Ep58: Declan Neil Fernandez, Film Enthusiast & Author

Today my guest is Declan Neil Fernandez, a film enthusiast and author. In this episode, we find out about Declan’s avid long-term interest in film, especially physical media – that is, VHS tapes, DVDs, laserdiscs, and Blurays. In our conversation we explore Declan’s ten-year writing journey which resulted in the published book, ‘Horrible and Fascinating – John Boorman's Exorcist II: The Heretic’. The book seeks to answer many of the questions associated with the unique, compelling, and infamous film, ‘Exorcist II: The Heretic’. Released in 1977, the film was a much-anticipated sequel to the most popular and successful horror film ever made, ‘The Exorcist’. The sequel was inspired by profound philosophical concepts popular in 1970s culture, related to new age consciousness, spirituality, and human evolution. Unfortunately, all of this was lost in the confusion. The film is often described as one of the worst ever made. On a fact-finding mission, Declan asked the question: How did it happen? Declan offers insights into his writing process as we chat about the background, context, and dynamics of the film, with discussions around the Hollywood film industry in the mid 1970s, Warner Bros studio, director John Boorman, and other aspects of the ill-fated production. Declan shares some of the reasons why he decided to venture into this unexpected and curious cultural territory, on an intriguing, personal mission to solve a mystery. Links: ‘Horrible and Fascinating – John Boorman's Exorcist II: The Heretic’ https://bearmanor-digital.myshopify.com/products/horrible-and-fascinating-john-boormans-exorcist-ii-the-heretic-paperback?_pos=2&_sid=3ea20d3d7&_ss=r https://www.instagram.com/the_man_who_fell_to_perth/