First releasing in 1973, this nearly 50 year old film was impactful and genre-defining at the time. In fact, the influence of The Exorcist can still be felt in today’s horror scene .
But there are a lot of really interesting (and even creepy) facts about this movie that you might not know. Let’s take a look at some of the details and behind the scenes facts about 1973’s The Exorcist .
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Many believe that the film is cursed.
When I say cursed film, I don’t mean it as a The Ring situation. More like, the production and filming was incredibly difficult, dangerous, and deadly.
For starters, Linda Blair and Ellen Burstyn both sustained permanent back injuries from filming.
The set also caught on fire.
The set used for the McNeil house burned down when a bird flew into an circuit box. Apparently, only the room where the exorcism scenes took place stayed untouched . Pretty fittingly creepy for a movie about demon possession.
This delayed production by six weeks.
In addition, they brought in a real priest to bless the set. I guess the fire hit a little too close to home, given the subject matter of the film and all.
And several people have died during and after the movie’s production.
Two actors in the movie, Jack MacGowran and Vasiliki Maliaros, died shortly after filming wrapped , and before the film released. MacGowran passed due to influenza, and Maliaros died of natural causes. Interestingly, the characters they played both die in the film.
In addition, relatives of some of the cast died.
Linda Blair and Max Von Sydow both experienced losses in their families during production . And the son of Mercedes McCambridge, who provided the demon’s voice, died in a murder-suicide, where he took the lives of his wife and daughters before his own.
The movie was based on a book, which was in turn based on an actual exorcism.
In a roundabout way, the film is based on a “true” story (how much of it is actually true is pretty unclear). William Peter Blatty, who penned the novel, based the film off the exorcism of Roland Doe (a pseudonym), which happened in the 1940s.
Much of the story came from newspaper clippings provided by Doe’s family’s pastor.
In addition, Blatty used diary entries written by the priest who performed the exorcism , Father Raymond Bishop.
Another book was written about the event, called “Possessed: The True Story of an Exorcism” by Thomas B. Allen.
The film’s release was met with a lot of controversy.
Whether you were around to see the film in theaters all those decades ago, or you became a fan in the years since, this fact is probably unsurprising.
This film terrified audience members, who even passed out during screenings.
And its extreme subject matter got it banned in the UK.
The Exorcist hit British theaters a year later, and got an X rating. This meant it would only be shown in select theaters.
In 1988, the film got banned from distribution . It had already been released on video by then, though, and had to be taken off shelves.
Don’t worry, though. It’s not banned anymore.
About a decade later, in 1998, the film was legally able to be distributed in the U.K. again. But this just speaks volumes as to how the film was received for years after its release.
One of the extras in the film ended up being convicted of murder.
Paul Bateson, who appears as a doctor’s assistant in the film, was convicted of killing Addison Verrill , a film critic, in 1977. He was later suspected of six other murders but never convicted for them.
The demon’s name is never said in the movie.
Though Pazuzu, the villain who serves as the film’s antagonist, has a name that’s used in Blatty’s novel and the film’s sequel, it’s never said throughout the original movie.
Pazuzu’s mythology doesn’t line up with how he’s portrayed in the story.
Pazuzu is a Mesopotamian demon and personification of the Western Wind. Apparently, he protected pregnant women and mothers, and repelled other demons. A pretty far cry from his portrayal in The Exorcist .
Original fans of the film never got to see the “spider walk” scene.
Dubbed one of the scariest scenes in the film (and all time, probably), it shows Regan walking backwards on all fours down the stairs. It was originally cut from the film.
Why? Because they couldn’t make it look realistic.
There was no way to remove the wires used to make the scene in the original cut, so it was left out for decades. Then, in 2000, director William Friedkin was able to digitally remove them , and fans got to see the scene as it was intended.
The film was nominated for 10 Oscars.
Despite being a disturbing film, The Exorcist managed to nab 10 Academy Awards nominations in 1974. Of them, the film won two: Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound . It’s the first horror movie to be nominated for Best Picture (but didn’t win).
Linda Blair received death threats after the film’s release.
As some people thought her character was promoting Satan, the child star received death threats from critics, and had bodyguards for six months after the film’s premier .
During the angiogram scene, Blair’s real-life mother can be seen.
A nurse briefly featured in the scene was played by Blair’s actual mother, in a bit of a blink and you’ll miss it moment. In addition, Blatty, the author himself, also has a small cameo in the film.
The infamous vomit scene was made using pea soup.
One of the most memorable (and disgusting) scenes in the film didn’t use actual vomit (obviously). But it did use Anderson’s Pea Soup . Sorry if I just ruined soup for you.
The vomit was supposed to hit Jason Miller in the chest , but struck him in the face instead — he was genuinely surprised and disgusted, so the scene only required one take.
Regan’s room was refrigerated.
In order to get visible breath from the actors, Regan’s room was cooled down with four air conditioners. Temperatures could get to -30 to -40 degrees , which was definitely a little excessive, but got the job done.
