The Fear of God: 25 Years of 'The Exorcist' (TV 1998)

The Exorcist became a cultural phenomenon upon its release. This making-of documentary tells the story of its creation and describes how audiences reacted to it. Interviews with cast and crew are shown.

Writer:

Mark Kermode

Stars:

Mark Kermode, Ellen Burstyn, William O'Malley

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mark Kermode	...	Himself - Presenter
Ellen Burstyn	...	Herself - 'Chris MacNeil'
William O'Malley	...	Himself - 'Fr. Dyer' (as Fr. William O'Malley)
William Friedkin	...	Himself - Director
Max von Sydow	...	Himself - 'Fr. Merrin'
Linda Blair	...	Herself - 'Regan MacNeil'
William Peter Blatty	...	Himself - Author & Producer
Thomas Bermingham	...	Himself - Technical Advisor (as Fr. Thomas Bermingham)
Jason Miller	...	Himself - 'Damien Karras'
Terence A. Donnelly	...	Himself - Assistant Director (as Terence Donnelly)
Bill Malley	...	Himself - Production Designer
Joe Hyams	...	Himself - Publicist
Marcel Vercoutere	...	Himself - Special Effects
Owen Roizman	...	Himself - Director of Photography
Dick Smith	...	Himself - Make-Up Artist

Storyline

A behind-the-scenes retrospective made for the twenty-fifth anniversary of the classic horror film, The Exorcist. Includes interviews with Linda Blair and the other stars of the film, along with commentary from the director and writer on some of the deeper meanings behind the elements they used to terrify their audiences.

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Plot Keywords:

making of | interview | behind the scenes | 14 year old | reference to billy graham | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Filming Locations:

Getty Museum - 1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

74 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

(at around 38 mins) Director William Friedkin is talking about creating fake breath. For a few frames, a puff of breath appears above the fingers of his right hand.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Mark Kermode: Twenty-five years ago, an extraordinary movie changed the face of modern cinema. I was eleven years old when "The Exorcist" opened in America on Boxing Day, 1973. And I can remember like yesterday the amazing reaction it caused. You couldn't open a newspaper or turn on the television without coming across some account of audiences queuing all night 'round the block just to see the film, only to dash out of the theaters, some of them straight into the nearest church.

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Connections

References The French Connection (1971)

User Reviews

Just great

Superb documentary on the making of "The Exorcist". They go through EVERYTHING in this. They talk to all the actors, director William Friedkin, writer William Peter Blatty, assorted crew members and technicians--even the three priest used as technical advisors in the film! They go through it step by step--the casting, show audition tests, cut sequences (including the infamous "Spider Walk" which looks MUCH different than it appeared in the slightly reedited version released in 2001) and goes into detail about the more famous scenes. This is never dull for one second--the amount of information they squeeze into 75 minutes is incredible. Most fascinating are the talks with Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair and their thoughts about doing the movie and how they see it now. This is essential viewing for all fans of the film. Basically one of the best--if not THE best--horror documentaries ever done. A 10 all the way.