The Exorcist (1973)

When a 12-year-old girl is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two priests to save her.

Director:

William Friedkin

Writers:

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

Stars:

Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair

Won 2 Oscars. Another 14 wins & 17 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ellen Burstyn	...	Chris MacNeil
Max von Sydow	...	Father Merrin
Lee J. Cobb	...	Lt. William Kinderman
Kitty Winn	...	Sharon
Jack MacGowran	...	Burke Dennings
Jason Miller	...	Father Karras
Linda Blair	...	Regan
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.)

Storyline

A visiting actress in Washington, D.C., notices dramatic and dangerous changes in the behavior and physical make-up of her 12-year-old daughter. Meanwhile, a young priest at nearby Georgetown University begins to doubt his faith while dealing with his mother's terminal sickness. And, book-ending the story, a frail, elderly priest recognizes the necessity for a show-down with an old demonic enemy.

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Plot Keywords:

exorcist | exorcism | demonic possession | demonic force | priest | 

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Taglines:

The Scariest Movie Of All Time Has Returned. In The Version You've Never Seen Before.

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Genres:

Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong language and disturbing images

Did You Know?

Trivia

Audrey Hepburn was William Friedkin's first choice to play the role of Chris MacNeil, and Warner Brothers supported him because of her good critical/commercial reputation with the studio, but she only agreed to do it if it was filmed in Rome. Anne Bancroft was another choice but she was in her first month of pregnancy and was dropped.

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Goofs

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.

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Quotes

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

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Crazy Credits

There are no opening credits after the title. Although it is commonplace now, it was unheard of in 1973.

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Alternate Versions

The Special Edition DVD also includes a 75-minutes documentary titled "The Fear of God" on the making of the Exorcist. The documentary includes screen tests and additional deleted scenes, including:

• Chris MacNeil and Regan going sight-seeing in Washington;
• after Chris hears about Burke's death, Regan crawls down the stairs upside down on her arms and legs like a spider and then chases Chris and Sharon around the room;
• Karras and Merrin sit on the stairs during a pause of the exorcism and exchange some words about what's happening to the girl.

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Connections

Referenced in The Simpsons: Home Sweet Home-Dum-Diddly Doodily (1995)

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Soundtracks

Polymorphia
Written by Krzysztof Penderecki
Performed by Orchestra of the Cracow Philharmonia
Conducted by Henryk Czyz
Courtesy of Philips Records

User Reviews

Deserves to be on IMDb Top 250!!!

I'm not sure why this film isn't on IMBb's Top 250 anymore but it deserves to be in at least the top 50 on the list. Maybe it's because millennials rate such beautiful classics lower since they're not getting the jump scares and torture porn of the modern era of horror... Not sure. Either way, this movie is THE horror film, the Godfather of it's genre! Absolute perfection! And it needs to be recognized as such!

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Warner Brothers

Country:

USA

Language:

English Latin Greek French German Arabic Kurdish

Release Date:

26 December 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$11,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,175,666, 24 September 2000

Gross USA:

$232,906,145

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$441,306,145

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Hoya Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min 132 min (director's cut)

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)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1