The Exorcist (1973)

Director:

William Friedkin

Writers:

William Peter Blatty (written for the screen by)
William Peter Blatty (novel)

Release Date:

26 December 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

The movie you've been waiting for...without the wait.

Plot:

When a teenager is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two priests to save her daughter.

Plot Keywords:

Priest | Faith | Psychiatrist | Washington D.C. | Actress

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 12 wins & 14 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Ellen Burstyn	...	Chris MacNeil
Max von Sydow	...	Father Merrin
Lee J. Cobb	...	Lt. Kinderman
Kitty Winn	...	Sharon
Jack MacGowran	...	Burke Dennings
Jason Miller	...	Father Karras
Linda Blair	...	Regan
Reverend William O'Malley	...	Father Dyer (as Reverend William O'Malley S.J.)
Barton Heyman	...	Dr. Klein
Peter Masterson	...	Dr. Barringer - Clinic Director (as Pete Masterson)
Rudolf Schündler	...	Karl
Gina Petrushka	...	Willi
Robert Symonds	...	Dr. Taney
Arthur Storch	...	Psychiatrist
Reverend Thomas Bermingham	...	Tom - President of University (as Reverend Thomas Bermingham S.J.)

Also Known As:

The Exorcist 2000 (Australia) (cable TV title)
The Exorcist: The Version You Haven't Seen Yet (USA) (recut version)
The Exorcist: The Version You've Never Seen (USA) (promotional title)
William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist (USA) (reissue title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong language and disturbing images. (edited version in 2000)

Runtime:

122 min | 132 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Latin | Greek | French | German | Arabic

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (1979 re-release) | DTS-ES (director's cut) | Dolby Digital EX (director's cut) | Mono (original release) | SDDS (director's cut)

Certification:

Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (1998) | Canada:R (Ontario) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | South Korea:15 | Malaysia:(Banned) | UK:(Banned) (original rating) | Italy:VM14 (director's cut) | Australia:MA (TV rating) | Brazil:14 | Singapore:(Banned) (original rating) | Singapore:R(A) (re-rating) (cut) | Canada:14A (re-rating) | Philippines:R-18 | Brazil:18 (original rating) | Canada:R (video rating) | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:13 | UK:18 (2008 re-rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:R | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (2000 re-release) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia) (2000 re-release) | Canada:AA (Ontario) (2000 re-release) | Canada:R (Manitoba) (also 2000 version) | Chile:14 (re-rating) (2000) | Chile:18 (original rating) | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 (director's cut) | France:-16 (original rating) | Germany:16 (bw) (2001 re-release) | Hong Kong:IIB | Hungary:18 | Iceland:16 | Ireland:18 | Israel:18 | Italy:VM14 (re-release) | Mexico:C | Netherlands:16 (director's cut) | Netherlands:18 (original rating) | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 (2000) | Norway:18 | Singapore:M18 (video rating) (cut) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (re-rating) (1990) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:R | West Germany:18 (bw)

Filming Locations:

3600 Prospect Avenue, Georgetown, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Company:

Hoya Productions

Trivia:

In the disturbing scene where Regan is masturbating with the crucifix, Eileen Dietz was used for the shot where Regan belts her mother across the face. William Friedkin felt they needed someone with more heft physically to perform the stunt, and the double was shot from the back. The crucifix scene was filmed with Dietz, according to an interview with her in the documentary "Starz Inside: Fantastic Flesh: The Art of Make-Up Effects".

Goofs:

Continuity: When the clock stops, the pendulum stops on the left side of the clock-casing. When the camera cuts back to the clock the pendulum hangs to the right

Quotes:

[first lines]
Boy: [in Iraqi language] They've found something... small pieces.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "HBO First Look: The Haunting (#6.6)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

Kanon For Orchestra and Tape

Review of The Exorcist.

For as long as I can recall, I've always possessed (no pun intended) an innate feeling that there exists outside the realm of our established dogma things that defy conventional logic. When I was in the sixth grade, I read the book, "The Exorcist," which scared me senseless. The idea that the Devil could infiltrate the delicate core of one's being called a soul absolutely terrified me at such a young age. After seeing the movie, I was speechless. Have been ever since. William Friedkin's transformation of the book to the movie was superb, in my opinion. (Not all adaptations are.) Dick Smith's special effects, in contrast to today's make-up advancements in the film industry, are still able to stand the test of time. The acting was splendid, from Lee J. Cobb & Jason Miller, to Ellen Burstyn and Max von Sydow's limited appearance in the piece. Friedkin's slice-of-life direction enhances the essence of the fear-factor in an oddly subtle fashion, as though the viewer were actually alongside the characters in the film. Lending to the creepiness of the film is the fact that there exists a minimal musical score (Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells" does accompany two nuns strolling gingerly down a Georgetown street in autumn, their robes billowing slightly in the wind). The palpability of what happens to a young Linda Blair has astounded me for over three decades. Having been so taken with the notion that inhuman entities DO stalk the earth and have never existed in human form, I've written a couple of novels on the subject matter, myself. I liken the new version that had been released a few years ago to the last nail in the proverbial coffin of effectiveness, making this one of the best horror-genre films of all time. Simply put: I've never seen any film that remotely comes close to what this movie has done to me (in terms of frightening me senseless). Linda Blair's cute Regan MacNeil is utterly transformed into a beast which is flat-out disturbing to behold. The movie has moved me ever since I had seen it at age fourteen, and I suspect will always. Put simply, at age forty-three I still have a difficult time watching it on my own. Great job, Mr. Friedkin and crew!