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Plot Description:
The belief in evil - and that evil can be cast out. From these two strands of faith, author William Peter Blatty and the director William Friedkin wove The Exorcist, the frightening and realistic story of an innocent girl inhabited by a malevolent entity. As a university student in 1949, Blatty heard of the exorcism of a fourteen-year-old Maryland boy. Two decades later that incident inspired Blatty's electrifying novel.
Movie Information:
Starring:
Directed By:
Rated: R
Genre: horror
Runtime: 132 minutes
Original Theatrical Release:
26 December, 1973
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Movie Trivia
- Ellen Burstyn agreed to doing the movie only if her character didn't have to say the scripted line: "I believe in the devil!" The producers agreed to eliminate the utterance.
- John Boorman had been offered the chance to direct "The Exorcist" but declined because he felt the storyline was "cruel towards children". He did, however, accept the offer to direct Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977).
- Dana Plato was offered the role of Regan MacNeil.
- Anissa Jones was tested for the role of Regan MacNeil.
- Mercedes McCambridge had to sue Warner Brothers for credit as the voice of the demon.
- Jane Fonda and Shirley MacLaine were approached to play the role of Chris MacNeil.
- Lalo Schifrin's score was rejected; see also Amityville Horror, The (1979).
- The agency representing Linda Blair overlooked her, recommending at least 30 other clients for the part of Regan. Blair's mother brought her in herself to try out for the role.
- The studio initially wanted Stanley Kubrick to direct the film, but he turned it down. He later directed _The Shining (1980)_ . Following the success of French Connection, The (1971) the studio finally agreed to go for Friedkin and signed him for the film.
- The scene where the demonic entity leaves Father Karras was originally done by filming Jason Miller (I) in possession makeup, then stopping the camera and shooting him again with the makeup removed. This creates a noticeable jump in Father Karrass's position as he is unpossessed. The 25th anniversary video releases smooths over the jumpy transition with a subtle computer morph effect.
- Ellen Burstyn received a permanent spinal injury during filming. In the sequence where she is thrown away from her possessed daughter, a harness jerked her hard away from the bed. She fell on her coccyx and screamed in pain, which was filmed for the movie.
- There are many semi-subliminal single-frame shots in this film, for instance: when the priest is dreaming of his mother coming up out of the subway, there is a single frame shot of a face (Eileen Dietz), painted black and white, grimacing. There are two other places where this image is supposedly displayed: when Regan, lying on the bed, turns to look at Father Merrin and Father Karras, and just after the head-turning scene.
- Director William Friedkin went to some extraordinary lengths to abuse the cast. He fired off guns behind the actors to get the required startled effect. He was said to have slapped one actor across the face before rolling the camera. He even went as far as to put Linda Blair and Ellen Burstyn in harnesses and have crew members yank them violently.
- The bedroom set had to be refrigerated to capture the authentic icy breath of the actors in the exorcizing scenes. Linda Blair, who was only in a flimsy nightgown, says to this day she cannot stand being cold.
- The refrigerated bedroom set was cooled with four air conditioners and temperatures would plunge to around 30 to 40 below zero. It was so cold that perspiration would freeze on some of the cast and crew. On one occassion the air was saturated with moisture resulting in a thin layer of snow falling on the set before the crew arrived for filming.
- The substance that the possessed Regan (Linda Blair) hurls at Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller (I)) is actually thick pea soup.
- Jack Nicholson was up for the part of Father Karras, before Jason Miller landed the role.
- Director Friedkin eventually asked technical advisor Rev. Thomas Bermingham to exorcise the set. He refused, saying an exorcism might increase anxiety. Rev. Bermingham wound up visiting the set and gave a blessing and talk to reassure the cast and crew.
- The "Exorcist steps", 75 (or 74 - one is very small) stone steps in Georgetown, were padded with 1/2"-thick rubber to film the death of Father Damien Karras. The stuntman tumbled down the stairs twice. Georgetown University students charged people around $5 each to watch the stunt from the rooftops.
- The demon voice was initially supposed to be Linda Blair's. After 150 hours of work on sound recording in pre-production, Friedkin rejected it. He called on the voice of Mercedes McCambridge who was fed raw eggs, alcohol and cigarettes, and then was strapped to a chair, causing her to form the unusual vocals.
- Gonzalo Gavira was called on to create many of the special sound effects after Friedkin recalled his work from the movie, _Topo, El (1971)_ . 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.
- There are tales about ominous events surrounding the year-long shoot, including the deaths of nine people associated with the production and stories about a mysterious fire that destroyed the set one weekend.
- After filming, Friedkin brought production to 666 Fifth Av.
- The network TV version was edited by William Friedkin who shot a replacement insert of the Virgin Mary Statue showing her face painted like a harlot (instead of the more obscene version in the theatrical film). The looping of the Demon voice to remove the profanity was also done by Friedkin himself because of his unwillingness to work with Mercedes McCambridge again. Lines like "Your mother sucks cocks in hell, Karras" and "Shove it up your ass you faggot" were re-dubbed by Friedkin to be "Your mother still rots in hell" and "Shut your face you faggot." By and large, this network TV version is not used for TV and cable showings today.
- The Prospect Avenue apartment where the story takes place was once inhabited by the author, William Peter Blatty, while he was a student at Georgetown University.
- Christian evangelist Billy Graham claimed an actual demon was living in the celluloid reels of this movie.
- Author William Peter Blatty once won $10,000 on the Groucho Marx show "You Bet Your Life" (1950). When Groucho asked what he planned to do with the money, he said he planned to take some time off to "work on a novel." This was the result.
- The "spider-walk
Movie Mistakes
- Continuity: The cigarette that Chris stomps out in the park is back in her hand a moment later.
- Continuity: Position of the planchette on the Ouija board.
- Incorrectly regarded as goofs: Near the end of the picture, Father Karras' stole seems to disappear in Regan's room, but that's because he puts a blue pullover on top of it because it's cold in there.
- Revealing mistakes: Rubber mats are visible on the steps for the famous fall down the staircase scene.
- Continuity: The white towel around Father Karras' neck.
- Continuity: Father Karras' lighter changes hands just as he is about to light a cigarette in his apartment.
- Continuity: When Father Karras is falling down the stairs, there is no blood to be seen anywhere. When the crowd gathers around him, there is blood leading down the stairs and he is laying in a large pool of blood.
- Incorrectly regarded as goofs: One viewer claims wires lifting Regan over the bed are "clearly visible" but his idea of "clearly visible" seems generous.
- Incorrectly regarded as goofs: The infamous stairs that Father Karras plummets down are indeed adjacent to the house, though the facade of a second story was added for the film.
- Incorrectly regarded as goofs: When Regan has her head sideways on a pillow as she is slowly regurgitating "pea soup" during the exorcism, a tube can be seen; this is the oxygen tube in her nose earlier in the scene.
- Continuity: After the initial session of exorcism, Father Damien Karras unties Regan's wrist from the bed and ties them together. When Father Merrin returns to resume the session Regan's wrists are again tied to the bed.
- Continuity: When Karras is drunk in his bed, his friend takes his cigarette from him. A few shots later, when Karras is lying down, the cigarette is in his hand again.
- Continuity: When Father Karras asks Regan/the demon his name, he gets the jumbled answer. However, when Father Karras plays the tape backwards, it's still in the order of "question" and "answer", instead of being "answer" before "question" (which it would be if it was played backwards).
- Audio/visual unsynchronised: When Regan insults Karras' mother.
- Continuity: In the basement with the Ouija board, Regan is playing with a table tennis paddle and ball. She puts the ball under the paddle and rests it on the table when her mother brings the Ouija board. Clearly the ball is under the paddle as evidenced by the angle of the paddle. In the very next shot, the paddle is flat on the table and the ball has disappeared. In the next shot, the ball reappears as demonstrated by the angle of the paddle.
- Continuity: In the 2000 re-release, when Father Merrin asks Chris McNeil what Regan's middle name is, she is wearing a fur coat. When the priests enter Regan's room and Father Karras closes the door in her face, Mrs. McNeil is no longer wearing the coat.
- Continuity: When Chris goes to investigate the noises in the attic, she takes a long candle up the stairs with her. When she actually gets into the attic, it is several inches shorter.
- Crew or equipment visible: When Regan is floating over her bed, the shadow of the rig holding her up can be seen on the wall behind the priests.
- Revealing mistakes: While in the attic, Chris suddenly moves the candle away from her face before the flame-burst as if she knew it was coming.
Filming Locations
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