The Ninth Configuration (1980)

5 Responses to The Ninth Configuration (1980)

1. LizS says:

   October 24, 2025 at 10:51 pm

   What a fantastic film. It gives you so much to think about.

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2. Wonderboy says:

   October 21, 2025 at 1:17 am

   Thank you so much for this! It’s my favorite movie & has been impossible to find under its original title, or as the re-release, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Killer Kane.” I saw this as a preview in a venerable old California theater, and who sits next to me as the film’s about to begin? Writer/director William “call me Bill” Blatty! We had conversations all through the film, as he told me his grand scheme for releasing The Exorcist, The Exorcist III and this film as a religious trilogy dedicated to his upbringing in Jesuit schools. He told me how William “Billy” Friedkin (Exorcist director) was supposed to direct this film, too, but at the last minute Blatty decided to direct it himself.
   You’ll have to watch the film several times to get all the jokes, ad-libs, sight gags, cross-references, religious connotations…as Tony said, it’s dense. Blatty himself plays a ‘doctor’ among the inmates.
   There are actually 2 versions of the film, with completely different endings – one where a character allows an accident to happen, and one where he creates the accident. Blatty did this to challenge the concept of free will versus predestination.
   Under this title, the film couldn’t find its audience, so the studio pulled it, renamed it Twinkle, Twinkle, Killer Kane and marketed it as a horror movie. That didn’t work either, since it’s SO much more than a horror film, and it’s languished in obscurity since then.
   It’s a film worth saving, savoring & rewatching for a long time. Thanks again, RL!

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   • Wonderboy says:

     November 2, 2025 at 7:27 am

     I forgot to mention that, during my conversation with Blatty, he described the origin & meaning of the concept of the Ninth Configuration, which is a logical syllogism that proves that God exists. Each of the configurations is a logical, uncontrovertible fact that leads from the First Configuration to the Second, to the Third, etc. until you get to the Ninth – which asserts conclusively that God exists. He explained each configuration, in detail, which meant that I missed a large chunk of the film (I rewatched it several times since then)…but I don’t regret it.

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3. Tony says:

   October 20, 2025 at 10:34 am

   Brilliant and dense film. Want to hear the commentary.

   It is actually from 1980.

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   • rarelust says:

     October 20, 2025 at 10:37 am

     yes

     Reply