a.k.a., ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Killer Kane’
Ninth Configuration, 1980
starring: Stacy Keach, Scott Wilson, Ed Flanders and Neville Brand
written and directed by: William Peter Blatty

The plot: A remote castle in the Pacific Northwest doubles as an insane asylum for soldiers either unfit or unwilling to serve in the military. The most recent inmate is Capt. William Cutshaw (Wilson), a star astronaut who aborted a planned mission to the moon at the last minute and was dragged out of the space shuttle, raving incoherently all the while. Cutshaw is in the midst of a crisis of faith, and his spiritual struggle is of special interest to Col. Vincent Kane (Keach), a psychologist assigned to treat Cutshaw and the other soldiers in the castle. But Kane’s methods are unorthodox and consist mostly of encouraging insanity, and while he has the support of the facility’s head physician, Col. Fell (Flanders), the rest of the military personnel there, including Maj. Groper (Brand), grow increasingly irate that Kane indulges the inmates. Through their separate interactions with Kane, Cutshaw and Fell both quickly learn that the psychologist is hiding his own dark secrets and violent past.

why it’s good: Forget “Exorcist II: The Heretic”—“The Ninth Configuration” is the sequel to the “The Exorcist” that William Peter Blatty always intended. The connections to the landmark film about demonic possession are fairly tenuous. The character of Capt. Cutshaw appears (but isn’t named) during the party scene in “The Exorcist,” where Regan MacNeil tells him, “You’re gonna die up there,” a reference to Cutshaw’s impending space mission. While that’s where the connections end, “Configuration” is about as good a thematic sequel as you could ask for, a comedic psychological thriller that relies on surrealism rather than scares to address some theological issues. “Configuration” starts out a bit screwball, with Keach deadpanning his way through a sea of misfits who may or may not be crazy. The screenplay’s funny idiosyncrasies keep you comfortable while Blatty sets up the ongoing debate between Kane and Cutshaw. The astronaut is convinced the presence of evil in the world indicates God does not exist, while Kane contends the presence of good—even a tiny bit—indicates the opposite. It’s around this point that “Configuration” goes from comedy to psychological thriller, culminating in a tense sequence in a biker bar. Facing down a gang of psychotic biker dudes, Kane and Cutshaw are forced to confront head on all their idle discussions about good, evil and the capacity for human kindness. It’s not as thrilling as seeing a little demon girl’s head spin around completely, but it’s no less visceral and affecting.

why you should own it: “The Ninth Configuration” is an anomaly worth checking out. Be warned: the gory demon thrills in “The Exorcist” and “The Exorcist III” are nowhere to be found here, but that shouldn’t stop you from watching it. Warner Home Video’s DVD features the Blatty-approved 114-minute cut of the film (there are many different versions out there), along with commentary from “The Exorcist” creator.