The Exorcist (1973)

Director:

William Friedkin

Writers:

William Peter Blatty (screenplay)
William Peter Blatty (novel)

Release Date:

26 December 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Something beyond comprehension is happening to a little girl on this street, in this house. A man has been called for as a last resort to try and save her. That man is The Exorcist.

Plot:

A teenager is possessed by a mysterious entity and her mom seeks the help of two priests to save her daughter

Plot Keywords:

Teenager | Claustrophobic | Teenage Girl | Tormented | Blood

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 12 wins & 14 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sat. Aug. 2

1:15 AM

AMC

Cast

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.)
Vasiliki Maliaros	...	Karras' Mother
Titos Vandis	...	Karras' Uncle
Wallace Rooney	...	Bishop Michael
Ron Faber	...	Chuck, Assistant Director / Demonic Voice
Donna Mitchell	...	Mary Jo Perrin
Roy Cooper	...	Jesuit Dean
Robert Gerringer	...	Senator at Party
Mercedes McCambridge	...	Pazuzu (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
William Peter Blatty	...	Producer (uncredited)
Mary Boylan	...	First Mental Patient (uncredited)
Richard Callinan	...	Astronaut (uncredited)
Mason Curry	...	(voice) (uncredited)
Eileen Dietz	...	Pazuzu's Face (uncredited)
Yvonne Jones	...	Bellevue Nurse (uncredited)
John Mahon	...	Language Lab Director (uncredited)
Reverend John Nicola	...	Priest (uncredited)
Vincent Russell	...	Subway Vagrant (uncredited)

Directed by
William Friedkin

Writing credits
William Peter Blatty		(screenplay)
William Peter Blatty		(novel)

Produced by
William Peter Blatty	....	producer
Noel Marshall	....	executive producer
David Salven	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Steve Boeddeker		(2000)

Cinematography by
Owen Roizman		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Norman Gay
Evan A. Lottman		(as Evan Lottman)

Casting by
Louis DiGiaimo		(as Louis DiGiamo)
Nessa Hyams
Juliet Taylor

Production Design by
Bill Malley

Set Decoration by
Jerry Wunderlich

Costume Design by
Joseph Fretwell III		(as Joe Fretwell)

Makeup Department
William A. Farley	....	hair stylist (as Bill Farley)
Dick Smith	....	makeup artist

Production Management
William Kaplan	....	production manager: Iraq sequence

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Terence A. Donnelly	....	first assistant director
Alan R. Green	....	second assistant director (as Alan Green)

Art Department
Charles Bailey	....	assistant art director
Joseph M. Caracciolo	....	property master (as Joe Caracciolo)
Edward Garzero	....	master scenic artist (as Eddie Garzero)
Gene Lauritzen	....	construction coordinator (uncredited)

Sound Department
Randle Akerson	....	dialogue editor (2000 re-release)
Randle Akerson	....	sound editor (2000 re-release)
Noah Blough	....	sound editor (2000 re-release)
Andrew Bock	....	assistant sound editor: 2000 rerelease
Steve Boeddeker	....	sound designer: theatrical re-release
Fred J. Brown	....	sound effects editor (as Fred Brown)
Richard Burton	....	sound editor (2000 re-release)
Susan Demskey	....	first assistant sound editor (2000 re-release) (as Susan Demskey-Horiuchi)
Matthew Dettmann	....	foley artist (2000 re-release) (as Matt Dettmann)
Richard Duarte	....	foley mixer (2000 re-release)
Jean-Louis Ducarme	....	sound: Iraq sequence
Bob Fine	....	special sound effects
Dana LeBlanc Frankley	....	adr assistant (2000 release) (as Dana LeBlanc)
Gonzalo Gavira	....	special sound effects
Gary A. Hecker	....	foley artist (2000 re-release) (as Gary Hecker)
David C. Hughes	....	sound effects editor: re-release
Richard King	....	supervising sound editor (2000 re-release)
Robert Knudson	....	dubbing mixer (as Buzz Knudson)
Hal Landaker	....	sound consultant
James Matheny	....	sound editor (2000 re-release)
Ron Nagel	....	special sound effects (as Ron Nagle)
Christopher Newman	....	sound (as Chris Newman)
Timothy Nielsen	....	sound effects editor: re-release
Mark Pappas	....	foley editor (2000 re-release)
Mark Pappas	....	sound editor (2000 re-release)
Gary Rizzo	....	sound re-recording mixer (2000 special edition)
Doc Siegel	....	special sound effects
Donald Sylvester	....	sound editor: 2000 rerelease
Ross Taylor	....	sound effects editor
Robert Ulrich	....	adr supervisor (2000 re-release)
Robert Ulrich	....	supervising adr editor (2000 re-release)
Kerry Dean Williams	....	adr editor (2000 re-release) (as Kerry Williams)
Linda Yeaney	....	first assistant sound editor: 2000 rerelease
Sean England	....	machine room operator: 2000 re-release (uncredited)
Sharron Miller	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Michael Minkler	....	sound re-recording mixer (2000 re-release) (uncredited)
Ken Nordine	....	special sound effects (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Marcel Vercoutere	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Jennifer Law-Stump	....	2000 special edition digital effects artist: Pacific Title Digital
Marv Ystrom	....	optical effects
Martin Hall	....	paint/roto artist (uncredited)
Matt Linder	....	digital compositor: restoration (uncredited)

Stunts
Steven Burnett	....	stunts (uncredited)
Linda R. Hager	....	stunt double (uncredited)
Chuck Waters	....	stunts: Jason Miller (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Richard Quinlan	....	gaffer (as Dick Quinlan)
Ed Quinn	....	key grip (as Eddie Quinn)
Josh Weiner	....	still photographer
Billy Williams	....	director of photography: Iraq sequence
Gary Muller	....	second assistant camera (uncredited)
Tom Priestley Jr.	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Robert Schoenhut	....	camera operator (uncredited)
David Wynn-Jones	....	focus puller (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Bill Beattie	....	wardrobe: men
Aldo Cipullo	....	jewelry designer: Cartier, New York
Florence Foy	....	wardrobe: women

Editorial Department
John C. Broderick	....	supervising editor (as Jordan Leondopoulos)
Michael Goldman	....	assistant editor
Terry Haggar	....	color timer (special edition)
Ross Levy	....	assistant editor: Iraq sequence
Craig McKay	....	assistant editor
Bob McMillian	....	color consultant (as Robert M. McMillian)
Darrin Navarro	....	assistant editor (theatrical re-release)
Jonathan Pontell	....	assistant editor
Ray Sabo	....	negative cutter (special edition)
Bud S. Smith	....	editor: Iraq sequence (as Bud Smith)

Music Department
Robert Garrett	....	music editor (2000 re-release)
Eugene Marks	....	music editor (as Gene Marks)
Jack Nitzsche	....	composer: additional music
Ken Nordine	....	vocal coach: Linda Blair (uncredited)

Other crew
Reverend Thomas Bermingham	....	technical advisor (as Reverend Thomas Bermingham S.J.)
Norman E. Chase M.D.	....	technical advisor: Professor of Radiology, New York University Medical Center
Anne Mooney	....	production office coordinator
Reverend John Nicola	....	technical advisor (as Reverend John Nicola S.J.)
Reverend William O'Malley	....	technical advisor (as Reverend William O'Malley S.J.)
Dan Perri	....	title designer
Nicholas Sgarro	....	script supervisor (as Nick Sgarro)
Albert M. Shapiro	....	administrative assistant (as Albert Shapiro)
Arthur I. Snyder M.D.	....	technical advisor
Herbert E. Walker M.D.	....	technical advisor
Eileen Dietz	....	double: Regan MacNeil (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Hoya Productions

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1973) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. Pictures (2000) (USA) (theatrical) (director's cut)
• Argentina Video Home (2001) (Argentina) (VHS)
• CBS Television (1980) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Varus Video (????) (Russia) (VHS)
• Warner Bros. (2001) (Argentina) (theatrical) (director's cut)
• Warner Bros. (2001) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1974) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1974) (France) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1974) (UK) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1998) (UK) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Warner Bros. (1974) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1974) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2001) (Netherlands) (theatrical) (director's cut)
• Warner Home Video (2001) (Switzerland) (DVD) (director's cut)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2001) (Netherlands) (VHS) (director's cut)
• Warner Home Video (????) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1992) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Warner Home Vídeo (2001) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Warner Sogefilms A.I.E. (2001) (Spain) (theatrical) (director's cut)

Special Effects

• Pacific Title (additional visual effects) (special edition)

Other Companies

• Les Frères Revillon  furs (as Revillon)

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)

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:

Singapore:R(A) (re-rating) (cut) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (1998) | Portugal:M/16 | Brazil:14 | Italy:VM14 (director's cut) | UK:(Banned) (original rating) | South Korea:15 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Singapore:(Banned) (original rating) | Philippines:R-18 | Canada:R (Ontario) | Brazil:18 (original rating) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Canada:14A (re-rating) | Australia:MA (TV rating) | Canada:R (video 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:

Gonzalo Gavira was called on to create many of the special sound effects after William Friedkin recalled his work from Topo, El (1970). One of the more memorable sounds, the 360-degree turning of Regan's head, was actually made by twisting a sound crew member's old leather wallet in front of a mike.

Goofs:

Continuity: When father Karras is in the dorm sitting on the bed smoking a cigarette, the priest takes the cigarette from Karras and lays him down on the bed. When father Karras sits up and grabs the priest's arm, the cigarette is still in Karras's right hand. In the next shot, the cigarette is back with the other priest.

Quotes:

Iraqi boy: They've found something... small pieces.
Father Merrin: Where?
Iraqi boy: At the base of the mound.
Iraqi Archaeologist: [Merrin moves to base of mound] Some interesting finds. Lamps, arrow-heads, coins...
Father Merrin: [Merrin picks up St. Christopher's medal and holds it up] This is strange!
Iraqi Archaeologist: [He dusts the pendant and takes a look] Not of the same period.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in White House Madness (1975)

Soundtrack:

Study No. 2

Still a powerful film, more than thirty years on...

More than thirty years on, The Exorcist remains a very powerful film and was a cinematographic milestone in 1973. Repeated duplication of the genre has, no doubt, 'desensitized' a new generation of movie-watchers, though it remains an unnerving masterpiece. It is not difficult to understand why the film sent a shock wave around the world all those years ago, since it imposed an unprecedented sensory attack on the viewer. Regan's vile physical appearance, combined with her vile language and blasphemous diatribe sent a shock wave around the world. Moreover, many people seemed to believe the claims that the film was based on a true story and could therefore actually happen to them. Electricity consumption must have soared for several months in 1973 as people who had seen the film slept with their lights on! It is still not a film I would feel comfortable watching before going to bed. On another level, I found parts of it profoundly moving and actually cried at the end when Regan was finally released from her possessor and cried in the arms of her mother and Father Damien, having lunged himself through a window and down a precipitous flight of steps managed to find just enough life in himself to indicate that he had retained his faith and repented of his sins by motioning his fingers in the sign of penitence when comforted by a distraught colleague. Possibly the only thing that lets the film down if one really sits and thinks about it is the underpinning concept that an ancient demon which had existed since the dawn of time should wish to possess the body of a twelve year old child and emit a string of juvenile profanities. But then the film was designed to shock all along!