The Fear of God: 25 Years of 'The Exorcist'

'Fear of God' is a brilliant documentary. It was wonderful to see such a broad sweep of cast and crew contribute their insights on this infamous film, and it is a MUST for fans of The Exorcist. Brilliantly edited, it was at times funny at others quite shocking (when it originally aired on British TV, it was the first time footage such as the Spider Walk had been seen in 25 years.)

I count myself lucky to have seen all 3 edits of the documentary. The first, the British TV showing, was the best of the three, and with an excellent, if somewhat odd contribution from Mercedes McCambridge. Ironically, she was cut out of the other 2 versions, rather as she was cut out of the actual film credits. The second version I saw was on the VHS release - which had been expanded in parts - but the third, on the DVD, was ultimately the worst cut of a what was still a good documentary. I don't understand why writer Mark Kermode was cut out and imagine he was quite insulted - especially after reading his well researched book to accompany the programme. His absence makes the DVD version seem more disjointed, though some interviews in it are extended.

All in all, an excellent watch for any film fan - and funny to see the difference between pragmatic commentators like von Sydow and Friedkin as opposed to McCambridge and Burstyn - who still seem a little shaken by the whole experience!

10/10