The Exorcist (1973)

Director:

William Friedkin

Writers:

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

Release Date:

16 March 1974 (UK)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

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

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

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

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 13 wins & 14 nominations

Cast

Ellen Burstyn	...	Chris MacNeil
Max von Sydow	...	Father Merrin
Lee J. Cobb	...	Lt. William Kinderman
Kitty Winn	...	Sharon Spencer
Jack MacGowran	...	Burke Dennings
Jason Miller	...	Father Damian Karras
Linda Blair	...	Regan MacNeil
Mercedes McCambridge	...	Demon (voice)
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
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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Paul Bateson	...	Radiologist's Assistant (uncredited)
Elinore Blair	...	Nurse (uncredited)
William Peter Blatty	...	Producer (uncredited)
Mary Boylan	...	First Mental Patient (uncredited)
Dick Callinan	...	Astronaut (uncredited)
Mason Curry	...	Doctor (voice) (uncredited)
Toni Darnay	...	Violent psychotic patient (uncredited)
Eileen Dietz	...	Pazuzu's Face (uncredited)
Joanne Dusseau	...	Senator's Wife (uncredited)
Bernard Eismann	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Beatrice Hunter	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Yvonne Jones	...	Bellevue Nurse (uncredited)
Don LaBonte	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
John Mahon	...	Language Lab Director (uncredited)
John Nicola	...	Priest (uncredited)
Vincent Russell	...	Subway Vagrant (uncredited)

Directed by
William Friedkin

Writing credits
William Peter Blatty		(written for the screen by)
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

Art Direction by
John Robert Lloyd		(uncredited)

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)
Robert Hart	....	carpenter (uncredited)
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-Horiuchi	....	first assistant sound editor (2000 re-release)
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)
Michael Minkler	....	sound re-recording mixer (2000 re-release)
Ron Nagle	....	special sound effects
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)
James Nelson	....	supervising sound editor (uncredited)
Ken Nordine	....	special sound effects (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Marcel Vercoutere	....	special effects
Rick Baker	....	special effects assistant (uncredited)

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)
Anne Miles	....	stunts (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)
Kelvin Pike	....	camera operator: iraq sequence (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's
Aldo Cipullo	....	jewelry designer: Cartier, New York
Florence Foy	....	wardrobe: ladies'

Editorial Department
Michael Goldman	....	assistant film editor (as Michal Goldman)
Terry Haggar	....	color timer (special edition)
Jordan Leondopoulos	....	supervising field editor
Ross Levy	....	assistant film editor: Iraq sequence
Craig McKay	....	assistant film editor
Bob McMillian	....	color consultant (as Robert M. McMillian)
Darrin Navarro	....	assistant editor (theatrical re-release)
Jonathan Pontell	....	assistant film 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
Thomas Bermingham	....	technical advisor (as Reverend Thomas Bermingham S.J.)
Norman E. Chase	....	technical advisor: Professor of Radiology, New York University Medical Center (as Norman E. Chase M.D.)
Anne Mooney	....	production office coordinator
John Nicola	....	technical advisor (as Reverend John Nicola S.J.)
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	....	technical advisor (as Arthur I. Snyder M.D.)
Herbert E. Walker	....	technical advisor (as Herbert E. Walker M.D.)
Victor Argo	....	voice (uncredited)
Michael Cristofer	....	voice (uncredited)
Mason Curry	....	voice (uncredited)
Eileen Dietz	....	double: Regan MacNeil (uncredited)
Liam Dunn	....	voice (uncredited)
Philippa Harris	....	voice (uncredited)
Claudia Lennear	....	voice (uncredited)
Kitty Malone	....	voice (uncredited)
Howard Newman	....	publicist (uncredited)
Maidie Norman	....	voice (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros (presents)
• Warner Bros (producer)
• Hoya Productions (in association with)

Distributors

• Warner Bros (1973) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1974) (UK) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Films (1974) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1974) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1974) (France) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1974) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1974) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (1978) (USA) (VHS)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1980) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Warner Home Video (1992) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Bros. (1998) (UK) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Warner Home Video (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Bros (2000) (USA) (theatrical) (director's cut)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Bros. (2001) (Netherlands) (theatrical) (director's cut)
• Warner Bros. (2001) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2001) (Argentina) (theatrical) (director's cut)
• Warner Sogefilms A.I.E. (2001) (Spain) (theatrical) (director's cut)
• Warner Home Video (2001) (Switzerland) (DVD) (director's cut)
• Warner Home Video (2001) (Netherlands) (VHS) (director's cut)
• Warner Home Vídeo (2001) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2001) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment (1970s) (USA) (video) (Super 8mm)
• Varus Video (19??) (Russia) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2001) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2010) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-Ray) (extended director's cut & original theatrical edition)
• Warner Home Video (2010) (USA) (DVD) (extended director's cut)
• Warner Home Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)

Special Effects

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

Other Companies

• Révillon  furs (as Revillon)
• Cartier  jewelry (as Cartier New York)
• International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)  this picture made under the jurisdiction of (as I.A.T.S.E.)
• Panavision  photographic equipment
• Perseverance Records  soundtrack (re-release)

Also Known As:

"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)
"Exorcist" - Japan (English title) (imdb display title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong language and disturbing images (Approved No. 23433)

Runtime:

122 min | 132 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Latin | Greek | French | German | Arabic

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 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:

USA:R (Approved No. 23433) | Singapore:(Banned) (original rating) | Portugal:M/16 | Philippines:R-18 | Singapore:R(A) (re-rating) (cut) | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | USA:TV-14 (TV rating) | UK:(Banned) (original rating) | UK:18 (2008 re-rating) | UK:X (original rating) | Malaysia:(Banned) | Mexico:B (2000) | New Zealand:R18 (original rating) | Peru:18 | Italy:VM14 (director's cut) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Japan:PG-12 | Canada:R (Ontario) | Canada:R (video rating) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (1998) | Canada:14A (re-rating) | Brazil:18 (original rating) | Brazil:14 | Australia:MA (TV rating) | Argentina:18 (original rating) | Argentina:16 (director's cut) | 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 (orginal rating) | Mexico:C | Netherlands:16 (director's cut) | Netherlands:18 (original rating) | New Zealand:R16 (re-rating) (2000) | Norway:15 (2000) | Norway:18 | Singapore:M18 (video rating) (cut) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (re-rating) (1990) | West Germany:18 (bw)

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Warner Bros

Trivia:

In one scene, the Jesuit president of Georgetown University (Thomas Bermingham) mentions that Father Merrin (Max von Sydow) is at "Woodstock". Audiences may think the reference is to the famous music festival that took place upstate New York in 1969. In fact, the Woodstock in the film is actually Woodstock College, a Jesuit seminary in Woodstock, Maryland. Opened in 1869, the seminary closed one year after "The Exorcist" was released. The Woodstock Theological Center, a nonprofit Catholic theological research institute on the Georgetown campus, succeeded the college and remains operational today.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Father Karras visits his mother at her house, he removes his collar and places it edge-wise on the shelf. In the next shot, the collar is lying down at a different angle.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Robin Williams/James Taylor (#13.9)" (1988)

Soundtrack:

String Quartet (1960)

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 generated such a seismic global impact 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 wept 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!