Nobody expected it. Nobody believed it. Nobody could stop it.The one hope... the only hope... The Exorcist.
In 1949, a 13-year-old boy known only as Robbie, a student at Georgetown University, was allegedly possessed by a demon called Pazuzu. A local minister performed a 6-week exorcism on the teen, before ridding him of the possessing entity on 19 April 1949. This real-life case of demonic possession fueled the imagination of author William Peter Blatty, who used it as inspiration for his 1971 book, The Exorcist...
The Exorcist novel, written when Blatty was unemployed and collecting benefits, fictionalized the Georgetown exorcism case and changed a few details, but essentially stays faithful to reality. Blatty's book instead focused on a girl (Reagan), but all of the actual events were said to have actually happened -- except for the boy's head rotating 180 degrees!
After the book's release, it became an instant hit and was brought to the attention of Hollywood. Blatty himself was asked to adapt it into a screenplay, with the studio hoping to secure the talent of Stanley Kubrick behind the camera -- but he turned it down. They approached others, before settling on William Friedkin, who had just enjoyed tremendous success with The French Connection (1971).
Friedkin began casting the movie, and quickly found Reagan, the 12-year-old possessed girl, nearly impossible to cast. At one point, in desperation, Friedkin even began to contemplate using adult dwarf actors! Fortunately, unknown actress Linda Blair was brought to his attention by her mother and was offered the part.
The titular exorcist, Father Merrin, was played by Max von Sydow, despite the studio wanting Marlon Brando. Friedkin was adamant Sydow have the part, or risk The Exorcist turning into a "Brando movie". Jason Miller was cast as Father Karras, after Friedkin saw Miller perform on Broadway. Reagan's mother was played by Ellen Burstyn, after Audrey Hepburn declined unless the film was shot in Rome and Anne Bancroft fell pregnant.
His cast assembled, filming began -- although the opening excavation scene in Iraq proved problematic because the US didn't have diplomatic relations with Iraq at that time. Instead, Friedkin took an all-British crew across, on the proviso he would teach the Iraqi's some filming techniques.
Upon its release in 1973, The Exorcist became a worldwide phenomenon and the biggest grossing film of that year. It was nominated for 10 Academy Awards (winning for Best Sound and Best Adapted Screenplay) and won 4 Golden Globes. The furore over the film reached astonishing proportions, with many theatre-owners claiming audience members were regularly fainting or leaving screenings in hysterics.
Many people couldn't separate fact from fiction, so young Linda Blair was considered demonic by some and had to be protected by bodyguards for 6 months following The Exorcist's release! The film also became the subject of urban myths, such as the death of 9 crew members during the film's 12-month shoot. Some people speculate these stories were concocted by the studio to create interested and additional scares, but Ellen Burstyn commented in her 2006 autobiography that some of the stories were true.
In the 1980s, British film censors delayed The Exorcist from video distribution in 1984, before finally arriving on DVD in 1999, a year after a successful re-release in cinemas! It was only shown on UK television for the first time in 2001.
The Exorcist is still considered one of the best horror films ever made and retains its power to unsettle and disturb people over 30 years later. Inevitable sequels followed (1977s The Exorcist II: The Heretic and 1990s The Exorcist III), both to widespread consternation.
In 2004, a prequel film called The Exorcist: The Beginning was made by Paul Schrader, but his film was infamously rejected by the studio, who quickly remade the whole film again with Renny Harlin! The prequel was a box-office disaster, so Schrader's original cut was later released onto DVD, but proved similarly disappointing.
Trivia1. The famous steps where Father Karras meets his end were covered in thick rubber to protect the stuntman who had to fall down them. He performed the stunt twice, with local students paying $5 each to watch from nearby rooftops.
2. The scenes in Reagan's bedroom were specially refrigerated to create icy breath from the actors. One morning, the temperature got so low that a thin layer of snow formed on the set!
3. The film was edited at 666 Fifth Avenue in New York!
4. Ellen Burstyn received a permanent spinal injury after falling on her coccyx during filming.
Links
The Haunted Boy Of Cottage City - The Case That Inspired The Exorcist
The Exorcist fansite
