In a quiet neighborhood, in a house with all the modern conveniences, an innocent young girl becomes afflicted. Her mother can't help her. Doctors uselessly test and attempt to treat her. In desperation - fearing her illness reaches beyond the physical and into the spiritual -- her mother calls a priest. But even he doubts that evil has come into their home, into her body. And the more he doubts, the more powerful it becomes. There is only one cause, and only one hope for a cure.
"It's an excellent day for an exorcism."
In 1973, one film opened the door to our deepest fears and forever etched itself into the fabric of the world's consciousness. This year, the film that garnered Academy Awards, broke box office records, and has been called the scariest film ever made is back with never-before-seen footage and in six-track digital surround sound.
The clash between good and evil was never as emotional nor as graphic as depicted in "The Exorcist." Written first as a novel by William Peter Blatty and inspired by an actual exorcism in the Washington, D.C. area, the tale has become firmly entrenched into the world's psyche.
The book was a #1 best seller, with 13 million copies in the U.S. alone, while the film, directed by Academy Award-winner William Friedkin, broke box office records in its initial theatrical run. As a "phenomenon" around the world, people waited in lines for hours, sometimes in pouring rain, to experience "The Exorcist." At the time, it became the second highest grossing film of all time behind "The Godfather."
Controversy surrounded its release. Evangelist Billy Graham aligned the film with evil itself while the Catholic Church embraced the strength of the film's religious overtones. Audiences were terrified, sickened and intellectually challenged by the film. Polls conducted by sources including Entertainment Weekly and Total Movie have voted "The Exorcist" as the scariest film of all time.
"The Exorcist" saw remarkable breakout performances by young Linda Blair as Regan MacNeil and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Jason Miller, who made his feature film debut as Father Karras, the priest who questions his own faith in the midst of the greatest test of his life. Both were nominated for Academy Awards for their performances, along with film legend Ellen Burstyn (Oscar winner for "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore," "The Spitfire Grill") as Regan's mother Chris MacNeil. Max von Sydow ("Snow Falling On Cedars," "Hannah and her Sisters") starred as Father Merrin, the title character. The film also starred Lee J. Cobb as Lt. Kinderman, who befriends Karras while investigating a death at the MacNeil residence; Kitty Winn as Chris's assistant, Sharon; and Jack MacGowran as Burke. Mercedes McCambridge gives the film its unforgettable vocal track which delivers some of the most memorable lines in film history.
The film was nominated for ten Academy Awards, including (in addition to the acting nominations for Miller, Blair and Burstyn), Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Set Decoration, Best Sound, Best Art Direction and Best Picture. It won the awards for Best Sound and Best Screenplay.
"The Exorcist" also won four of its seven Golden Globe nominations. Friedkin, Blatty and Blair were acknowledged for their efforts and the film was voted Best Motion Picture Drama.
"The Exorcist" is a rare example of a powerful novel becoming a powerful motion picture. The collaboration between Blatty and Friedkin, which started well before the first frame of film rolled, continues to this day and in this new adaptation.
"This is the version Bill Blatty always believed in," Friedkin said, "and it's taken me 26 years to see why and finally agree with him. The restored footage not only deepens the spiritual foundation of the film, but adds some truly terrifying moments as well."
Significantly, the film continues to evoke intellectual and emotional stimulation nearly 30 years after its original release. "I do think that you are being taught something about good and evil while you're watching 'The Exorcist,'" says Blatty. "On one level, it's this wonderful roller coaster ride, but on a deeper, unconscious level, while you're watching it, you're being told that there are spiritual forces active in the universe - some nice, some not so nice -- in effect, that there is a God. It's in there, within the film, and it's getting to you as you watch. And how often can you go to a film and really feel something?"
Friedkin's take on the movie is more succinct: "You take from 'The Exorcist' whatever you bring to it..."
Blatty's novel was inspired by a reported exorcism of a 14-year-old boy, which took place in 1949 in Maryland. He had read about the event while attending Georgetown University and the event lay dormant in his imagination until he researched and wrote the book, which was published in 1971.
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