On this day back in 1973 William Friedkin's supernatural horror film The Exorcist hit the big screen for the very first time. Without a doubt The Exorcist remains one of the most notorious and scariest creations to have ever blessed (poor choice of words) the cinema screen and continues to this day to unleash itself upon movie lovers and horror fanatics alike across the globe. Thanks to the power of the internet, numerous spoofs, parodies and memes I think it would be fair to say that most people know of or are aware of the film. Whether it be Linda Blair's demonic makeup, the eerie Tubular Bells theme music or the image of Max Von Sydow looking on outside the house and about to confront true evil. Then of course you have rotating heads and a ton of projectile vomit to name just a few things, the word iconic springs to mind. So without further delay I would like to present you all a little piece on this horror masterpiece. “Can you help an old alter boy Father?”...
So based upon the novel of the same name by William Peter Blatty, who also produced the film and selected Friedkin to direct, The Exorcist tells the story of a young girl named Regan (Linda Blair) and her journey into demonic possession after playing around with a Ouija board (lesson well and truly learnt, do not mess with Ouija boards) and her mother Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn), as she attempts to do whatever it takes to save her daughter from the dark forces that have taken over. So after various different procedures to get to the root of what may be the cause of Regan's sudden behavioural changes, Chris is close to breaking point as she feels it is something a whole lot more sinister and untoward, and is continually told the same thing by multiple doctors and professionals, who are not really wanting to believe this could be the work of spirits, after all of this she decides that there is only one thing left that can be done, yes you might have guessed it, an exorcism! To assist Regan and the rescue of her soul is Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller in his debut screen role, for which he would go on to be nominated for best supporting actor) a priest and psychiatrist, currently battling his own inner demons due to his loss of faith and the passing of his mother, and then also there is Father Lankester Merrin (Max Von Sydow), an aged Catholic priest who has previously performed exorcisms and is familiar with the origins of this particular monster. It is good versus evil. Time to kick arse for the Lord!!! (sorry wrong film) So the premise and themes of the Exorcist might sound a bit cliché and unoriginal nowadays, and since it was released we have indeed seen our share of exorcism/possessed movies churned out repeatedly. But for me the Exorcist will always reign supreme, and remain above and beyond any of its successors, why? Well that is something I am not sure I can totally explain, I mean all round it generally is just a really good film in my opinion, but it just sticks in the brain and lingers, almost scars itself into the memory and haunts you with its relentless nastiness and visceral imagery, images that are now imprinted upon pop culture forever. By today's standard you could possibly argue that the film is a little dated and tame, which I will not oppose because yes, there are way more nasty films out there no question about it, but personally I ain't so sure they quite have the same longevity and lasting impact quite like the Exorcist. For me the way it slowly burns along and builds creates an uneasy sense of dread and creepiness throughout, so when things really start kicking off, our nerves are already somewhat shot and on edge, making the more shocking and violent moments that appear seem all the more frightening. I think in terms of atmosphere the film really nails it, as I said it is a slow burner and we see the gradual decline of all the characters involved, this for me is what sets it apart, it genuinely provides an ambience that is totally uncomfortable from the start and does not just solely focus on the bloodshed to evoke a response, though do not be mistaken as there is a lot of horrid shit packed in there for good measure, but it manages to strike a fine balance between action and suspense.
I remember way back when I was a kid channel four aired a programme, something like one hundred most scary films of all time (probably not the right title but you get the gist) and featured various clips from films and had people talking about them and their experiences seeing them, anyway whilst watching this show and soaking in as much as I could, I created a lists of the ones I wanted to see, ones that had the most interesting looking segments, and one of the films that got featured was the Exorcist. As a kid I was left astounded and a little stunned at what I had just seen, from crucifixes getting used in the most unholiest of ways, a disturbing demented subliminal face that pops up randomly and so on. I mean for a kid any part of it is probably considered too much, but being the little freak I was and still am today, I just had to see it! Of course when I did eventually get around to seeing the full film I have to say it honestly did scare the shit out of me, even though I had seen clips that some may consider the really scary moments of the film, I was not quite prepared for the tension and unease that it perfectly delivers building up to those scenes. That is probably where a lot of the more modern horror films fail, the lack of build up and tendency to overuse the shock and blood aspects to scare an audience, after a while of non stop bloodshed I think we become a little bit desensitised and it no longer has the effect it should. Its all about that balance, which I will say is executed to the highest order in this picture. It most definitely is a real roller-coaster. To add further points on the scare scale, the Exorcist novel was supposedly based upon real life events that took place in 1949, when a young thirteen year old boy named Robbie had to be exorcised. These events are reported to have lasted for six weeks and the exorcism was partially performed in Cottage City, Maryland, and then Saint Louis, Missouri. Again another of the many reasons this film has a hefty presence, the idea that it could be based on fact is well and truly unsettling.
Rightly so the Exorcist is considered a classic, even after over four decades it is still revered and highly respected amongst movie goers and cineastes, rated as one of the best horrors of its time, possibly ever, it sure does have one hell of a reputation and plenty of expectation surrounding it. You could say that it is a product of hype and it really isn't that scary, but I beg to differ. There most certainly are factors that I think propelled the film beyond its status as just another horror, gaining notoriety and leading to the film being dubbed as cursed, and even the Christian evangelist Billy Graham claimed that a real life demon was living in the celluloid reels of the film. To have a horror movie branded as cursed I suppose depending on personal views is not such a bad thing, you make a horror, you already are going in with the intention of making it scary, so to have it labelled so strongly could be seen as a plus. Also during the production of the film a great deal of bizarre events occurred, further elevating its own mythology. Things such as a mass studio fire destroying a set completely, the death of nine people associated with the making of the film, two of which were Vasiliki Maliaros (portrayed the mother of Father Karras) and Jack MacGowran (Burke Dennings the director), both would die before the film was even released. Then also there were incidents during filming, Linda Blair injured her back after she was hurled out of the bed set after a part of the rig broke, Ellen Burstyn gained a permanent spinal injury during the shooting of a scene where she is flung away by Regan, her harness jerked her so hard she landed on her coccyx resulting in the long lasting damage. All of this would lead director William Friedkin to ask his technical advisor and Reverend, Thomas Bermingham to exorcise the set and bless it, to reassure the cast and crew. There are many more tales about what went on behind the scenes of the Exorcist, but that would probably take me hours, so for future reference if you are interested in hearing more, there is a great little documentary series produced by Shudder called “Cursed Films” and episode 1 is all about the Exorcist. Each episode is pretty good so thank me later! I guess for a horror production to be such a literal nightmare in the making of phase, only enhanced the buzz surrounding it, making it highly anticipated, I mean in the early stages of pre-production big names such as Jack Nicholson, Al Pacino, and Marlon Brando were all considered for roles, Carrie Fisher was also in contention to play Regan, but her mother Janet Leigh outright refused. Director Stanley Kubrick is also said to have been interested in making the film himself as long as he could produce it, but the executives said no to him, fearing he typically might run over schedule and budget, something which would happen regardless, but I have to say I would have loved to see what Kubrick would have done with this, but then again we got the Shining from him so we cant grumble that much. But to put it plainly it is no real secret that from the off, the Exorcist was in line to be something spectacular. So what about when it was finally released and seen by an audience you might ask? Well there are numerous accounts of people fainting, walking out, running out and so on. Theatres would also hand out complimentary vomit bags as the number of spewers was rising, maybe life does imitate art. Supposedly even ambulance crews had to attend the cinema just in case, as it was reported a great deal of viewers had required their assistance following black outs, hysteria and nasty panic attacks. Despite having a number of quite brutal scenes, it was one scene in particular that really sent viewers over the edge and appeared to cause the most distress, the scene involves Regan during her first test at the hospital, where she is having an arteriogram. I wont say that much about it because I am sure you will know the exact bit when it gets to it, and also I cant really think about it without feeling a tad queasy myself, honestly it is awful. Friedkin would state that what made this scene so authentic was down to Linda Blair and also having the doctor played by a real life neurosurgeon. To make this scene even more spooky and add further notoriety, you might be interested to know that the bearded man in the scene who is assisting the doc, is Paul Bateson, at the time an x-ray technician at NYU Medical Centre where the scene was shot. In 1979 he was convicted to twenty years in prison for the murder of a film critic, and suspect in the murders of six other men, it was rumoured that he had picked up the men in gay bars and he would sleep with, kill and dismember them and dispose of the remains in plastic bags all just for fun. The killings would soon be known as the “bag murders”. Bateson was never convicted of the latter killings and was released in 2004, leaving the cases technically unsolved even though he was prime suspect and had bragged about them himself. The “bag murders” would later go on to be fictionalised by William Friedkin and turned into his 80s film “Cruising” Freaky huh?
The Exorcist sparked major controversy upon its initial release, and due to death threats from religious nuts that claimed the film was glorifying Satan, actress Linda Blair had to have bodyguards protecting her for six months after. It was also banned in many towns and cities across the UK, and led to the creation of “Exorcist Bus Trips” where travel companies would arrange bus journeys that would take people to a town or city that the film was not banned in, meaning the unlucky ones would have a chance of seeing the film even if it meant travelling for miles at a small cost, pretty neat business venture I would say. Controversy would also be stirred within when actress Mercedes McCambridge (provided the voice for the demon) sued Warner Brothers for not crediting her for the work she had done on the picture, the story goes that she initially did not want to be credited so people would think it was all Linda Blair, but soon after she changed her mind and was credited. Mercedes McCambridge most certainly warranted credit and praise in my eyes, due to the fact that she put herself through a great ordeal to get the voice right. In preparation she gave up on sobriety and started drinking again, whiskey mainly, as she knew it would make her voice raspy and distorted, and also give her that crazed mind-set needed. She would also chain smoke and eat raw eggs to further alter her vocalisations, whilst during the recording process she would be bound to a chair with bits of torn sheets around her neck, wrists, arms and legs to get a more realistic sound for the demon as it struggles against its restraints. During the course of her recording sessions McCambridge had her own priest bought in to counsel her throughout. You could say that is all a bit much for just a voice job, but my word did it work well for it, so well played you have to admit. Since I am writing up on the Exorcist I suppose I should very briefly mention that it has a sequel, in fact it has four. There are some instalments stronger than others, especially three which brings back Jason Miller as Damien Karras and this time has author William Peter Blatty behind the camera as director, adapting his own novel “Legion”. I said it would be a brief mention, but mainly also because the sequels just do not hit the mark and are nowhere near as solid as the first. But saying that, and owed in part to the fact that I am a completest and lover of franchises, some very terrible, almost bordering guilty pleasure territory, the Exorcist franchise is definitely not the worst. It is just a mere fact that the original set the benchmark, and really set the bar high for those that followed, which is probably the case for every other film franchise out there as well, there are a couple of exceptions but I wont go into that right now.
So that my friends is pretty much it, the Exorcist is one of the most intriguing experiences you can have watching a film, it still to this day does not pull any punches and can be quite hard watching, which in itself is a testament to the quality of it. If you have not seen it, do so, and let me know what you think. There are a boatload more of things to tell you about this movie, but sometimes less is more, and I'm lazy. But for sure, the Exorcist is a fantastic bit of work and I would recommend it to any film lover or horror fan. Thanks for reading folks, be sure to have the holy water at the ready..
-Otto.
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