William Peter Blatty adapted his novel and directed the film version of the second sequel to his blockbuster hit. Fifteen years later, Lt. William F. Kinderman (played here by George C. Scott, RIP) is still haunted by the tragic, mysterious death of his friend, Father Damien Karras (the the late Jason Miller, back in fine form). Then a grisly string of murders he investigates seems strangely connected with a case he worked several years previously. The culprit was the Gemini Killer, and Kinderman is informed that a patient in the psychiatric ward of the local hospital is claiming responsibility for the crimes. The detective decides to confront the patient, but he knows it's impossible for this person to be the Gemini - the murderer was executed in the electric chair - on the very night that Father Karras successfully expelled the demon in the first film.
Kinderman is in no way prepared for what he is about to face - evil wearing the face of his old friend, the priest's soul being tormented for the devil's pleasure - and a bloody rampage that claims the life of another friend, Father Joesph Dyer (Ed Flanders, RIP). Braving the supernatural force, the detective must face his worst foe to end the crime spree and free his friend's soul . . . . . .
Blatty wisely did not try to top his original masterpiece; instead, he presents a portrait of a few of his key characters engaged in their own battles and trying to contemplate the meaning of life and death in general, all the while incorporated the supernatural to reach the point. The movie seems to have a more significant meaning since many of the top billed cast members have now passed on. Understandably, the film did not do well at the box office due to the previous sequel's disaster, but LEGION is an underrated gem. If you have seen the first film, you might like to see this one. Try to remember that it became before "The Silence Of The Lambs".