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The Ninth Configuration
From the writer of The Exorcist, one of the ultimate cult film experiences: William Peter Blatty's unclassifiable blend of unhinged psychological thriller and anarchic comedy.
Director: William Peter Blatty
Overview
Army psychiatrist Colonel Kane is posted to a secluded gothic castle housing a military asylum. With a reserved calm he indulges the inmates’ delusions, allowing them free rein to express their fantasies. But some are wary of the newcomer and his methods. There may be more to Kane than meets the eye and the insanity escalates towards an explosive revelation.
The writer of The Exorcist, William Peter Blatty, adapted his own novel Twinkle, Twinkle, "Killer" Kane! for his directorial debut, which struggled for critical and commercial acceptance on its first release but has now been rehabilitated as a cult classic — with fervent champion Mark Kermode leading the charge. An unclassifiable mix of unhinged psychological thriller and anarchic comedy, punctuated with philosophical dialogue and a seething atmosphere of gothic dread, it remains one of the most wildly untethered outliers to emerge from American cinema.
strong language, moderate violence
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