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The Exorcist YT Edit

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Priscila

It was advertised as a drama movie at the time, not as horror. and it was nominated to a bunch of Awards.

Cay Anne

Such an iconic movie, the prototype of all exorcism movies in my opinion.

Saruhiko

yk, this movie nwas ground breaking because of the material and the time it was made. religion was still very much a part of the popular belief. The fact that a movie was created that challenged these beliefs was unheard of. and the fact that a young child was cursing and writhing around was abhorrent to many. the m @*RIRIUP_UI* scene was just insane and the fact that it made it past moderators was scary. This is why it dominates as the scariest movie ever made. It actually cou,ld happen. and thats truly scary.

Heida

The film was adapted by William Peter Blatty's 1971 novel of the same name. Aspects of Blatty's novel were inspired by the 1949 exorcism performed on an anonymous boy known as "Roland Doe" or "Robbie Mannheim" by the Jesuit priest William S. Bowdern. The true identity of the boy was revealed in late 2021. His real name was Ronald Edwin Hunkeler, who grew to be a successful NASA engineer. He contributed to the famous Apollo missions of the 1960s, and helped to put humans on the moon in 1969 by patenting the technology that helped space shuttle panels withstand extreme heat. He never discussed his experiences and always feared exposure. He died in 2020, just before his 86th birthday. The debate over whether it was a genuine possession or mental illness is still ongoing, however. The Exorcist is the first horror film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. It won Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound. The movie's director, William Friedkin, insisted on realism, filming the prologue in political unstable northern Iraq, using live special effects and casting real priests and medical personnel. Crew also recalled that he was temperamental, often firing people without warning. He also deliberately made the cast uncomfortable and went to great lengths to manipulate the actors to get genuine reactions. Like putting the set where the exorcism scenes took place to temperatures down to −20°F (−29°C) to make their breath visible, and slapping them or firing blanks without warning to generate a shaken reaction. This behavior led the crew to call him "Wacky Willy". Ironically, Friedkin's office was at 666th Fifth Avenue in New York. Also, a fire destroyed most of the set (except for Regan's bedroom), some crewmembers and their family members died (along with the assistant cameraman's newborn child), Linda Blair (Regan) & Ellen Burstyn (Chris) suffered accidental long-term back & spinal injuries and actors Jack MacGowran (Father Dyer) and Vasiliki Maliaros (Father Karras's mother) both died before the film was released. Production took twice as long as scheduled and cost almost three times the initial budget. The accidents and deaths have made some people believe that the film was cursed. The scene where Regan projectile vomits at Father Karras only took one take. The vomit was intended to hit Jason Miller in the chest, but the plastic tubing misfired, hitting him in the face. His reaction of shock and disgust while wiping away the vomit is genuine. The film's sound was notable for its bizarre sound effects and, in some instances, a complete lack of sound. A disturbing fact is that many of the demonic sound effects used were actually recordings of animals being killed in a slaughterhouse. Originally, there was the infamous spider-walk down the stairs scene, which showed Regan sticking out a long, snakelike tongue and attacking the nanny - https://youtu.be/5Pr-I0V0ZOc. The scene is often miscredited to Linda Hager but the stunt was actually performed by Ann Miles. However, it was cut from the film just before it was released. Friedkin apparently cut it believing it was too early in the film for such a drastic effect on Regan to be visible and because there was no way to hide the wires from the harness. Almost 30 years later, Friedkin changed his mind and added the scene back for the extended 2000 version, with the wires digitally removed but instead showing Regan with blood flowing from her mouth - https://youtu.be/i33KwUtm4ks The voice of the demon was portrayed by Mercedes McCambridge, who went to extreme lengths to perfect the distorted voice. An alcoholic, she actually gave up sobriety and drank heavily, she chain-smoked cigarettes, ate raw eggs. She was also physically bound to a chair with torn sheets. McCambridge ended up suing Friedkin and Warner Bros because they didn't credit her for the voice of the demon. Additionally, Linda Blair’s double, Eileen Dietz, also sued for not being credited for the vomiting sequences. Linda Blair received a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the Oscars before it was known that she didn't actually provide the voice of the demon. The rules said once she was given the nomination it could not be withdrawn, but the controversy about Blair being given credit for another actress' work probably ruined her chances of winning. Once the film was released, many people in the audience fainted, vomited, ran out of the theater or had to be be carried in a stretcher. This was in mainly two scenes; when Regan undergoes a carotid angiography/arteriogram, in which a needle inserted into Regan's neck spurts blood, and the crucifix masturbation scene. The angiography scene caused audiences the most discomfort, most likely because they could identify with that more than being possessed by a demon. This procedure entails cerebrospinal fluid being drained to a small amount from around the brain and replaced with air, oxygen, or helium to allow the structure of the brain to show up more clearly on an X-ray picture. Medical professionals have described the scene, to reflect changes in medicine, as a realistic depiction of the procedure. Friedkin even claimed that the scene was used to train radiologists for years after the film's release. In the angiography scene, the blonde bearded man who assists the doctor is Paul Bateson. He was an x-ray technician at NYU Medical Center where that scene was shot and got to be an extra. In 1979, he was convicted of the murder of Addison Verrill, a film critic, and was sentenced to a minimum of 20 years in prison. Bateson ultimately served 24 years and was released on parole in 2003. But he also became the prime suspect in what were known as "the bag murders" from 1977-1978, in which six male victims were mutilated and dismembered, their remains wrapped in black plastic bags and dumped in the Hudson River. He actually bragged how he picked up men in gay bars, had sex with them and then murdered & dismembered their bodies and put them into plastic bags "for fun". Although investigators believed his story, he was never officially charged and those murders have never been solved. These murders were the inspiration for another one of William Friedkins films, Cruising from 1980, starring Al Pacino. There are several sequels/prequels and a TV show, none of which I have seen though. But Blumhouse is making another franchise which is supposed to be a "direct sequel" to this one. Ellen Burstyn will reprise her role as Chris and Leslie Odom Jr. will be starring in it too. A theatrical release for the first film, The Exorcist: Believer, is scheduled for October 13 this year.