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 Devil Inside

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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

William Friedkin's attention to detail was so extensive than an early scene that simply involved breakfast being cooked took over a day to complete because the director wanted to use bacon that wouldn't smoke and sizzle, which in 1972 meant the production had to find very-hard-to-locate bacon that didn't have preservatives in the Washington, DC area.

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Goofs

When the astronaut is talking shop at the party, he refers to the Gemini space program, pronouncing it as gem-en-eye. The pronunciation at NASA, with the astronauts, and with the general public is gem-en-ee, such as "Jiminy Cricket" in Pinocchio.

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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 released on DVD for the 25th Anniversary includes the original ending as a special feature, not used in the theatrical release: after Father Dyer is seen on top of the steps behind the MacNeil's residence, he walks away and his approached by Lt. Kinderman. They talk briefly about Regan and the events that just took place there; Kinderman then invites Dyer to the movies to see Wuthering Heights and quotes Casablanca, telling Dyer "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship".

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Connections

Referenced in Gorillaz: Dare (2005)

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Soundtracks

Tubular Bells
Written by Mike Oldfield
Courtesy of Virgin Records
[Heard during opening and closing]

User Reviews

The Exorcist....more than a mere horror film

The Exorcist is the best horror film ever made and there is one reason for this,the subject matter is treated with dignity and respect,too many "horror films" are made today that just don't try,it's as if they give up half way through and fall into self parody and amusement.the Exorcist is an exception and one of the very few good horror films around.the film works on a number of levels and is one of the few films I know of to do this i.e subliminal imagery,multiple storylines. a lot has been written about this film drawing mainly on sensationalism surrounding the films release that it would be hard for someone who has not seen the film to not have any preconceptions,but if you have not seen the film do try to keep an open mind because it will scare the hell out of you.this is also one of the rare cases where a film could arguably be better than the book it was adapted from.in my opinion the film could not have been made any better,the cast throughout are superb, the locations and production are second to none,all the characters are totally believable and there are points in the film where you think all this could really happen and it is for that reason the film is frightening and continues to frighten people to this day....a true shocker and one that has not lost any of its impact over the years.

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