Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist

"Go back before the beginning, to the place where evil was born."

2005 1h 56m EN

😐

5.3

MID

🥫

29%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

5.1

IMDB

★5.3TMDB · 442🥫29%Rotten Tomatoes●55Metacritic★5.1IMDB · 14,526

Horror

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Father Merrin takes a sabbatical from the Church to devote himself to history and archaeology as he struggles with his shattered faith.

“Go back before the beginning, to the place where evil was born.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Stellan Skarsgård
Father Lankester Merrin
Gabriel Mann
Father Francis
Clara Bellar
Rachel Lesno
Billy Crawford
Cheche
Ralph Brown
Sergeant Major
Israel Aduramo
Jomo
Andrew French
Chuma
Antonie Kamerling
Lieutenant Kessel

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Paul Schrader
Writers: Paul Herndon, William Wisher, Caleb Carr
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 1% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 21 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Exorcist Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Paul Schrader, shot by Vittorio Storaro. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Dog Fashion Disco. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor William Yeh shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Stellan Skarsgård and Gabriel Mann and Clara Bellar carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Go back before the beginning, to the place where evil was born.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Paul Schrader directs. Vittorio Storaro behind the camera. Dog Fashion Disco scores. William Yeh cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 1% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 21 years ago.
3Part of the "The Exorcist Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Paul Schrader, shot by Vittorio Storaro. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Dog Fashion Disco. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor William Yeh shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Stellan Skarsgård and Gabriel Mann and Clara Bellar carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Go back before the beginning, to the place where evil was born.".
9IMDB entry: tt0449086 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 29 themes, including "based on novel or book", "nazi", "faith", "africa".
11Released under 15 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Vittorio Storaro
Original score: Dog Fashion Disco
Editing: William Yeh
Production design: John Graysmark
Costume design: Luke Reichle
Makeup / hair: Elisabetta De Leonardis
VFX supervisor: Tom Mahoney
Sound: Mathew Waters
Stunt coordinator: David Ambrosi
Runtime: 116 min · 1h 56m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $30,000,000
Box office: $251,495
Return: 1% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist (2005)
Rotten Tomatoes: 29% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 55/100
IMDB rating: 5.1/10 · 14,526 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

3 nominations total

Part of

The Exorcist Collection

A horror anthology series focused on fictional accounts of demonic possession, and the efforts of religious authorities to counter it with various acts of faith. Inspired by the literary works of William Peter Blatty.