The Devil, You Say

Author-writer-director William Peter Blatty, currently completing Morgan Creek’s “Exorcist: 1990,” insists that his sequel will be “the last serious word on the subject.” Meanwhile, his next project, “Demons 5, Exorcists 0,” will send up the subject that made him a household name.

“The script’s completed, and Fox (which released ‘1990’) has first refusal,” said Blatty. “It’s about a convention of priests beset by an evil presence.”

Then there’s producer Steve Wizan’s tentatively titled “Repossessed,” a spoof written and directed by Robert Logan. It’s about a woman--played by “Exorcist” star Linda Blair, no less--once possessed by a demon, who now seeks help when she feels that ole black magic returning. Leslie Nielsen is an off-kilter priest, Ned Beatty an evil evangelist and Morton Downey Jr. cameoed as a disbeliever.

Wizan claims, “It’s not an ‘Exorcist’ spoof. We’re sending up all horror pictures. . . .”

Blatty said he’s aware of Wizan’s project: “I hope it’s fun. And I’m sure it’s not at all like the film I’m preparing.”