Movie Description
Arguably the scariest motion picture ever made, William Friedkin's THE EXORCIST was unleashed on an unsuspecting American public in 1973. The film quickly became a nationwide sensation, leading to religious boycotts, fainting, and a huge box office return. Oscar nominee Linda Blair beat out hundreds of other child actors to land the role of Regan MacNeil, a 12-year-old who is possessed by the devil. After exhausting all other practical options, Regan's mother, Chris (Ellen Burstyn), acknowledges the supernatural nature of her daughter's condition and recruits Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller) to stage an exorcism. Aided by the mysterious Jesuit exorcist Father Merrin (Max von Sydow), Father Damien must confront not only the supernatural phenomena in front of him, but also his own inadequate faith and displaced guilt over his mother's recent death.
Friedkin brings William Peter Blatty's Oscar-winning script to shocking life by establishing a realistic, everyday tone before allowing the terror to creep in. The performances of Burstyn and Miller further help to ground the supernatural events. Like THE GODFATHER before it and JAWS shortly after, the breakout success of THE EXORCIST helped to transform Hollywood into the blockbuster behemoth of American culture.
| Credits | | Writer: | William Peter Blatty | | Producer: | William Peter Blatty | | Cast: | Eileen Dietz, Mary Boylan, Max Von Sydow, Robert Symonds, Titos Vandis |
| Details | | Edition: | Standard and Letterbox |
Notes
DVD Features:
Region 1 Encoding
Snap Case, Theatrical release: December 26, 1973
Ellen Burstyn suffered permanent injury to her spine during shooting of the scene in which she is knocked across the room.
Director William Friedkin punched Father William O'Malley during the shooting of Father Karras's death scene to elicit a better performance.
The film was rereleased in 2000 with a digitally remastered soundtrack and 12 minutes of additional footage, including the infamous "spider-walk" scene, in which the possessed Regan walks backward on all fours down a staircase; it also includes scenes that provide additional psychological background on Regan, more subliminal, shadowy shots of the demon, and an alternate ending with a lighter tone than the original release.
Editorial Reviews
"...The first modern, F/X-heavy shriek-o-rama....[Miller and Burstyn] give harrowing, nuanced performances....Strikingly new amid [its era]..."
Entertainment Weekly - pp.129-30 - Ty Burr
"...The EXORCIST is still one of the scariest and most adult horror movies ever..."
USA Today - Mike Clark (10/27/2000)
"...At once a religious parable, a study of tortured adolescence and a warped satire about a single-parent family, it hasn't dated in the slightest..."
Sight and Sound - Geoffrey Macnab (01/01/2002)
Awards
1973Academy AwardsBest Adapted ScreenplayWilliam Peter Blatty
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