini Killer and The Master. The film ends with Karras's funeral.
Does the dog die in The Exorcist III?
No. No dog dies in The Exorcist III. A priest's injured bird is shown dead after a cross and a statue fall.
Is there a post-credits scene in The Exorcist III?
Nobody has confirmed whether The Exorcist III has a scene after the credits.
Who is the Gemini Killer in The Exorcist III?
James Venamun, a serial killer put to death fifteen years earlier. In The Exorcist III The Master places his spirit in Father Damien Karras's body, with Karras locked inside to watch.
