The Exorcist
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The Exorcist is an influential and successful 1973 horror film, adapted by William Peter Blatty from his 1971 novel of the same name.
Directed by William Friedkin and starring Max von Sydow as Father Lankester Merrin, Ellen Burstyn as Chris MacNeil, Jason Miller as Father Damien Karras, Lee J. Cobb as Lieutenant William Kinderman and Linda Blair as Regan MacNeil. Regan's voice when possessed was dubbed by Mercedes McCambridge.
Blatty based his novel on a supposedly genuine exorcism from 1949, in Cottage City, Maryland. [1] (http://www.strangemag.com/exorcistpage1.html) Several area newspapers reported on a speech a minister gave to an amateur parapsychology society, in which he claimed to have exorcised a demon from a thirteen-year-old boy named Robbie, and that the ordeal lasted a little more than six weeks.
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Plot
In the film, a young girl named Regan, living in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., with her mother, (a famous actress) becomes ill after playing with a Ouija board. She undergoes a series of physical and psychological changes.
After unsuccessful medical help, Regan's mother turns to religion. The girl is examined by a priest, Father Damien Karras, who is convinced of the diabolical nature of the case. He turns to the local bishop, who appoints a second priest, Father Merrin, to perform an exorcism. The lengthy exorcism tests the priests, both physically and spiritually.
The Exorcist contained a number of disturbing special effects, engineered by makeup legend and pioneer Dick Smith. The effects were so graphic that Roger Ebert writes "That it received an R rating and not the X is stupefying."[2] (http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19731226/REVIEWS/301010310/1023)
The Exorcist was also accused of, among many other things, manipulation of its audience through the use of subliminal imagery; a claim that is verifiably false upon a viewing of the film. The imagery in question is readily apparent and easily recognizable as a simple, yet effective editing technique, designed to make the viewer ill at ease - the desired effect for a horror film, after all.
The film originally contained several key sequences from the novel, which were cut prior to release by director Friedkin, despite Blatty's protests. These scenes were later restored and--along with a number of new digital effects--inserted into the re-release subtitled "the version you've never seen" in 2000.
Response
The film was a huge international hit, grossing as of 2004 $402,500,000 worldwide. It was nominated for ten Academy Awards (winning two), and also won four Golden Globes. McCambride's role was originally uncredited; after Blair was nominated for her role, McCambridge initiated a lawsuit seeking redress. (Incidentally, McCambridge's voice was not processed or treated for The Exorcist, she had worked extensively in radio drama and had a flexible vocal range.)
The Exorcist is commonly regarded as one of the best and most effective horror films; one that balances a stellar script, gruesome effects, and outstanding performances.
Interestingly, the part of Regan was originally offered to troubled actress Dana Plato, whose mother refused to allow her to take it.
In the United Kingdom, the movie was included in the 'Video nasty' phenomenon of the early 1980s. Although it had been released uncut for home video in 1981, when resubmitted for classification to the British Board of Film Classification after the implementation of the Video Recording Act 1984 it was refused a release and no video copies were to be sold in the UK. However, following a successful re-release in cinemas in 1998, the film was resubmitted and was passed uncut with an 18 certificate rating in 1999, signifying a relaxation of the censorship rules with relation to home video in the UK.
Sequels
John Boorman's poorly-received Exorcist II: The Heretic was released in 1977.
1990's more successful The Exorcist III, written and directed by Blatty himself from his own 1983 novel Legion, the true sequel to the original novel. Exorcist III ignored the events of the previous sequel and presented a satisfying conclusion to the story after 15 years.
A parody entitled Repossessed was released the same year, with Blair lampooning the role that made her (in)famous.
A prequel, Exorcist: The Beginning (2004) attracted controversy even before its release. John Frankenheimer was originally scheduled to direct the script by William Wisher and Caleb Carr. Frankenheimer died during the film's early casting.
Paul Schrader was hired to replace Frankenheimer. He filmed a version called The Exorcist: Dominion, staring Stellan Skarsgard as a younger Father Merrin. Morgan Creek Productions disliked Schrader's rough final edit of the film. Roger Ebert writes that the company thought Schrader's version was "too complex and intelligent, although those of course were not the words they used, and not scary enough." Ebert adds, "it seems scary to me ... (it) is not a conventional horror film, but does something risky and daring: It takes evil seriously."[3] (http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050501/REVIEWS/50412001/1023)
Renny Harlin was then hired to direct. He brought on a new cast, keeping only Skarsgard, and Alexi Hawley rewrote the script to make it more conventionally scary. The New York Times quotes Skarsgard as saying that the updated script "wasn't really a script ... but just a bunch of ideas about how to make the film scarier, basically by throwing in unmotivated scares in every second scene. I didn't like it and I didn't want to do it. But then Renny Harlin came on, who I've worked with before ... who is a friend."[4] (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/02/movies/02exor.html)
Harlin's version was not widely screened for critics (and was generally panned by those critics who did see it). Blatty was quoted in the New York Times, saying his screening of Harlin's version "was surely the most humiliating professional experience of my life, particularly the finale. I don't blame Renny Harlin, for he gave Morgan Creek, I promise you, precisely what Morgan Creek demanded: not shocking obscenity, but shocking vulgarity."
Harlin's version did disappointing business, grossing about $40Million (the budget was about $30Million for Schrader's unreleased version, and another $50 for Harlin's).
Schrader's version will be issued on the same DVD with Harlin's version of the film, and will see limited theatrical release beginning May, 10, 2005.
Curse Rumors
There have been rumors that the various Exorcist films were cursed.[5] (http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040819/THINGS010701/408190318/1055/news). Blatty, Schrader and von Sydow have discounted such tales as nonsense, used primarily for promotion.