Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)

Director:

Renny Harlin

Writers (WGA):

William Peter Blatty (movie The Exorcist)
William Wisher Jr. (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

20 August 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

A new chapter of evil

Plot:

Years before Father Lancaster Merrin helped save Regan MacNeil's soul, he first encounters the demon Pazuzu in East Africa. This is the tale of Father Merrin's initial battle with Pazuzu and the rediscovery of his faith.

Plot Keywords:

Church | Faith | Kenya | Atrocity | Archeologist

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Stellan Skarsgård	...	Father Merrin
Izabella Scorupco	...	Sarah
James D'Arcy	...	Father Francis
Remy Sweeney	...	Joseph
Julian Wadham	...	Major Granville
Andrew French	...	Chuma
Ralph Brown	...	Sergeant Major
Ben Cross	...	Semelier
David Bradley	...	Father Gionetti
Alan Ford	...	Jefferies
Antonie Kamerling	...	Lieutenant Kessel
Eddie Osei	...	Emekwi
Israel Aduramo	...	Jomo
Patrick O'Kane	...	Bession
James Bellamy	...	James
Cecilia Amati	...	Little Dutch Girl
Matti Ristinen	...	Medieval Priest
Lidia Darly	...	Sebituana's Wife
James Paparella	...	Boy in Market
Silvio Jimenez Hernandez	...	Stricken Turkana Worker
Yemi Goodman Ajibade	...	Turkana Shaman
Michel Leroy	...	Tribesman in Hospital
John Sesay	...	Turkana Warrior #1
Sayoh Lahai	...	Turkana Warrior #2
Alessandro Casula	...	Preacher with Pazuzu
Roberto Purvis	...	Corporal Finn
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Rupert Degas	...	Voice of the Devil (uncredited)

Directed by
Renny Harlin

Writing credits (WGA)
William Peter Blatty		(movie The Exorcist)
William Wisher Jr.		(story) (as William Wisher) and
Caleb Carr		(story)
Alexi Hawley		(screenplay)

Produced by
Omneya 'Nini' Mazen	....	post-production producer (as Nini Mazen Shutan)
Guy McElwaine	....	executive producer
Wayne Morris	....	co-producer
David C. Robinson	....	executive producer
James G. Robinson	....	producer

Original Music by
Trevor Rabin

Cinematography by
Vittorio Storaro

Film Editing by
Mark Goldblatt
Todd E. Miller

Casting by
Pam Dixon

Production Design by
Stefano Maria Ortolani		(as Stefano Ortolani)

Art Direction by
Eugenio Ulissi
Andy Nicholson		(uncredited)

Set Decoration by
Carlo Gervasi

Costume Design by
Luke Reichle

Makeup Department
Blake Bolger	....	special effects assistant
Hayat Ouled Dahhou	....	hair stylist (as Hayat Oulet Dahhou)
Emma Deacon	....	special effects assistant
Sam Debree	....	special effects assistant
Barbara De Leonardis	....	hair stylist
Giancarlo De Leonardis	....	head hair stylist (as Gioncarlo De Leonardis)
Christopher K. Grap	....	special makeup effects assistant
Eric Harris	....	makeup effects painter
Snowy Highfield	....	makeup effects painter (as Peter 'Snowy' Highfield)
Raffaella Iorio	....	key makeup artist
Steven Lawrence	....	makeup effects painter
Steven Lawrence	....	special makeup effects artist
Richard Maybery	....	makeup effects painter (as Richard Mayberry)
Mike J. Regan	....	animatronic designer (as Michael Jay Regan)
Fabrizio Sforza	....	head makeup artist
Marlene Stoller	....	hair artist: special effects
Gary J. Tunnicliffe	....	special makeup effects designer
Claire Jane Vranian	....	special makeup effects coordinator
Grady Holder	....	makeup effects technician: K.N.B. EFX Group (uncredited)
Christopher Allen Nelson	....	special makeup effects artist (uncredited)
Carla Vicenzino	....	makeup artist: second unit (uncredited)

Production Management
Khadija Alami	....	production supervisor: Morocco (as Khadija 'Fred' Alami)
Wayne Morris	....	unit production manager
Stefano Spadoni	....	production supervisor: Rome
Kate Dain	....	post-production supervisor: UK (uncredited)
Francois Garcia	....	head of production (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Oscar Beuselinck	....	second assistant director
Gilles Cannatella	....	second assistant director: second unit
Filippo Fassetta	....	second assistant director: Italy
Bruce Franklin	....	first assistant director
Antti Jokinen	....	second unit director (as Antti J. Jokinen)
Luca Lachin	....	first assistant director: second unit
Catherine Olaya Salazar	....	second second assistant director
Noureddine Aberdine	....	first assistant director: second unit (uncredited)
Emma Horton	....	second assistant director (uncredited)
Giampiero Pelusi	....	assistant director: second unit (uncredited)

Art Department
Roberta Amodio	....	assistant set decorator
Carlo Avvisato	....	stand-by props
Antonio Beccarisi	....	head carpenter
Rosario Calascibetta	....	assistant props: second unit
Cristina Cecili	....	painter
Gabrizio Corbucci	....	carpenter
Tommaso Dubla	....	head painter
Francesco Fonda	....	set decorator assistant
Giuseppe Gafagna	....	painter (as Giuseppe Cafagna)
Trevor Goring	....	storyboard artist
Dominic Hyman	....	property master (as Dominic E. Hyman)
Mauro Lucantoni	....	carpenter
Alessia Maggio	....	art department assistant
Mauro Mieli	....	swing gang
Lorenzo Monaca	....	painter
Bernadino Nardoni	....	construction coordinator
David Packard	....	scenic artist
Francesco Postiglione	....	assistant property master
Gianpaolo Rifino	....	sketch artist
Federica Russo	....	assistant art director
Federico Vianelli	....	swing gang
Greg Winter	....	assistant scenic artist
Roberto Benetti	....	swing gang (uncredited)
Alice Biddle	....	draughtsperson (uncredited)
Ted Boonthanakit	....	storyboard artist (uncredited)
Antonio Murer	....	propmaker (uncredited)
Mark Reynolds	....	chargehand dressing prop (uncredited)
Fernando Valento	....	construction manager (uncredited)
Ashley Winter	....	draughtsman (uncredited)

Sound Department
Ulrika Akander	....	adr editor
Bob Beher	....	foley editor (as Robert Beher)
Tom Bellfort	....	supervising sound editor
Alessandro Cattanio	....	boom operator (as Alessandro Cattaneo)
Harry Cohen	....	supervising sound editor
Alessio Costantino	....	sound assistant
Kate Dain	....	adr coordinator: UK
Tim Farrell	....	sound effects editor
Frank Fleming	....	sound recordist
Paul Flinchbaugh	....	digital assistant
Nick Foley	....	adr studio assistant: UK
Nerses Gezalyan	....	foley mixer
Catherine Harper	....	foley artist (as Kathrin Harper)
Allan Hartz	....	dialogue editor (as Allen Hartz)
Chris Jenkins	....	supervising sound mixer
Kenneth L. Johnson	....	sound effects editor (as Ken Johnson)
Michael Kamper	....	sound effects editor
Larry Kemp	....	adr editor
Jon Mete	....	dialogue editor
Frank A. Montaño	....	supervising sound mixer (as Frank Montaño)
Michael C. Moore	....	sound mixer (as Michael Moore)
Christopher Moriana	....	foley artist (as Chris Moriana)
James Moriana	....	foley artist (as Jimmy Moriana)
Bryan Pennington	....	sound consultant: Dolby
Luigi Pini	....	cable person
Ann Scibelli	....	sound designer
Branden Spencer	....	supervising assistant sound editor
Wylie Stateman	....	co-supervising sound editor
Ted Swanscott	....	adr mixer: UK
Bruce Tanis	....	sound effects editor
Derek Vanderhorst	....	foley mixer (as Derick Vanderhoust)
Tim Webb	....	sound recordist
Jeffrey Wilhoit	....	foley artist
Kerry Dean Williams	....	adr supervisor
Susan Cahill	....	assistant sound editor (uncredited)
Harry Cohen	....	lead sound designer (uncredited)
Paul Longstaffe	....	adr editor (uncredited)
Chris Navarro	....	adr recordist (uncredited)
Eric Thompson	....	adr mixer (uncredited)
Hugh Waddell	....	adr editor (uncredited)
Hugh Waddell	....	dialogue editor (uncredited)
Nourdine Zaoui	....	sound (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Brian Blair	....	senior effects technician (as Bryan Blair)
Danilo Bollettini	....	special effects supervisor
Massimo Cardajoli	....	special effects technician
Stefano Corridori	....	special effects technician
Jeff L. Deist	....	mold designer (as Jeff Deist)
Robert Freitas	....	mold designer
Moto Hata	....	sculptor
Mark Maitre	....	sculptor
Stephen Norrington	....	sculptor
Patrick Tasse	....	senior animator
Miles Teves	....	sculptor (as Myles Teves)
Kevin Carter	....	special effects contact lenses (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Laurent M. Abecassis	....	visual effects supervisor: Digital Dimension
Syed Ali Ahsan	....	technical manager
Douglas Aiken	....	digital compositor: Kleiser-Walczak
Ian Allard	....	lighting: Meteor Studios
Joe Alter	....	digital effects: Kleiser-Walczak
Alp Altiner	....	lead matte painter
Robert Alves	....	character animator: Meteor Studios
Steve Ansell	....	visual effects editor
Mathieu Archambault	....	visual effects: Meteor Studios
Shaikh Ata-ur-Rehman	....	digital artist: Kleiser-Walczak
Michael Baltazar	....	lead technical director: Meteor Studios
Laurie Baranyay	....	texture painter: Kleiser-Walczak
Stephane 'Bal' Barbin	....	CG supervisor: Digital Dimension
David Beedon	....	digital effects artist: Morgan Creek
Mathieu Blouin	....	character animator: Meteor Studios
Genevieve Boisvert	....	visual effects coordinator: Meteor Studios
Reine Bourgault	....	lighting artist: Meteor Studios
Frederic Breault	....	matchmover lead: Meteor Studios
Arnaud Brisebois	....	concept artist
Arnaud Brisebois	....	matte painting lead
Edoardo Brizio	....	rotoscope artist
Philippe Brochu	....	CG modeler: Meteor Studios
Dany Brouillette	....	system administrator
Jeremy Burns	....	sequence supervisor
D. Walt Cameron	....	digital compositor
Massimo Cipollina	....	pre-visualization coordinator
Adriano Cirulli	....	visual effects coordinator
Eric Clement	....	visual effects: Meteor Studios
Daniel Coupal	....	digital compositor
Jason Crosby	....	digital artist: Digital Dimension
Steve Cummings	....	digital artist: Kleiser-Walczak
Clay Dale	....	visual effects
Paul A. Davies	....	animator
Chris Del Conte	....	visual effects producer: Digital Dimension
Primo De Santis	....	digital artist
Marc Desmarais	....	texture artist: Meteor Studios
Ivan DeWolf	....	visual effects: Martian Labs
Frank D'Iorio	....	digital compositor: Meteor Studios
Thai Son Doan	....	digital compositor
Sebastien Dostie	....	digital creature supervisor: Meteor Studios
Maxime Ducharme	....	rendering artist
Jason Edwardh	....	technical director: Meteor Studios
Christopher English	....	digital artist: Kleiser-Walczak
Richard Flores	....	character animator: Meteor Studios
Marco Foglia	....	character animator
Michel Frenette	....	digital compositor: Meteor Studios
Spence Fuller	....	digital compositor
Benoit Girard	....	visual effects supervisor: Digital Dimension (as Benoit 'Ben' Girard)
Charles Granger	....	digital compositor
Marc Hall	....	digital artist
Laura Hanigan	....	digital artist: Kleiser-Walczak
Mike Hardison	....	CG supervisor: Pixel Magic
Jamie Helman	....	character animator: Meteor Studios
Alex Hernandez	....	imaging technician
Daniel Hernandez	....	visual effects: Meteor Studios
Michel Héroux	....	visual effects producer: Digital Dimension
Jason Hill	....	digital effects artist: Pixel Magic
Steve Hodge	....	imaging technician
Chris Holmes	....	2D supervisor: Kleiser-Walczak
Meredith Hook	....	paint and rotoscope artist: PacTitle
Chris Hummel	....	effects technical director: Meteor Studios
Richard Hurrey	....	character rigger
Joni Jacobson	....	digital compositor
Lucas Janin	....	visual effects: Meteor Studios
Brian Jennings	....	visual effects supervisor (as Brian M. Jennings)
Bonnie Kanner	....	visual effects executive producer: Pixel Magic
Zeeshan Karimi	....	digital artist: Kleiser-Walczak
Taryn P. Kelly	....	visual effects coordinator: Digital Dimension
Richard Kidd	....	visual effects supervisor: Meteor Studios
Jeffrey Kleiser	....	executive producer: Kleiser-Walczak
Brian Knudson	....	digital artist: Martian Labs
Jason Kreller	....	character animator: Meteor Studios
Geneviève Labelle	....	digital compositor: Meteor Studios
Emanuel LaFrance	....	compositor: Meteor Studios
Yann Laliberte	....	digital compositor: Meteor Studios
Nicolas Lamy	....	character animator: Meteor Studios
Christopher Lance	....	compositor
Cam Langs	....	technical director: Meteor Studios
Martin Larrivée	....	digital compositor
Claude Lauzon	....	compositor: Meteor Studios
Claude Lauzon	....	matchmover: Meteor Studios
Christine Leclerc	....	texture lead: Meteor Studios
Tom Leeser	....	visual effects producer: Kleiser-Walczak
Tom Leeser	....	visual effects supervisor: Kleiser-Walczak
Jacques Levesque	....	compositing supervisor: Meteor Studios
Kenneth Littleton	....	digital effects supervisor: Radish
Lawrence Littleton	....	digital effects supervisor: Radish
George Macri	....	visual effects producer: Pixel Magic
Tom Mahoney	....	digital visual effects supervisor (as Thomas Mahoney)
Jacques Marchand	....	lighting artist: Meteor Studios
Simon Marinof	....	digital compositor
Jeffrey Martin	....	visual effects: MeteorStudios
Omar McClendon	....	character rigging lead: Meteor Studios
John R. McConnell	....	2D compositor: Pixel Magic
John McCunn	....	visual effects producer
Dennis McHugh	....	visual effects director of photography
Ray McIntyre Jr.	....	visual effects supervisor: Pixel Magic
Jason Meier	....	digital effects artist
Jamie Minett	....	lead lighter: Meteor Studios
Kama Moiha	....	digital compositor: Morgan Creek
Jerome Morin	....	visual effects executive producer: Digital Dimension
Jean-Francois Morissette	....	layout & tracking artist: Meteor Studios
Juliette Mourez	....	compositor: Meteor Studios
Brad Moylan	....	lead compositor: Pixel Magic
Paul Nightingale	....	visual effects producer: Meteor Studios
Tom Nixon	....	digital artist
Stéphane Paradis	....	digital compositor
Andrew A. Paules	....	digital artist
Erik Paynter	....	digital effects supervisor: Kleiser-Walczak
Michael Pecchia	....	digital compositor: Kleiser-Walczak
Robert W. Peishel	....	digital visual effects producer
Todd Perry	....	3D digital artist: Crows Tomb Sequence, Morgan Creek on loan from Max Ink Cafe
Cristin Pescosolido	....	compositor
Travis Pinsonnault	....	digital artist: Kleiser-Walczak
Emma Pittson	....	character animator: Meteor Studios
Antonin Plante	....	character animator
Ali Imran Qadir	....	digital artist: Kleiser-Walczak
Zakir Ali Qureshi	....	digital artist: Kleiser-Walczak
Yves Rainville	....	CG modeling lead: Meteor Studios
Alfredo Ramirez	....	digital compositor
Jesse Rapczak	....	CG effects artist
Kashif Raza	....	digital artist: Kleiser-Walczak
Rob Reinhart	....	digital artist (as Robert Reinhart)
David Ridlen	....	digital effects artist
Philippe Roberge	....	digital compositor: Meteor Studios
Andrew Romine	....	digital artist: Pixel Magic
Amanda Roth	....	digital effects supervisor: Kleiser-Walczak
Pascal Ruest	....	animation supervisor: Meteor Studios
Jeff Sargent	....	digital compositor
Mark Schane-Lydon	....	digital artist: Kleiser-Walczak
Kevin Schwab	....	imaging technician
Nicola Sganga	....	pre-visualization
Doug Smith	....	CG supervisor
Laurent Solignac	....	lighting: Meteor Studios
Tim Stevenson	....	digital effects supervisor: Meteor Studios
Kevin Struckman	....	CG artist: Pixel Magic
Tracy Takahashi	....	visual effects producer
Wilson Tang	....	digital restoration
Mandy Tankenson	....	visual effects producer: Meteor Studios
Patrick Tasse	....	senior animator
Ferdinand N. Terado	....	animator: Kleiser-Walczak
Sylvain Thibodeau	....	render lead: Meteor Studios
John Tissavary	....	digital compositor: Kleiser-Walczak
Chuck Toussieng	....	visual effects
Jeff Varga	....	digital effects artist
Juan Carlos Vargas	....	visual effects (as Juan Vargas)
Ariel Velasco-Shaw	....	visual effects supervisor (as Ariel Velasco Shaw)
Leandro Visconti	....	compositor: Digital Dimension
Diana Walczak	....	executive producer: Kleiser-Walczak
Eric Wilson	....	digital artist: Kleiser-Walczak
Brian Wolf	....	digital compositor
Dan Wrightsell	....	visual effects: Meteor Studios
Saqlain Zaidi	....	digital effects coordinator
Paolo Zeccara	....	visual effects supervisor: Proxima
Sylvain Allard	....	render artist: Meteor Studios (uncredited)
Steeve Boulianne	....	matchmover: Meteor Studios (uncredited)
Laurent Charbonnel	....	software development: Meteor Studios (uncredited)
Etienne Daigle	....	compositor (uncredited)
Dana Darie	....	character rigging (uncredited)
Charles Desilets	....	I/O: Meteor Studios (uncredited)
Maxime Ducharme	....	render artist: Meteor Studios (uncredited)
Christian Emond	....	render artist: Meteor Studios (uncredited)
Eve-Marie Gingras	....	visual effects production assistant: Meteor Studios (uncredited)
Patrick Gray	....	lighting artist: Meteor Studios (uncredited)
Chloe Grysole	....	digital effects producer: Meteor Studios (uncredited)
Matthew Herzog	....	technical director: Meteor Studios (uncredited)
Elizabeth Maxwell Keith	....	software development (uncredited)
Alain Lachance	....	digital compositor (uncredited)
Nancy Larouche	....	lighting artist: Meteor Studios (uncredited)
Joey Lessard	....	character rigging: Meteor Studios (uncredited)
Jami Levesque	....	systems: Meteor Studios (uncredited)
Dave Massicotte	....	production coordinator: Meteor Studios (uncredited)
Thai-My Nguyen	....	character animator: Meteor Studios (uncredited)
Maxim Olivier-Adlhoch	....	software development: Meteor Studios (uncredited)
Marc-Antoine Paquin	....	software development: Meteor Studios (uncredited)
Martin Pélissier	....	texture artist: Meteor Studios (uncredited)
Yann Provencher	....	texture artist: Meteor Studios (uncredited)
Guillaume Rodrigue	....	assistant visual effects editor: Meteor Studios (uncredited)
Gabriel Rouette	....	software development: Meteor Studios (uncredited)
Nathalie Tremblay	....	compositor: Meteor Studios (uncredited)
Radu Vintila	....	visual effects editor: Meteor Studios (uncredited)

Stunts
Mohamed Ali	....	stunt performer
David Ambrosi	....	stunt coordinator
David Ambrosi	....	stunt performer
Giorgio Antonini	....	stunt performer
Massimiliano Bianchi	....	stunt actor
Massimiliano Bianchi	....	stunt rigger (uncredited)
Alessandro Borgese	....	stunt performer (as Alessandro Borjese)
Bruno Di Luia	....	stunt soldier: second unit
Akouala Cristel Julien	....	stunt performer
Alessandro Novelli	....	stunt performer
Mario Novelli	....	stunt actor: Dutch peasant, second unit
Valentina Paradiso	....	stunt actor: Dutch girl, second unit
Wilson Peres	....	stunt performer
Tatiana Romanova	....	stunt performer
Enrico Salamon	....	stunt performer
Paolo Susani	....	stunt performer
Diego Tomassini	....	stunt performer
Paolo Antonini	....	stunts (uncredited)
Massimiliano Catasta	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bianchi Massimiliano	....	stunt actor: blacksmith (uncredited)
Massimiliano Ubaldi	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Emiliano Alleva	....	video assist
Sergio Ambrosi	....	grip
Sergio Ambrosi	....	grip: second unit
Fabrizio Amendola	....	best boy
Giampaolo Bagala	....	crane operator (as Gianpaolo Bagalá)
Giampaolo Bagala	....	dolly grip (as Gianpaolo Bagalá)
Massimo Barbona	....	grip
Alfredo Betrò	....	camera operator: "a" camera (as Alfredo Betró)
Chiara Bettinelli	....	camera trainee
Piero Bosi	....	grip
Daniele Cafolla	....	set gaffer
Filippo Cafolla	....	gaffer
David Campbell	....	technocrane technician
Alessandro Cardelli	....	electrician
Marco Carosi	....	director of photography: second unit
Alessandro Chiodo	....	clapper loader: "b" camera
Maurizio Cremisini	....	focus puller: second unit
Joe D'Alessandro	....	grip (as Joseph C. D'Alessandro)
Luca De Santis	....	electrician
Massimiliano Dessena	....	grip
Umberto Dessena	....	grip
Fabrizio Diamanti	....	best boy grip
Mauro Diamanti	....	key grip
Roberto Diamanti	....	electrician: second unit
Massimo di Domenico	....	electrician: second unit
Walter Di Masi	....	electrician: second unit
Piernicola Di Muro	....	clapper loader: "a" camera
Giovanni Gebbia	....	Steadicam operator
Giovanni Gebbia	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Roberto Gentili	....	focus puller: "a" camera
Guido Leonarduizzi	....	remote head grip
Stefano Lombardo	....	clapper loader: second unit
Alessandro Martella	....	assistant camera
Marco Martelli	....	focus puller: "b" camera
Willy Murgolo	....	electrician
Willy Murgolo	....	light board operator
Alessandro Rossi	....	electrician
Marco Rossi	....	electrician: second unit
Maurizio Salvatori	....	grip
Nazzareno Savini	....	grip: second unit
Enrico Stella	....	grip: second unit
Marco Sticchi	....	gaffer: second unit
Sergio Strizzi	....	still photographer
Paolo Tiberti	....	grip
Vincenzo Vedovato	....	video assist
Franco Biciocchi	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Massimiliano Trevis	....	camera operator: "b" camera (uncredited)

Animation Department
Steeve Boulianne	....	layout artist
Marco Foglia	....	animator
Kim Richardson	....	animation supervisor

Casting Department
Paolo Dragone	....	extras casting assistant
Buffy Hall	....	additional casting
Felice Lattes	....	extras casting
Karen Lindsay-Stewart	....	additional casting
Tate Palmer	....	casting assistant: Los Angeles
Vicky Wildman	....	additional casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Tim Aslam	....	assistant costume designer
Alma Barbieri	....	cutter: ladies
Mauro Berti	....	wardrobe assistant
Piera Cimino	....	seamstress
Giovanni Lipari	....	key costumer
Valentia Pintus	....	costume dyer
Marta Renzi	....	costume dyer
Giovanni Scotti	....	costumer
Marco Scotti	....	costume supervisor
Gemma Spina	....	wardrobe assistant
Vittorio Torrieri	....	cutter: mens
Abdelkrim Akallach	....	crowd wardrobe supervisor (uncredited)
Lois DeArmond	....	costume illustrator (uncredited)
Annalisa Schmid	....	costume department coordinator (uncredited)
Cristina Tucci	....	costume textile effects (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Steve Ansell	....	first assistant editor
Ron Barr	....	digital conforming and opticals
Jennifer Bunting	....	post-production assistant
Aaron Denenberg	....	digital intermediate lineup
Tony Dustin	....	digital color assist
Johanna Gavard	....	editorial intern
Dale E. Grahn	....	lab timer (as Dale Grahn)
Leslie D. Guettler	....	editorial intern
Mo Henry	....	negative cutter
Stephanie Ito	....	digital intermediate producer
Trent Johnson	....	digital film colorist
Emanuela Lucidi	....	avid assistant: Italy
Mark Sahagun	....	digital conform assistant
Glen Scantlebury	....	editorial consultant
Yvonne Valdez	....	first assistant editor
Monica Anderson	....	assistant editor (uncredited)
Dwight Raymond	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Herbert Beckir	....	conductor
Herbert Beckir	....	orchestrator
Mark Berger	....	music supervisor
Tom Hardisty	....	music assistant engineer
Steve Kempster	....	orchestra recordist
Steve Kempster	....	score mixer
Paul Linford	....	score producer
Jennifer Nash	....	music editor: temp
Trevor Rabin	....	score producer
Shie Rozow	....	assistant music editor
Jeanette Surga	....	music editor
Indiana Woodward	....	vocalist: little girl
Lizzy X.	....	vocalist
Kory Kruckenberg	....	assistant score engineer (uncredited)
Paul Linford	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)
Joe Lisanti	....	music editor: temp music (uncredited)
Danita Ng	....	music preparation (uncredited)
Jason Poss	....	music preparation (uncredited)
David Sabee	....	orchestra contractor (uncredited)
Aaron Symonds	....	music technical assistant (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Carlo Di Bianca	....	driver: grip van
Carlo Lamoratta	....	driver: camera van (as Carlo La Moratta)
Mario Lamoratta	....	driver: genny van (as Mario La Moratta)
Roberto Ruggieri	....	driver: van
Mauro Stefanucci	....	transportation assistant
Emiliano Verni	....	driver: production minivan
Aldo Zangrilli	....	driver: electrics van
Najma El Mahjoub	....	transportation captain (uncredited)

Other crew
Israel Aduramo	....	additional voices
Monica Anderson	....	dailies assistant: Los Angeles
Tommaso Arrighi	....	set production assistant
Khalid Banoujaafar	....	location manager
Davide Bartolini	....	stand-in: Mr. Skarsgård
Luca Benetti	....	dailies assistant: Italy
Norma Jane Burke	....	assistant accountant
Paul Cadiou	....	accountant
Gerardo Carbilla	....	stand-in: Mr. D'Arcy
Lorenzo Carrera	....	office production assistant
Giampiero Cirotto	....	set production assistant (as Gianpiero Cirotto)
Sebastion Dzininski	....	utility stand-in
Barbara Ferrara	....	craft service assistant
Andy Fraser	....	production executive
Mustapha Grumij	....	production accountant
Geoffrey Kahn	....	consultant: Aramaic (as Professor Geoffrey Kahn)
Cristina Leurini	....	craft service assistant
Omar Lopez	....	stand-in: Mr. French
Pasquale Martino	....	animal wrangler
Monica Mele	....	production assistant: second unit
Giusy Mercuri	....	accounting file clerk
Mario Mercuri	....	assistant accountant
Andrea Pagani	....	set production assistant
Giampiero Pelusi	....	set production assistant (as Gianpiero Pelusi)
Piernicola Pinnola	....	office production assistant (as Piernicola 'Nick' Pinnola)
Allison Rintala	....	assistant: Mr. Harlin
Jennifer Rivieccio	....	set production assistant
Stefanie Schenk	....	office production assistant
Valeriya Shevechenko	....	stand-in: Ms. Scorupco
Diana Spadaccini	....	set nurse
Mauro Stefanucci	....	location assistant
Leslie S. Stevens	....	production office coordinator (as Leslie S. Moak)
Portia Tickell	....	script supervisor (as Portia Belmont)
Brice Tidwell	....	assistant: Nini Mazen
Elisabetta Tomasso	....	assistant production office coordinator
Giulio Villa	....	double: Remy Sweeney
Daniel Virgulto	....	catering
Daniel Virgulto	....	craft service
Eric Washington	....	production assistant: Los Angeles
Kathryn Waters	....	script supervisor: second unit
Mohamed Essaghir Aabach	....	crowd marshall (uncredited)
Alma Barbieri	....	workshop tailor (uncredited)
Katharine Chadwick	....	production assistant: Morocco (uncredited)
Piera Cimino	....	workshop tailor (uncredited)
Nick Komornicki	....	supervising armorer (uncredited)
Paul J. Memmi	....	translator (uncredited)
Mike Mohr	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Mimosa Nistri Ranalletti	....	script supervisor: second unit (uncredited)
Frédéric North	....	helicopter pilot (uncredited)
Peggy Pere	....	aerial coordinator (uncredited)
Eugene Rizzo	....	unit publicist (uncredited)
Nikki Stanghetti	....	assistant: Renny Harlin (uncredited)
Vittorio Torrieri	....	workshop tailor (uncredited)

Thanks
Dr. Archie Buffkins	....	in memory of
Barnaby Paul Cadiou	....	in memory of
David 'Kam' Coyner	....	in memory of
John Frankenheimer	....	in memory of
Michael Kamen	....	in memory of

Production Companies

• Morgan Creek Productions
• Dominion Productions

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (2004) (USA) (theatrical)
• Morgan Creek International (2004-2005) (non-USA) (theatrical)
• Ascot Elite Entertainment Group (2004) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Eagle Pictures (2004) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Ekaterinburg Art (EA) (2005) (Russia) (theatrical)
• GAGA (2004) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Humax Pictures (2004) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Moonlight Films (2005) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2004) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2004) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2004) (France) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2004) (Philippines) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2004) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (2005) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2005) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Veronica (2008) (Netherlands) (TV) (first national airing)
• Warner Home Vídeo (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (2005) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF) (2007) (Germany) (TV)

Special Effects

• Two Hours In The Dark (special makeup and creature effects) (Gary J. Tuncliffe's Two Hours in the Dark, Inc.)
• Radish (visual effects)
• Elements Studios (visual effects)
• Pixel Magic (visual effects and CG animation)
• Meteor Studios (special visual effects and character animation)
• Digital Dimension (visual effects)
• Kleiser-Walczak Digital Effects (visual effects) (as Kleiser-Walczak)
• Martian Labs (visual effects)

Other Companies

• Alfred Hitchcock Theatre, The  sound mixed in
• Dolby Laboratories  sound post-production
• Fratelli Cartocci S.r.l.  camera cars (as F. Illi Cartocci S.r.l.)
• Fratelli Cartocci S.r.l.  generators (as F. Illi Cartocci S.r.l.)
• Future Post  adr studio (as Future Post London)
• Iride S.r.l.  lighting equipment
• Pacific Title  titles
• Pivotal Post  Avid editing equipment provided by
• Signet Sound Studio  score mixed at (as Signet Sound)
• Sync or Swim  loop group
• Technicolor Digital Intermediates  digital intermediate
• Technovision France  camera equipment provided by
• Technovision  cranes and grip equipment (as Technovision Italia)
• Universal Studios Sound Facilities  re-recording services (as Universal Studios)

Also Known As:

Exorcist IV: The Beginning (USA) (working title)
Exorcist Prequel (USA) (working title)
Exorcist: Dominion (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and gore, disturbing images and rituals, and for language including some sexual dialogue.

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.00 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Germany:16 | Singapore:M18 (video rating) (cut) | Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18PL | South Korea:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:18 (theatrical release) | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Brazil:16 | Canada:18A | Czech Republic:12 | Finland:K-18 | Hong Kong:IIB (original rating) | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:18 | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Philippines:R-13 | Singapore:NC-16 (heavily cut) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #41064)

Filming Locations:

Casablanca, Morocco

Company:

Morgan Creek Productions

Trivia:

John Frankenheimer voluntarily stepped down from directing the movie one month before his death.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In 1949, Kenya would have been pronounced "Keen-ya" instead of "Kehn-ya," as it is today. The pronunciation change came about in 1963 when Kenya became independent from British rule. Characters in the movie use the modern pronunciation instead of the old.

Quotes:

Father Merrin: Everbody died... Who buried them?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Benchwarmers (2006)

Soundtrack:

We'll Meet Again

A somewhat "difficult" film, but extremely good

After a prologue showing a priest walking through the results of an astonishing massacre, we meet a young Father Merrin (Stellan Skarsgard) not long after he's abandoned his faith and is considering himself an archaeologist rather than a priest. Merrin is asked in his new capacity to travel to British East Africa, where a Christian church has been discovered 1500 years older than any church in the area should be. He's specifically asked to find a particular relic/statue--of Pazuzu, the infamous demon from the Exorcist films. The bulk of Exorcist: The Beginning has Merrick in what has come to be known as Kenya, exploring the bizarre occurrences surrounding the town where the church is located, the other European residents, the natives, and of course the church itself.

Series note: Since this is well set up as a prequel, I recommend watching Exorcist: The Beginning as the first film in the series. There is no need to watch any of the other Exorcist films before you see this one.

This film is getting knocked a lot, but I can't help thinking that much of it might stem from the fact that Morgan Creek initially had Paul Schrader shoot the film, then canned the result when he turned in his cut. It was said that they believed Schrader's version wasn't "visceral" enough. So they hired Renny Harlin to direct and had a completely new script written, although one still based on novelist Caleb Carr's initial treatment, which he wrote after finding an older script that had been languishing in Morgan Creek's vaults, or "tomb", as he calls it (Carr has been employed as a "script polisher" for Morgan Creek). In any event, I agree that Morgan Creek's actions were loathsome, especially their eventual decision to not include Schrader's version on the same DVD as Harlin's (initially they had promised this, but it seems that they have some other scheme in mind for trying to recoup some of the money sunk into the fiasco). But I don't agree that Morgan Creek's actions make Harlin's film bad by association. It isn't. In fact, this is an excellent film that comes just short of being a 10 out of 10.

Harlin's effort certainly is visceral--wonderfully so. He lets us know this from the first frames by showing us the haggard priest's face overbaked by desert sun and wind and then pulling back to a wider shot showing the massacred bodies. The film has an incredible visual style. The gorier aspects are extremely well done--always servicing the story and having maximum impact. The special effects are often subtle and for my money, the sparse use of cgi (most noticeably with the hyenas) is handled brilliantly.

The current trend towards monochromatic cinematography is strongly present, but rather than overused blues, Harlin has cinematographer Vittorio Storaro embed us in browns/sepia tones and grays with many scenes having very deep shadows. Harlin has said that he was aiming for the look at the end of Apocalypse Now (1979), when Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) finally encounters Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando) in Kurtz' compound. It was probably no accident then that Storaro was chosen, as he was also the cinematographer on that Francis Ford Coppola masterpiece. Amusingly, Harlin and Storaro reference Apocalypse Now many times during Exorcist: The Beginning. For example, we get shots looking at Father Merrin from above a ceiling fan. One sequence is even constructed similarly to the opening scene of Apocalypse Now and ends with Father Merrin breaking a mirror.

But Harlin references all of the Exorcist films to date as well. This helps integrate Exorcist: The Beginning into the mythos of the series, deepening the stylistic and subtextual ties. The bulk of The Beginning can be scene as an extension of the middle section of John Boorman's severely under-appreciated Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977). Although the details may have been changed, The Beginning's plot is very similar to Merrin's trek to Africa to explore a mysterious church in Boorman's film. The only thing lamentably missing is a reference to locusts, or the locust man. Harlin also gives us an excellent asylum scene and more subtle nurse references that are reminiscent of The Exorcist III (1990). And of course there are numerous references to the "big daddy", The Exorcist (1973). These range from admirable small details, such as the supernaturally halting pendulum, to major plot elements, such as Pazuzu and a possessed woman looking and sounding very similar to a pea soup-vomiting Regan (Linda Blair).

Although an artistic triumph, Harlin may have chosen a hurdled route in presenting a film that is often "difficult". He doesn't pander to shortened attention spans or a need for a clearly linear, simple plot line. The pacing of many scenes is not what most viewers would expect, but it's always right for the scene, at least in retrospect. The cast turns in complex performances, and Harlin requires that you pay rapt attention to visual cues--silence is often stretched while narrative is conveyed in a manner closer to a silent film. Part of Harlin's more studied approach may have been due to an attempt to bridge the style and language of film-making circa 1973 with modern sensibilities. Whatever the motivation, it works, but Exorcist: The Beginning isn't exactly a "popcorn film".

The most obvious themes and subtexts are those related to faith and the nature of evil, but Exorcist: The Beginning also has interesting things to say about European colonization and domination of non-European cultures and religious and other cultural appropriation/absorption of preexisting Others. The latter subtext is interestingly present in a very literal way in the church that is the focus of the film.

But the primary attraction is the emotionally dark face of Exorcist: The Beginning, and its comfortable place in a very unusual series of films. Don't let Hollywood's behind-the-scenes blunders dissuade you, this is a film that deserves to be watched and appreciated.