This film actually holds up extremely well. The acting in particular. The effects were all practical. It really captured the slow building terror of the novel.
Very few horror movies truly scare me, especially from this time period. This movie still terrifies me. It feels so real and just crawls under your skin
I think because William Blatty was a committed catholic and took it very seriously really helped. Friedkin is an excellent director and never shied away from having that same level of seriousness . It’s an amazing film.
Yes, very true. I think that was Peter William Blatty's calling. However he also had a major cross to bear with his son battling a drug addiction and then dying of an overdose.
The Exorcist is one of the greatest films ever made. A total masterpiece. And a terrific job has been done here of documenting its making and the effect it has had culturally. The narration (voice and style) puts me in mind of old British documentaries from the 1960s/1970s. My only quibble is that in highlighting the work of the main cast, one of the most important actors was completely ignored. Mercedes McCambridge, who gave us the voice of the demon, was absolutely superb, and without her, the demon wouldn't have inspired the fear it did. She put herself through hell (no pun intended) to provide us with that vocal performance, and it saddens me that she is so often overlooked when people sing the praises of this film.
@@angelcitygirlabsurd? I think you’re in a minority on that opinion, but you’re entitled to it. Just as the OP is entitled to theirs. And I happen to believe that it is the most terrifying film ever made.
Great documentary! I remember seeing The Exorcist at the age of 10yrs old, on VHS, back in the day. I didn't sleep for a week and every night was a nightmare. Fond memories 😁
I still remember. I was about 16 years old when The Exorcist was on cable TV, HBO. I wanted to watch it but my family didn't have cable TV yet. My neighbors did. I already knew how scary it was so I managed to drink a whole bottle of Southern Comfort and a small bottle of Jack Daniel's so I wouldn't be scared. I couldn't take three steps forward without falling down. My friend dragged me home. From that day on I swore I'd never drink that stuff again. And decades later I still don't.
i was 10 too in 1978, watching on my grandparents vhs with piano keys and remote on a wire. we never had one yet. i loved it when i was home the next day i thought i was possessed i wasnt scared being the devil i was scared going to the hospital like regan and having tests. that evening i was staring at the light on the ceiling and for no reason it fell down, never did it before or after then i knew i was possessed, obviously wasnt but that amazing film messed me up like jaws did in 75 wheni saw that in the cinema never went swimming for about a year. was only 7 thenq
@@DFUK83 That's what I meant by sneak watch it. I remember sneaking downstairs to watch rosemary's Baby when I was a kid but had to keep the tele on quiet. My mother would have killed me if she caught me I was only about 9. I didn't watch The Exorcist till about 1990 with my girlfriend at the movie theatre but I was drunk and didn't really concentrate properly. Then i watched it again when I was about 30 on video and it messed with my head a bit. I'm 55 now so we're both about the same age (you and i). I did watch Halloween in 1981 and my mother didn't mind me staying up later. I'd never heard of it I was about 12 and it just came on at 9 o'clock I watched it on my own it frightened the crap out of me, the suspense and the good thing was it was a total surprise and I could tell I was going to watch something special just by the intro. My 3 best horror movies are The Thing The Exorcist and Halloween..
One of the best documentaries I've ever seen. The interviews are so revealing and captivating. I was 17 when I first saw this film in a huge theatre, which is the only way to see it. It was just so phenomenal and a huge spectacle as described in this film. I saw it with a girl who grabbed my arm and hid her face throughout the film, quite fortuitous as she became my first girlfriend soon after. Thank you for making me feel 17 again.
No, it's regurgitated garbage that has been done so many times better. He did not need to add one new thing of value to the conversation here. It's trash.
“Tubular Bells” will forever give me chills. Growing up I could not listen to it. I would switch dials when it came on the radio. I think it was about running water but spooky as hell in this context.
Maybe, but the homeless man saying "Spare any change for an old alter boy father" Then the demon repeating it later in the room? How? That was on the subway platform NOT in the room. It says evil sees everything.
I can't even begin to imagine what the movie would have been if Kubrick directed it. I don't think The Exorcist III gets enough credit. It's a great film. The scenes inside the prison cell are just jaw dropping, it's insanely good writing. Very disturbing and intense. Yet it's just two people talking.
@@vickimingus9281 Do you mean Max von Sydow? He mostly excelled in Scandinavian films. He gave quite a chilling performance as the Norwegian Nazi poet, Knut Hamsun in the movie Hamsun.
@@robertferguson5562his name is Jason Miller. He is a Pulitzer Prize and Tony award winning playwright. He was nominated for an Oscar best supporting actor for his role in the Exorcist, and also starred again in the Exorcist III.
after seeing a few of these types of movies you get used to them and they don't scare you anymore, this was the first of it's kind that is why it was so scary
Agreed. I still find it much scarier than anything made since (and I've seen the movies people always bring up as scarier). Probably at least partly depends on what you were brought up on (in terms of both style/effects and content). I can see why it would work differently on different viewers.
My dad used to live near this set when he was young. He said walking by the stairs of that place was incredibly eerie, and that a lot of people did get hurt on that film.
@@rolandhawken6628The one who played the mum - Ellen Burstyn - hit her head for real cos Friedkin was a maniac. That's someone who was hurt. Also Friedkin slapped that priest praying over Karras & genuinely hurt him. I think the OP was talking about that perhaps?
The Exorcist and Alien were the two great horror films of the 70s and both were so terrifying because of the realistic acting. Ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. no matter what the effects or gore or whatever, it wouldn't have worked without the gritty realism of the acting.
I'm pretty sure I got all of you beat. You ready? I saw it when it originally came out in the theater in 1973. I was 6 yrs old. Lol. I went with my older brother and sister. He was 11, she was 12. Back then, in certain theaters if you could get a parent or guardian to bring you, go to the ticket window with you and sign a permission slip. You know, a note saying that they are giving you permission to see it, you could get in, no problem. We were raised by our grandparents. It was a Saturday afternoon, a matinee. My grandpa had the day off of work. He drove us and went in to the ticket window and signed a note for us. He hadn't been to a theater to see a movie since Casablanca. Lol A horror movie to him was Psycho. Or any of Hitchcock's thrillers. Which were a far cry from The Exorcist. Night and day. The Exorcist had me so scared I slept in my grandparents bed for the next two weeks. My grandma yelled at my grandpa after we got home in Spanish and wanted to know what the hell he was thining. He did the only right thing. He blamed it on my brother and sister. Lol He explained to my grandma that they assured him it wouldn't be that bad. Heck, I'm too busy at work I don't have the time to watch movies. How was I to know? Well ok. Then she called my brother and sister into her room. They both told the truth. They had heard it was supposed to be bad. Scary as hell. But they didn't really didn't believe it would be so bad. They assumed it was all hype. Publicity to pump up the sales. Boy were they wrong. Like I said I slept with my grandparents for the next two weeks. After the first night or so, I tried to go back to sleeping in the room with my brother. But it wasn't even ten minutes and he began to talk in the devils voice in the dark causing me to run screaming and crying back into my grandparents room. They got mad at him and he promised not to do it again. He didn't but i was traumatized. Up until then he had been my hero. Now I can't trust him. Interestingly enough the three of us went together again a few years later when The Exorcist ll: The Heretic came out. It was a lame sequel that had Linda Blair returning, but this time to some shrinks or whoever to try and get to the bottom of her ordeal. It had Richard Burton as a co-star. Even he couldn't rescue it from it's own BS. Lousy movie. Period. My criteria at the time? I was able to go into my own room with my brother. He didn't try to scare me. I wasn't in any way frightened and I went straight to sleep with no problems. Footnote: I've probably seen it now dozens of times and I am thoroughly entertained by it. I never miss a chance to see it whenever it gets aired. And now I laugh at what fucked me me up seriously as a kid. Now it's good writing. Good acting. Good exploration of good vs. evil. Just an all around great film. It does what it set out to do. Scare you. Footnote pt. 2. I'm 57 now. Ive been rich (inheritance from my grandpa. I was his favorite) And I've been poor (squandering that inheritance). I've lived through some of the more horrible horrifying things one can. I've been homeless on skid row in downtown Los Angeles in a wheelchair handicapped for about 5 years from 2018-2023. I've lived in South Central Los Angeles. East Los Angeles. I've spent about ten years in prison from 1999-2008. Not in any of that time was I ever afraid of shit!! If youve seen the Exorcist in the theater in 1973 at all of a sage 6 yrs old, nothing can ever scare you again. Except maybe a broken heart. Lol God bless you all.
I doubt that he got into it, nice story telling but even later in you couldn’t get in any film where you didn’t match the age restrictions. I even had issues getting into a film rated 12 and I was 10… with a written permission and my mom was with me, that was 1978.
I saw the 73' opening,I was 16...in my home of Hollywood...this was a time when the films came out post Vietnam in America and young filmmakers and the realism ...a great time in film history.
I read the book first. Much later I saw the movie on TV! The scene in this documentary of stuff being thrown all over the place reminds me of my first wife in one of her 'moods'
People today have no concept of moviegoers standing in lines around the block to see it (or any movie for that matter). We have become so used to home video (VHS, DVD, BLU-RAY), cable TV premium channels, and now streaming services that it's really difficult to grasp the idea that movies 50 years ago were only seen in movie theaters. And theatrical movies shown on television were so heavily edited and cropped to fit the small screen that it wasn't worth the wait. I can't remember the last recent theatrical release in which showings were sold out. Maybe the original Avatar?
Think😢it might be there’s no need to stand in the queue with all the likes of streaming services online etc,also I personally can only think of a few movies in the last 10 years that I would actually go to the cinema to watch 😳🏴
What doesn’t make any sense is people lining up for blocks and blocks to get into a movie house that may hold 100 people… maybe three showings a night, so 300 tickets: 3,000 people standing in line in the winter weather 🤦🏻♀️ WHY?!?! I don’t remember theaters selling tickets ahead of time, for tomorrow’s or next week’s showings 🤔
13 in 1973 my older brother 16 yrs old, went to see the movie, I was anxious to ask about it, he looked somber, looking down, he just said, "you don't wanna see it ".
And it's as if the title has a spin to it. At least for me, I thought the exorcist was the priest Father Merrin. But the actual exorcist was the young priest Damien Karras. He was the one that got the demon out of her.
I live in a city called Leeds in the UK. A friend of mine was shopping for clothes in the town centre, and whilst looking for short cut he randomly walked down aback alley. Within a few seconds he all of a sudden couldn't hear anything at all, perfect silence and a all of a sudden an almost debilitating feeling of dread. He passed by two people that had their heads very close one another like they were whispering to one another and was gonna ask them if they felt anything out of the ordinary like I did. Then they slowly turned to look at him, they had pure shiny black eyes he said. Of course anyone meeting a true demon out would be utterly terrified, but what terrified him was the hatred they had towards him, to all of us. That stare of pure loathing almost made his legs buckle but was able to run passed them and out of the alley The "encounter" totally changed him, he consulted a priest to find some kind of explanation to what he saw. He never was the same guy, the terror never left him.
@@KajunMs39 havent watched it for years, listened to the audiobook a couple of years ago. We have a large group of friends who spend an awful lot of time partying and living life to what most in society would consider an extreme, and his "experience" seem to come so far out of the blue I was initially surprised he wasnt outright mocked for it, but sitting, listening and seeing his genuine shock and obvious terror frightened us individually more than we admitted to one another. We know he just wasnt one to make shit up, he just wasnt set up that way. Im sure I wasnt the only one that had to admit to themselves they believed him. I'm a little ashamed to say that I kinda avoided him for a while because I just wasnt ready to think about such things, not if I wanted to carry on as I was living I guess. As I understand it he calmed down a great deal when they were able to convince him these things werent there for him, that he was not the reason they were there, cant say I blame him much on that front, that wouldve terrified me too. Dont know if he would like that I've publicly shared such a personal event, but theres no doubt he views his life in two clear halves now... his life before and his life after that event.
Iv seen "people" with similar eyes and lived in a haunted house for many years and it was terrifying. Family members forms being taken. Demonic faced entities faces like Japanese Yu-Gi-Oh masks the demonic looking ones. A witch type women hissing n snarling at u when u wake up at night. And more. It does effect you mentally.
My family moved to Fl in 1970 from NY. The year this movie came out, l went back to NY to visit for the Christmas break. One Sunday evening, after my aunt made a great Italian dinner, my cousin, Pasquale (Patty Boy) says, let's go to the city ( we were in Queens) to see The Exorcist. We rode the train into the city and there were massive lives at the theater. We couldn't get tickets. We turned around and went back to Queens. It was icy and l hung on to my cousins pants as he pulled me across the snow. We then stopped for Chinese food. He was hungry again. He also made me run out of the restaurant without paying. That man cursed us royally. Ah, memories. Sorry for blabbering. I got back home to Miami a week later and finally got to see the movie. My boyfriend at the time and l went to see it. There was a man behind us screaming. I dont think l moved a muscle. It was the 70's and l was a bit "impaired". Not until l left the movie did it hit me. Scary as hell. I made my bf sit on my driveway with me all night, till the sun rose. I was scared to go inside. I was scared to move. I will be 70 in Feb and till this day, if l hear tubular bells all these memories come flooding back. Scariest movie ever!!!!
Brilliant documentary! I watched this movie when I was 9 years old and it was my favorite movie right away. Now 50 years later it is still my favorite movie (horror or otherwise). My second favorite is The Wizard of Oz. Yes this says a lot about the woman I am. I still have the VHS tape and the book. Thank you!!!🙀💋❤️🙏
I love this documentary. About the Exorcist. When it came out in 1973. I like seeing the advertising for the movie. The footage of people standing in line to see it. The people that had to walk out of the movie. The people working at the movie theaters. Talking about it. I just read the book. It was good too. It is still the scariest movie of all time. Even throw I can laugh at some of the movie. When it's over. I have a funny feeling. I did enjoy the never before seen version at the movies. It was fun. I don't why? I like quoting parts. With the demon. A friend of mine. That can't even talk about the Exorcist. Told me. I can talk like the demon. I could be a voice actor.
Excellent documentary! Not much new here that hasn't been covered elsewhere, but this is a very well made document of a film that deserves to be talked about and appreciated for years to come. One of the most masterfully crafted films ever made, period - horror or otherwise. I was eight when the film came out in 1973, and it was a huge part of the culture at the time. I saw it for the first time at age 14 when it was re-released in cinemas in 1979, and while I didn't vomit or pass out it did affect me deeply, and has stayed with me over the years, and still holds up today as brilliant masterpiece of filmmaking. I just hope, for posterity sake, that the original theatrical cut of the film eventually gets a proper, authentic, unaltered 4k physical release. Right now, the best way to view the film as it appeared in theaters in the 70s is the 1997 DVD release, before they started tinkering with the color and sound. Every release since then has been "improved" to the detriment of the film. The 50th Anniversary theatrical screening of the 4k version I saw last year was absolutely atrocious in parts. While the benefit and effectiveness of the three main scenes that Blatty lobbied to have reinstated into the film (the first medical exam, the conversation between the priests during a break in the exorcism, and the "upbeat" ending) could be debated, the additions made beyond that really do the film a tremendous disservice. Most of the added scenes mess up the flow of the narrative and break the tension that was orchestrated so masterfully in the original cut, and the additional "horror movie" drones and flashing demon faces destroy the realism and cheapen the film as a whole. And don't even get me started on the spiderwalk... My dream release would be a new 4k scan of the original theatrical version, all the bonus features from previous home releases (trailers, the 'Fear of God" and "Raising Hell" docs, etc.), a new audio commentary featuring a panel of some of today's big name filmmakers (from Coppola to Flanagan) who have been influenced by the film, archival interviews and TV appearances from around the time the book and the film was released (especially that Dick Cavett show in which Blatty promoted the novel), new interviews with surviving cast and crew, ALL the screen tests, makeup and effects tests and outtakes from the film (even those that are raw and for which no audio exists) and a book with new essays on the film, illustrated with BTS photos and production art, maybe even a sampling of pages from the copy of the novel that Friedkin annotated with notes and in which he'd bracketed scenes to include in the film).
I couldn't agree more. I had the theatrical version on VHS for several years and even taped it off of cable back in the day so for a while I had 2 or 3 VHS copies and one dvd of the theatrical cut as you mentioned. I took it for granted that I'd always have it in it's pure form, but as things tend to go, ended up losing a few of them and only had a VHS copy. I was stoked for the special editions but yes, the added music and "subliminal" shots definitely take away from the film's power. I currently have a copy of the theatrical version that I pulled offline a few years ago. It was for the life of me the only theatrical cut that I could find without anything extra added to it and I had to check several different downloads that all purported to be the theater cut but weren't. I'm going to look into getting a 4K if it is indeed the original version. I first saw the movie in the spring or summer of 1976 at a drive in with my older brothers and sister .It had been re-released. I was only 10 or 11 and we were all freaked out but laughing too at how outrageous it was. My brother had seen it the night before and just had to share it with us, telling our parents we were going to a Disney movie or some other non-Exorcist title. It didnt really sink in until a couple of days later. I read the book too at 10 or 11. The movie remains in my Top 5.
I watched this on TV (crab walk and all), alone on a warm and sunny summer evening when I was 7. My parents were having a dinner party and we had to be outside or in the basement while they ate. It's the most unsettling film I've ever seen, and I loved it. 50 years later and I am still searching for a film that that fills me with such fear. :)
Ironically, in England, places of historic value from Arts, Film, Stories/Books, Famous Incidents, Famous Musicians etc etc etc these placards have been put up since the 1600's glad the Yanks finally see the value in commemorating their own people who do amazing things good step forward
The scariest event in this whole movie is the idol of Pazuzu, if you read up on the horrors of this assyrian demon you will then know why this movie made such a huge impact.
This movie always brings me back to my years in foster care and battling a paralysis. In 1971, aged 10, I was already in my second foster home after being abused in the first AND also in a home of a woman my mother handed me over to after 8 mos of birthing me. The second home was better to me and a younger brother (whom I barely knew), but then I was stricken with what was first diagnosed as polio (in 1971 everybody first had Polio, then something else) and later re-diagnosed as GBS (Gillian-Barre' Syndrome). I came out of the hospital (and into a third foster home) at around the same time this movie came out. I do remember that I did not get to see the movie on the big screen. It would be years later on either video cassette (VHS) or maybe even a dvd. All I do know was that when I did see it, I was mesmerized almost immediately and have been a fan ever since. I watch it whenever it's available here on my UA-cam feed of movies to view (unless it's in competition with the Alien movies). It is a classic and thank you to whomever made this documentary available here. I stayed with it bc that is what a true fan should do. One more thing. I was glad to see the segment of Blair and other talking about the psychological affect/effect that such a movie might have on a childhood actor/actress. I've been a little interested in knowing how such movies affect the mind of an actor, young or old[er].
Thank you for sharing your story. Regarding Linda Blair - from the countless interviews I've heard and over the years, it sounds like the only negative effects that the film itself left her with were some back issues from the bed thrashing scene, but no emotional or psychological scarring from the content of the material. Any trouble she suffered in the aftermath seems more a matter of the infamy that was imposed upon her by the public and the press in the aftermath of the film's release, and perhaps the adverse effect such fame and notoriety can have upon someone who achieves such status at such an early age (resulting in some poor personal and professional choices). But she seems like an absolutely lovely person. Too bad that she and Ellen Burstyn got sucked into the pathetic Exorcist: Believer project. But I'm sure that the gobs of money they made from it was put to good use for the causes they champion these days, so more power to 'em.
I'm exactly Linda Blair's age and when we went to the theater we were late. The only seats were right up front. I learned a new kind of scared and I felt it for days.
Thanks for sharing this documentary film. I would recommend Mark Kermode's, "The Fear of God: Twenty-Five Years of The Exorcist". ( It is still available via the BBC iPlayer library). The film was made by Kermode and another man and they interviewed many of the cast members, the author and the director, as well as Mercedes McCambridge. The actor who provided the voice of the demon. Her interviews on the film are rare and it is worth hearing what she did to achieve that performance, all those years ago.
Iconic movie. Classic. Unequaled even today imo. Poor Linda Blair.. Impossible for her to be accepted in any other role. But her legacy is forever cemented for sure.
@@aces553 hi ace's, in the exorcist movie, the medical technician when they are scanning Regan's brain. They used real hospital staff and the guy who has a line "this is going to be cold as he is prepping her, he was a real life serial killer, who preyed on gay men in the leather scene in New York. The exorcist film director made a film about the case starring al Pacino.
I first saw it high up in our tree house that overlooked our neighborhood and gave us a view of the Jet Drive In Theater. Of course we had no sound and it was a bit blurry from the distance but as a 6 year old I saw what I thought was incredible. Finally saw it for the first time when I was 12. It is still Incredible to this day.
I saw The Exorcist when it first came out. People's senses weren't as dulled and beaten up like they are now, so it hit like a body blow. But more than that, it was a film for grownups; the characters, apart from Regan, were adults, and nobody was a credulous idiot like you see in most horror films. It's never been equalled - and probably never will be.
Very good documentary. 'The Exorcist' came out Christmas of 1973. I had just turned 15 and was a fan of "spooky" movies. My date took me to see it, and it was absolutely terrifying! I curled up like a pretzel, stuck my fingers in my ears, scrunching my eyes shut, and begged my date to take me home. He kept laughing, calling the movie stupid. The reason I was so scared wasn't just for the obvious reasons. I'd been growing up in church and already knew that demonic possession was real. When the movie was over, my legs felt like jello. I got home and wouldn't sleep in my bed. I woke up my little brother and made him sleep on the dining room floor with me. The actors were very good, but, still, it's the scariest movie I've ever seen. 'Exorcist 3' had a good "creep" factor, and was more entertaining to watch. Not terrifying, just good and creepy. I still haven't watched the first one all the way through. When I hear 'Tubular Bells', my skin starts to crawl.
Great video. I feel that this piece is such a great companion to the film itself. I hope lots of people watch so that they can enrich their experience with the film. Thank you for making this.
Fab documentary, so interesting how it all came together, I too saw it in my teens after queuing for ages in the freezing cold. The 360 degree head turn was my stomach churning moment, thanks so much 🙏
Very interesting. I was a sixth former here in the UK when it came out. A group of us decided to go and see it. On the morning of the day of the cinema trip I woke up and was violently sick and remained so all day. No idea why. I missed the showing! Must have been a decade or so before I saw it and even in my twenties it was shocking stuff. I read the book, though, as a teenager - that was magnificent!
Thank you! I was one of the teens who was obsessed with thinking I was possessed after watching this film on video. My mum had died the year before and I was only 13. But still love the film.
The 1990 exorcist film is the only true sequel, because it was based on William Peter Blatty's book "Legion", the only sequel to the book "The Exorcist".
Wonderful Docu . I remember the first time i saw it i was terrofied to sleep. I watched Jaws and never went back to the water * yeh the film came out in 73 so i watched it before i turned 16 i was born in 1966.
The Exorcist is THE scariest book I've ever read. I still remember, in one scene in the book I got so scared, I shut the book, threw it under my brother's bed where I had been reading it (he was living out of state at the time) and went to bed so terrified.
I saw this movie in the theatre when I was 7 and my brother was 11. We were way into horror movies and dad insisted on NOT taking us to see it, but we begged and he relented as long we swore that mom wouldn't find out. It was horrifying yes but fainting and vomiting? Oh come on. No bad dreams either.
I remember watching this when I was 11 years old. It was terrifying. I can remember after seeing it that I was relieved when the VHS tape went back to the rent shop.
the only film that ever sacared me! what was frightening was thefact that story takes place in a modern American city, the girl is surrounded with the most advanced medical technology but the doctors (and consequently we) are powerless against this evil. I'm an atheist but the movie really shook me up for weeks and i coulldn't stay alone in a room until the shock wore off. Today I watch it with no emotion whatsoever.
had a chance to watch this on the big screen in my mid 20's, Halloween in Newport Wales late 90's and loved it, i was only 1 when it originally came out, it was a chance not to be missed
There are other sequels to this movie. I have seen them. They are in no way shape or form as gruesome; more mysticism(don't know if that's the right word but.....) There are other books as well.
While the sequels and the Prequels (Exorcist the Beginning, both versions), were not very good. Just an example of a studio using a successful movie's name, slapping a #2 on it to make a quick $$💰💵buck💵💰$$. However there is one of the sequels that is actually very well made and is also quite scary! Exorcist III, or the book's name Legion. It follows the cop Lieutenant Kinderman, the👮♂️officer👮♂️ who interviewed Ellen Burstyn's character after her friend was thrown out the window and fell down that long flight of stairs. Basically he (Kinderman, played by George C. Scott), was investigating some ritualistic murders that oddly resemble some killings that a Serial killer he arrested and watched die in the electric 💺 chair had committed. I own the 📀Blu-Ray📀, and I recently received the 📖Book📖 for a 🎁present🎁. As well as the Re-released version of the Original Exorcist. This movie terrified me as a kid. As I've mentioned before, I lied to my parents, and they took me to the Drive-in that was playing the Exorcist. I swear it gave me a form of PTSD. I had nightmares for over a year. That face haunted me for even longer. It wasn't until my mid-late 20's that I was able to watch the movie without needing to turn away at certain points. Exorcist III isn't AS terrifying as the original Exorcist, but I honestly don't think ANY movie will be able to duplicate the level of terror, fear, intensity, or pure evil that the first Original movie was able to accomplish. The original was ⚡⚡Lightning in⚡the Bottle⚡⚡! A perfect storm. The perfect time(when it was released), the most unique and unusual story(this was never seen before), and how it was made. It didn't rely so much on "jump-scares". It was a methodical, slow developing story initially, but once the possession becomes clear things really happen quickly and violently. Plus the use of practical effects. Incredible make-up techniques, amazing physical effects both with a person and a machine. Every single aspect about this movie really hit home to a LOT of people. Plus add to that, demonic possession has been documented in many many cases over many different centuries, different Cultures, different countries, in cities in our own country. The reality of this really affected many people, especially those who went to church, had gone or used to attend church, or had attended a Religious school. This movie affected quite a few people, and that type of 🌎World-wide🌎 reaction I honestly don't think that will ever happen again.
I just pulled out my Bantam edition Exorcist book and realized its from July of '72. Man time flies. If you havent read the book version, i highly reccommend you do. Its 403 pages, but youll fly through it pretty quickly. The visuals the brain gives you is disturbing. It puts a new light on it compared to the movie.
When this film was released in Pakistan, Karachi I was a young man but very much fond of English movies. I saw that movie and since then it is still my favourite movie.
Torontonians lined up in the freezing cold... I literally couldn't believe my co-workers at our home office in Toronto. An inch of snow, and they all panic and close the schools, and I'm the only person on the road! "An inch of snow? That's just the first half hour of a snowstorm in Baltimore!"
The exorcist was my favorite comedy as a child in the 80’s. My parents explained back then that based on a true story usually means one part of it is at least true. No demon would dare go near my parents house, they would exorcise them themselves. Work their asses off kind of exorcise.
This movie…..I am not even born in this world yet.the talk about this movie in my country Philippines is soooooo huge❤so the screening is open AGAIN in all cinema is huge also and for me never seen this film ever is so curious so I my self watch this film and so Scared shock and amazed after watching it👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻and now working here in Japan I got the chance to buy my own DVD copy of this movie I am so scared but still watching this film over and over again❤️❤️❤️👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻I just loved it.
Don't know if anyone has ever noticed this before, but, in the vintage footage of the theater-goers' reactions, the guy at 4:43 is definitely an actor - Yorgo Voyagis, who would a few years later play Joseph in the excellent 1977 Franco Zeffirelli film/miniseries Jesus of Nazareth. I'm not saying that some of these people might have been 'paid actors' - the L.A./Hollywood area is obviously heavily populated with young unknown actors, and he might have just been there to see the film like everyone else. Just found it interesting.
This film actually holds up extremely well. The acting in particular. The effects were all practical. It really captured the slow building terror of the novel.
Very few horror movies truly scare me, especially from this time period. This movie still terrifies me. It feels so real and just crawls under your skin
ONE OF THE GREATEST FILMS EVER MADE. YOU FEEL THIS FILM. THE ACTING IS BEYOND REPROACH. A PERFECT FILM.
The dread and hopelessness of the film is what made it so great.
I saw it at studio 7,in sheffield, when I was 17 in 73,got home that night and was so scared to go into my bedroom 😂, brilliant film ❤
I saw it on its rerelease in 1976. I know what you mean! I was at a sleepover and we stayed up all night. Totally creeped out! 😮😮😮
I will say this though the Omen scared me even more!
I was only 15 in 73 when when i saw it at the cinema. I was traumatised for a week or more.
Studio 7 ... by heck that is a name from the past .
I wouldn't watch it for a long time. It's now one of my favourite films
I think because William Blatty was a committed catholic and took it very seriously really helped. Friedkin is an excellent director and never shied away from having that same level of seriousness . It’s an amazing film.
Yes, very true. I think that was Peter William Blatty's calling. However he also had a major cross to bear with his son battling a drug addiction and then dying of an overdose.
The Exorcist is one of the greatest films ever made. A total masterpiece. And a terrific job has been done here of documenting its making and the effect it has had culturally. The narration (voice and style) puts me in mind of old British documentaries from the 1960s/1970s. My only quibble is that in highlighting the work of the main cast, one of the most important actors was completely ignored. Mercedes McCambridge, who gave us the voice of the demon, was absolutely superb, and without her, the demon wouldn't have inspired the fear it did. She put herself through hell (no pun intended) to provide us with that vocal performance, and it saddens me that she is so often overlooked when people sing the praises of this film.
The Omen bothered me more
Agreed about Mercedes. Her voice scared the life out of me. It sounded so evil. She did a remarkable job.
@@angelcitygirlabsurd? I think you’re in a minority on that opinion, but you’re entitled to it. Just as the OP is entitled to theirs. And I happen to believe that it is the most terrifying film ever made.
Great documentary! I remember seeing The Exorcist at the age of 10yrs old, on VHS, back in the day. I didn't sleep for a week and every night was a nightmare. Fond memories 😁
I still remember. I was about 16 years old when The Exorcist was on cable TV, HBO. I wanted to watch it but my family didn't have cable TV yet. My neighbors did. I already knew how scary it was so I managed to drink a whole bottle of Southern Comfort and a small bottle of Jack Daniel's so I wouldn't be scared. I couldn't take three steps forward without falling down. My friend dragged me home. From that day on I swore I'd never drink that stuff again. And decades later I still don't.
i was 10 too in 1978, watching on my grandparents vhs with piano keys and remote on a wire. we never had one yet. i loved it when i was home the next day i thought i was possessed i wasnt scared being the devil i was scared going to the hospital like regan and having tests. that evening i was staring at the light on the ceiling and for no reason it fell down, never did it before or after then i knew i was possessed, obviously wasnt but that amazing film messed me up like jaws did in 75 wheni saw that in the cinema never went swimming for about a year. was only 7 thenq
Did you sneak watch it or with your family?
@@paulanthony5274 noooo my older mate gave me VHS when everyone asleep I watched it 😏
@@DFUK83 That's what I meant by sneak watch it. I remember sneaking downstairs to watch rosemary's Baby when I was a kid but had to keep the tele on quiet. My mother would have killed me if she caught me I was only about 9. I didn't watch The Exorcist till about 1990 with my girlfriend at the movie theatre but I was drunk and didn't really concentrate properly. Then i watched it again when I was about 30 on video and it messed with my head a bit. I'm 55 now so we're both about the same age (you and i). I did watch Halloween in 1981 and my mother didn't mind me staying up later. I'd never heard of it I was about 12 and it just came on at 9 o'clock I watched it on my own it frightened the crap out of me, the suspense and the good thing was it was a total surprise and I could tell I was going to watch something special just by the intro. My 3 best horror movies are The Thing The Exorcist and Halloween..
One of the best documentaries I've ever seen. The interviews are so revealing and captivating. I was 17 when I first saw this film in a huge theatre, which is the only way to see it. It was just so phenomenal and a huge spectacle as described in this film. I saw it with a girl who grabbed my arm and hid her face throughout the film, quite fortuitous as she became my first girlfriend soon after. Thank you for making me feel 17 again.
And seeing the people lined up in the movie theater, an usher taking the tickets and a woman in line smoking. The old days were so much better.
No, it's regurgitated garbage that has been done so many times better. He did not need to add one new thing of value to the conversation here. It's trash.
Agree. And it really was a moment in time that will never be replicated.
I’m going to watch because of your comment. Thanks 🙏🙂
You need to watch more documentaries, dude.
“Tubular Bells” will forever give me chills. Growing up I could not listen to it. I would switch dials when it came on the radio. I think it was about running water but spooky as hell in this context.
I love it. I listen to the full piece every now and then.
I agree. I can't stand it because of the film. It creeps me out.
Me too! Relieved to know I'm not the only one. 2024. Still freak out hearing Tubular Bells. At least never, ever alone 🫣
Great documentary. On my favorite film. Fantastic crew and cast. Nothing can touch this classic.
‘Did you do that, do it again ‘
‘In time ‘…..’no now ‘
‘IN TIME’ that scene always gets me you feel the power in her voice great movie
She put some demon bass in that voice. He knew if he pushed it she was going to go slam off
Maybe, but the homeless man saying "Spare any change for an old alter boy father" Then the demon repeating it later in the room? How? That was on the subway platform NOT in the room. It says evil sees everything.
@@brianlogan4243 THAT was freaky!!
The best, I have read the book four times and seen the movie twenty times. A work of art 🎨
I begged my dad to take me and my bff to watch in the theater. I was 12. It messed with my head for years.
I saw it in 1974...I was 12...Had read the book .....Thought I could handle the film....Scared the hell out of me....
I've watched every Exorcist doc I can find - they are usually retreads. This has some great new content - thank you and well done on the documentary!!
The Fear of God: Twenty Five Years of the Exorcist with Mark Kermode is the definitive 'The Exorcist' documentary.
I can't even begin to imagine what the movie would have been if Kubrick directed it. I don't think The Exorcist III gets enough credit. It's a great film. The scenes inside the prison cell are just jaw dropping, it's insanely good writing. Very disturbing and intense. Yet it's just two people talking.
In my opinion, it’s a perfect movie.
Every single actor did such a great job in this film.
The father I never heard of him again.
@@vickimingus9281 Do you mean Max von Sydow? He mostly excelled in Scandinavian films. He gave quite a chilling performance as the Norwegian Nazi poet, Knut Hamsun in the movie Hamsun.
@@johanneabelsen1644 He ws also King Osric in Conan the Barbarian.
@@johanneabelsen1644no, the other father.
@@robertferguson5562his name is Jason Miller. He is a Pulitzer Prize and Tony award winning playwright. He was nominated for an Oscar best supporting actor for his role in the Exorcist, and also starred again in the Exorcist III.
The scariest movie until today in my opinion.
Hereditary and Son of Saul: " Hold our beers..."
What did you see today?
I agree. Hereditary is right up there too 👍
after seeing a few of these types of movies you get used to them and they don't scare you anymore, this was the first of it's kind that is why it was so scary
Agreed. I still find it much scarier than anything made since (and I've seen the movies people always bring up as scarier). Probably at least partly depends on what you were brought up on (in terms of both style/effects and content). I can see why it would work differently on different viewers.
My dad used to live near this set when he was young. He said walking by the stairs of that place was incredibly eerie, and that a lot of people did get hurt on that film.
If you believe that you will swallow any nonsense lol
Must be true then. 😂😂😂
Those steps are a Halloween destination in DC.
@@rolandhawken6628The one who played the mum - Ellen Burstyn - hit her head for real cos Friedkin was a maniac. That's someone who was hurt. Also Friedkin slapped that priest praying over Karras & genuinely hurt him. I think the OP was talking about that perhaps?
Today's generation must find it difficult to understand how things were fifty years ago. The Exorcist was groundbreaking in the horror genre.
The Exorcist and Alien were the two great horror films of the 70s and both were so terrifying because of the realistic acting. Ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. no matter what the effects or gore or whatever, it wouldn't have worked without the gritty realism of the acting.
I was the cat in Alien.
And The Omen
@@Venmaylove Which one? They used four cats :)
@martinharris5017 All of them, I just ruffled my fur up to make it look different in-between swaps in the kitty trailer. I wanted to get 4x the food
Absolutely
A wonderful , wonderful film .
Thank you so much for this documentary ❤😂
Absolutely fantastic documentary ❤😂
I'm pretty sure I got all of you beat. You ready? I saw it when it originally came out in the theater in 1973. I was 6 yrs old. Lol. I went with my older brother and sister. He was 11, she was 12.
Back then, in certain theaters if you could get a parent or guardian to bring you, go to the ticket window with you and sign a permission slip. You know, a note saying that they are giving you permission to see it, you could get in, no problem.
We were raised by our grandparents. It was a Saturday afternoon, a matinee. My grandpa had the day off of work. He drove us and went in to the ticket window and signed a note for us. He hadn't been to a theater to see a movie since Casablanca. Lol A horror movie to him was Psycho. Or any of Hitchcock's thrillers. Which were a far cry from The Exorcist. Night and day. The Exorcist had me so scared I slept in my grandparents bed for the next two weeks. My grandma yelled at my grandpa after we got home in Spanish and wanted to know what the hell he was thining. He did the only right thing. He blamed it on my brother and sister. Lol He explained to my grandma that they assured him it wouldn't be that bad. Heck, I'm too busy at work I don't have the time to watch movies. How was I to know? Well ok. Then she called my brother and sister into her room. They both told the truth. They had heard it was supposed to be bad. Scary as hell. But they didn't really didn't believe it would be so bad. They assumed it was all hype. Publicity to pump up the sales. Boy were they wrong.
Like I said I slept with my grandparents for the next two weeks. After the first night or so, I tried to go back to sleeping in the room with my brother. But it wasn't even ten minutes and he began to talk in the devils voice in the dark causing me to run screaming and crying back into my grandparents room. They got mad at him and he promised not to do it again.
He didn't but i was traumatized. Up until then he had been my hero. Now I can't trust him.
Interestingly enough the three of us went together again a few years later when The Exorcist ll: The Heretic came out. It was a lame sequel that had Linda Blair returning, but this time to some shrinks or whoever to try and get to the bottom of her ordeal. It had Richard Burton as a co-star. Even he couldn't rescue it from it's own BS. Lousy movie. Period.
My criteria at the time?
I was able to go into my own room with my brother. He didn't try to scare me. I wasn't in any way frightened and I went straight to sleep with no problems.
Footnote: I've probably seen it now dozens of times and I am thoroughly entertained by it. I never miss a chance to see it whenever it gets aired.
And now I laugh at what fucked me me up seriously as a kid.
Now it's good writing. Good acting. Good exploration of good vs. evil. Just an all around great film. It does what it set out to do. Scare you.
Footnote pt. 2.
I'm 57 now. Ive been rich (inheritance from my grandpa. I was his favorite)
And I've been poor (squandering that inheritance).
I've lived through some of the more horrible horrifying things one can. I've been homeless on skid row in downtown Los Angeles in a wheelchair handicapped for about 5 years from 2018-2023. I've lived in South Central Los Angeles. East Los Angeles. I've spent about ten years in prison from 1999-2008. Not in any of that time was I ever afraid of shit!!
If youve seen the Exorcist in the theater in 1973 at all of a sage 6 yrs old, nothing can ever scare you again.
Except maybe a broken heart. Lol
God bless you all.
how did you get in rhe cinema. stillts
I doubt that he got into it, nice story telling but even later in you couldn’t get in any film where you didn’t match the age restrictions. I even had issues getting into a film rated 12 and I was 10… with a written permission and my mom was with me, that was 1978.
Flashback Cinema has it playing at some theaters this month.
I saw the 73' opening,I was 16...in my home of Hollywood...this was a time when the films came out post Vietnam in America and young filmmakers and the realism ...a great time in film history.
Greatest film ever made for so many reasons
Everyone can say the exact same thing about their favorite movie. 🙂
Ever made?
@sharonroxy8586 imo yes, never seen a film that has that sort of impact on me since
@@abcde_fz of course
@@discharge29 hey enjoy I’m in love with SALEMS LOT❤️🔥
It’s an important film because nothing will ever scare people like this again.
@controloz3310, It's the first of it's kind! Everything after this is just a copy!
Wasn't scary at all to me. Just a great piece of cinema, one of my all time favourite movies. But wasn't scary.
wanna bet??
Love this film . But never scared me
@@jennifersutherland5813 Your the first person I've ever heard say that seriously!
I read the book first. Much later I saw the movie on TV! The scene in this documentary of stuff being thrown all over the place reminds me of my first wife in one of her 'moods'
😱😱😱
People today have no concept of moviegoers standing in lines around the block to see it (or any movie for that matter). We have become so used to home video (VHS, DVD, BLU-RAY), cable TV premium channels, and now streaming services that it's really difficult to grasp the idea that movies 50 years ago were only seen in movie theaters. And theatrical movies shown on television were so heavily edited and cropped to fit the small screen that it wasn't worth the wait. I can't remember the last recent theatrical release in which showings were sold out. Maybe the original Avatar?
You're saying that like there aren't still millions of Baby Boomers who had that experience(??)
Think😢it might be there’s no need to stand in the queue with all the likes of streaming services online etc,also I personally can only think of a few movies in the last 10 years that I would actually go to the cinema to watch 😳🏴
What doesn’t make any sense is people lining up for blocks and blocks to get into a movie house that may hold 100 people… maybe three showings a night, so 300 tickets: 3,000 people standing in line in the winter weather 🤦🏻♀️ WHY?!?!
I don’t remember theaters selling tickets ahead of time, for tomorrow’s or next week’s showings 🤔
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS DOCUMENTARY, IT'S BRILLIANT!!!
Jason Miller what a performance.
13 in 1973 my older brother 16 yrs old, went to see the movie, I was anxious to ask about it, he looked somber, looking down, he just said, "you don't wanna see it ".
And it's as if the title has a spin to it. At least for me, I thought the exorcist was the priest Father Merrin. But the actual exorcist was the young priest Damien Karras. He was the one that got the demon out of her.
@@stanlee-eq7lu I also thought that way instantly, that guy Max was amazing, he's the most believable Actor in my mind. Have a great day.
I live in a city called Leeds in the UK. A friend of mine was shopping for clothes in the town centre, and whilst looking for short cut he randomly walked down aback alley.
Within a few seconds he all of a sudden couldn't hear anything at all, perfect silence and a all of a sudden an almost debilitating feeling of dread. He passed by two people that had their heads very close one another like they were whispering to one another and was gonna ask them if they felt anything out of the ordinary like I did.
Then they slowly turned to look at him, they had pure shiny black eyes he said. Of course anyone meeting a true demon out would be utterly terrified, but what terrified him was the hatred they had towards him, to all of us. That stare of pure loathing almost made his legs buckle but was able to run passed them and out of the alley
The "encounter" totally changed him, he consulted a priest to find some kind of explanation to what he saw.
He never was the same guy, the terror never left him.
Did you guys just finish watching the movie?
@@KajunMs39 havent watched it for years, listened to the audiobook a couple of years ago. We have a large group of friends who spend an awful lot of time partying and living life to what most in society would consider an extreme, and his "experience" seem to come so far out of the blue I was initially surprised he wasnt outright mocked for it, but sitting, listening and seeing his genuine shock and obvious terror frightened us individually more than we admitted to one another. We know he just wasnt one to make shit up, he just wasnt set up that way. Im sure I wasnt the only one that had to admit to themselves they believed him.
I'm a little ashamed to say that I kinda avoided him for a while because I just wasnt ready to think about such things, not if I wanted to carry on as I was living I guess.
As I understand it he calmed down a great deal when they were able to convince him these things werent there for him, that he was not the reason they were there, cant say I blame him much on that front, that wouldve terrified me too.
Dont know if he would like that I've publicly shared such a personal event, but theres no doubt he views his life in two clear halves now... his life before and his life after that event.
I am the alley cat of the aforementioned event. They love cats and always fed me well.
Iv seen "people" with similar eyes and lived in a haunted house for many years and it was terrifying. Family members forms being taken. Demonic faced entities faces like Japanese Yu-Gi-Oh masks the demonic looking ones. A witch type women hissing n snarling at u when u wake up at night. And more. It does effect you mentally.
Karl, sorry - when or what year did your friend say this incident in Leeds occurred?
My grandchildren are watching it.Best movie ever.❤❤
My family moved to Fl in 1970 from NY. The year this movie came out, l went back to NY to visit for the Christmas break. One Sunday evening, after my aunt made a great Italian dinner, my cousin, Pasquale (Patty Boy) says, let's go to the city ( we were in Queens) to see The Exorcist. We rode the train into the city and there were massive lives at the theater. We couldn't get tickets. We turned around and went back to Queens. It was icy and l hung on to my cousins pants as he pulled me across the snow. We then stopped for Chinese food. He was hungry again. He also made me run out of the restaurant without paying. That man cursed us royally. Ah, memories. Sorry for blabbering.
I got back home to Miami a week later and finally got to see the movie. My boyfriend at the time and l went to see it. There was a man behind us screaming. I dont think l moved a muscle. It was the 70's and l was a bit "impaired". Not until l left the movie did it hit me. Scary as hell. I made my bf sit on my driveway with me all night, till the sun rose. I was scared to go inside. I was scared to move. I will be 70 in Feb and till this day, if l hear tubular bells all these memories come flooding back. Scariest movie ever!!!!
The book is even better.
But both are good
Premiere 1979 in all colours autumn
Thank you so much
This mowie best art horror drama in solar system
Greetings from
Croatia
1979 yugoslavia
Brilliant documentary! I watched this movie when I was 9 years old and it was my favorite movie right away. Now 50 years later it is still my favorite movie (horror or otherwise). My second favorite is The Wizard of Oz. Yes this says a lot about the woman I am. I still have the VHS tape and the book. Thank you!!!🙀💋❤️🙏
I love this documentary. About the Exorcist. When it came out in 1973. I like seeing the advertising for the movie. The footage of people standing in line to see it. The people that had to walk out of the movie. The people working at the movie theaters. Talking about it. I just read the book. It was good too. It is still the scariest movie of all time. Even throw I can laugh at some of the movie. When it's over. I have a funny feeling. I did enjoy the never before seen version at the movies. It was fun. I don't why? I like quoting parts. With the demon. A friend of mine. That can't even talk about the Exorcist. Told me. I can talk like the demon. I could be a voice actor.
Excellent documentary! Not much new here that hasn't been covered elsewhere, but this is a very well made document of a film that deserves to be talked about and appreciated for years to come. One of the most masterfully crafted films ever made, period - horror or otherwise. I was eight when the film came out in 1973, and it was a huge part of the culture at the time. I saw it for the first time at age 14 when it was re-released in cinemas in 1979, and while I didn't vomit or pass out it did affect me deeply, and has stayed with me over the years, and still holds up today as brilliant masterpiece of filmmaking.
I just hope, for posterity sake, that the original theatrical cut of the film eventually gets a proper, authentic, unaltered 4k physical release. Right now, the best way to view the film as it appeared in theaters in the 70s is the 1997 DVD release, before they started tinkering with the color and sound. Every release since then has been "improved" to the detriment of the film. The 50th Anniversary theatrical screening of the 4k version I saw last year was absolutely atrocious in parts. While the benefit and effectiveness of the three main scenes that Blatty lobbied to have reinstated into the film (the first medical exam, the conversation between the priests during a break in the exorcism, and the "upbeat" ending) could be debated, the additions made beyond that really do the film a tremendous disservice. Most of the added scenes mess up the flow of the narrative and break the tension that was orchestrated so masterfully in the original cut, and the additional "horror movie" drones and flashing demon faces destroy the realism and cheapen the film as a whole. And don't even get me started on the spiderwalk...
My dream release would be a new 4k scan of the original theatrical version, all the bonus features from previous home releases (trailers, the 'Fear of God" and "Raising Hell" docs, etc.), a new audio commentary featuring a panel of some of today's big name filmmakers (from Coppola to Flanagan) who have been influenced by the film, archival interviews and TV appearances from around the time the book and the film was released (especially that Dick Cavett show in which Blatty promoted the novel), new interviews with surviving cast and crew, ALL the screen tests, makeup and effects tests and outtakes from the film (even those that are raw and for which no audio exists) and a book with new essays on the film, illustrated with BTS photos and production art, maybe even a sampling of pages from the copy of the novel that Friedkin annotated with notes and in which he'd bracketed scenes to include in the film).
I couldn't agree more. I had the theatrical version on VHS for several years and even taped it off of cable back in the day so for a while I had 2 or 3 VHS copies and one dvd of the theatrical cut as you mentioned. I took it for granted that I'd always have it in it's pure form, but as things tend to go, ended up losing a few of them and only had a VHS copy. I was stoked for the special editions but yes, the added music and "subliminal" shots definitely take away from the film's power.
I currently have a copy of the theatrical version that I pulled offline a few years ago. It was for the life of me the only theatrical cut that I could find without anything extra added to it and I had to check several different downloads that all purported to be the theater cut but weren't.
I'm going to look into getting a 4K if it is indeed the original version.
I first saw the movie in the spring or summer of 1976 at a drive in with my older brothers and sister .It had been re-released. I was only 10 or 11 and we were all freaked out but laughing too at how outrageous it was. My brother had seen it the night before and just had to share it with us, telling our parents we were going to a Disney movie or some other non-Exorcist title.
It didnt really sink in until a couple of days later. I read the book too at 10 or 11. The movie remains in my Top 5.
I watched this on TV (crab walk and all), alone on a warm and sunny summer evening when I was 7. My parents were having a dinner party and we had to be outside or in the basement while they ate. It's the most unsettling film I've ever seen, and I loved it. 50 years later and I am still searching for a film that that fills me with such fear. :)
Interesting details on the making of an outstanding movie!
Ironically, in England, places of historic value from Arts, Film, Stories/Books, Famous Incidents, Famous Musicians etc etc etc these placards have been put up since the 1600's glad the Yanks finally see the value in commemorating their own people who do amazing things good step forward
Excellent documentary of the film, a very different take on others I have seen!
The scariest event in this whole movie is the idol of Pazuzu, if you read up on the horrors of this assyrian demon you will then know why this movie made such a huge impact.
This movie always brings me back to my years in foster care and battling a paralysis. In 1971, aged 10, I was already in my second foster home after being abused in the first AND also in a home of a woman my mother handed me over to after 8 mos of birthing me. The second home was better to me and a younger brother (whom I barely knew), but then I was stricken with what was first diagnosed as polio (in 1971 everybody first had Polio, then something else) and later re-diagnosed as GBS (Gillian-Barre' Syndrome). I came out of the hospital (and into a third foster home) at around the same time this movie came out. I do remember that I did not get to see the movie on the big screen. It would be years later on either video cassette (VHS) or maybe even a dvd. All I do know was that when I did see it, I was mesmerized almost immediately and have been a fan ever since. I watch it whenever it's available here on my UA-cam feed of movies to view (unless it's in competition with the Alien movies). It is a classic and thank you to whomever made this documentary available here. I stayed with it bc that is what a true fan should do.
One more thing. I was glad to see the segment of Blair and other talking about the psychological affect/effect that such a movie might have on a childhood actor/actress. I've been a little interested in knowing how such movies affect the mind of an actor, young or old[er].
Thank you for sharing your story. Regarding Linda Blair - from the countless interviews I've heard and over the years, it sounds like the only negative effects that the film itself left her with were some back issues from the bed thrashing scene, but no emotional or psychological scarring from the content of the material. Any trouble she suffered in the aftermath seems more a matter of the infamy that was imposed upon her by the public and the press in the aftermath of the film's release, and perhaps the adverse effect such fame and notoriety can have upon someone who achieves such status at such an early age (resulting in some poor personal and professional choices). But she seems like an absolutely lovely person. Too bad that she and Ellen Burstyn got sucked into the pathetic Exorcist: Believer project. But I'm sure that the gobs of money they made from it was put to good use for the causes they champion these days, so more power to 'em.
@@Polymorphia1965 Thank you.
I'm exactly Linda Blair's age and when we went to the theater we were late. The only seats were right up front. I learned a new kind of scared and I felt it for days.
Thanks for sharing this documentary film. I would recommend Mark Kermode's, "The Fear of God: Twenty-Five Years of The Exorcist". ( It is still available via the BBC iPlayer library). The film was made by Kermode and another man and they interviewed many of the cast members, the author and the director, as well as Mercedes McCambridge. The actor who provided the voice of the demon. Her interviews on the film are rare and it is worth hearing what she did to achieve that performance, all those years ago.
This film is an enigma of incomparable at it's best. All time excellence without CG. The key word.
Iconic movie. Classic. Unequaled even today imo. Poor Linda Blair.. Impossible for her to be accepted in any other role. But her legacy is forever cemented for sure.
Fun fact, the actor who played Damien Karris, Jason Miller is the father of The Lost Boys Jason Patrick
No way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for that trivia!! :)
And their grandfather was the actor Jacky gleeson, the sheriff in smokie and the bandit ...
OMG I'm a fan of The exorcist and The Lost Boys and I never knew this!!
@@aces553 hi ace's, in the exorcist movie, the medical technician when they are scanning Regan's brain. They used real hospital staff and the guy who has a line "this is going to be cold as he is prepping her, he was a real life serial killer, who preyed on gay men in the leather scene in New York. The exorcist film director made a film about the case starring al Pacino.
@leighstreet8298
Was that the movie wear Al Pachino plays a detective and goes to the underground "leather scene"?
If I remember correctly, singer Ozzy Osbourne once said he saw The Exorcist about five times in a row.
I first saw it high up in our tree house that overlooked our neighborhood and gave us a view of the Jet Drive In Theater. Of course we had no sound and it was a bit blurry from the distance but as a 6 year old I saw what I thought was incredible. Finally saw it for the first time when I was 12. It is still Incredible to this day.
TILL THIS DAY THE BEST MOVIE EVER MADE CLASSIC AND A MASTER PIECE AS A KID I HAD SUCH A CRUSH ON LINDA BLAIR SHE WAS SO BEAUTIFUL ❤✌️
Excellent gonna watch it again now Xxxx
The Exorcist was actually the first 'blockbuster' movie....before Jaws.
As much as the original is iconic, The Excorsist III is the best one in the series. The grim detective aspect of the third film is just fantastic.
I saw The Exorcist when it first came out. People's senses weren't as dulled and beaten up like they are now, so it hit like a body blow. But more than that, it was a film for grownups; the characters, apart from Regan, were adults, and nobody was a credulous idiot like you see in most horror films. It's never been equalled - and probably never will be.
And I was 12 years old when I seen this movie. Ever since I'm a paranormal junkie.
Saw
Shame you didn't get the main point of the film: the power of Christ.
Like "Erasure Head," this film forces the viewer into a state of dread and despair and keeps you there till the end of the movie and even longer.....
Very good documentary. 'The Exorcist' came out Christmas of 1973. I had just turned 15 and was a fan of "spooky" movies. My date took me to see it, and it was absolutely terrifying! I curled up like a pretzel, stuck my fingers in my ears, scrunching my eyes shut, and begged my date to take me home. He kept laughing, calling the movie stupid. The reason I was so scared wasn't just for the obvious reasons. I'd been growing up in church and already knew that demonic possession was real. When the movie was over, my legs felt like jello. I got home and wouldn't sleep in my bed. I woke up my little brother and made him sleep on the dining room floor with me. The actors were very good, but, still, it's the scariest movie I've ever seen. 'Exorcist 3' had a good "creep" factor, and was more entertaining to watch. Not terrifying, just good and creepy. I still haven't watched the first one all the way through. When I hear 'Tubular Bells', my skin starts to crawl.
Just watched this tonight on Prime...excellent Doc. Watch a similar one on the making of the godfather, that too is full of surprises..
It's a age-old story of all-time. Good and Evil. It's in our society, it's in each and every one of us. Good VS Evil.
It is about the reality of the Devil and the power of Christ.
Great video. I feel that this piece is such a great companion to the film itself. I hope lots of people watch so that they can enrich their experience with the film. Thank you for making this.
Fab documentary, so interesting how it all came together, I too saw it in my teens after queuing for ages in the freezing cold. The 360 degree head turn was my stomach churning moment, thanks so much 🙏
Very interesting. I was a sixth former here in the UK when it came out. A group of us decided to go and see it. On the morning of the day of the cinema trip I woke up and was violently sick and remained so all day. No idea why. I missed the showing! Must have been a decade or so before I saw it and even in my twenties it was shocking stuff. I read the book, though, as a teenager - that was magnificent!
Thank you! I was one of the teens who was obsessed with thinking I was possessed after watching this film on video. My mum had died the year before and I was only 13. But still love the film.
The 1990 exorcist film is the only true sequel,
because it was based on William Peter Blatty's book
"Legion", the only sequel to the book "The Exorcist".
for me the exorcist is definitely the granddaddy of all horror movies always be no 1
Wonderful Docu . I remember the first time i saw it i was terrofied to sleep. I watched Jaws and never went back to the water * yeh the film came out in 73 so i watched it before i turned 16 i was born in 1966.
Great wee documentary. Thanks ✌
Blatty's wife is mistaken. Robert Shaw would've been making The Sting or Young Winston at the time of the missed Dick Cavett Show, not Jaws (22:02).
The mention of Jaws could have easily been cut.
The Exorcist is THE scariest book I've ever read. I still remember, in one scene in the book I got so scared, I shut the book, threw it under my brother's bed where I had been reading it (he was living out of state at the time) and went to bed so terrified.
I saw this movie in the theatre when I was 7 and my brother was 11. We were way into horror movies and dad insisted on NOT taking us to see it, but we begged and he relented as long we swore that mom wouldn't find out. It was horrifying yes but fainting and vomiting? Oh come on. No bad dreams either.
Still, in 2024, this movie remains one of the best ever: to this day, and I am 61 y.o., I truly enjoy it over and over again!
I remember watching this when I was 11 years old. It was terrifying. I can remember after seeing it that I was relieved when the VHS tape went back to the rent shop.
Yes true about Frankenstein. My father was in the theater on opening day in 1931!
the only film that ever sacared me! what was frightening was thefact that story takes place in a modern American city, the girl is surrounded with the most advanced medical technology but the doctors (and consequently we) are powerless against this evil. I'm an atheist but the movie really shook me up for weeks and i coulldn't stay alone in a room until the shock wore off. Today I watch it with no emotion whatsoever.
Why isn't Mercedes Cambridge on this documentary? Her voice is one of main reason it was successful.
@rustygazes256, I agree she is always overlooked, 25 yrs. after the movie she was finely added to the credits.
Sadly she passed in 2004 she made the movie what it was
She was pazuzus voice right
@@kevinsmith9502 Yeah she was very talented lady!
Very true
Great documentary, amazing work and fully transmits the impact this film has on every cinema enjoyer
had a chance to watch this on the big screen in my mid 20's, Halloween in Newport Wales late 90's and loved it, i was only 1 when it originally came out, it was a chance not to be missed
a movie that was worthy of a remaster for sure
There are other sequels to this movie. I have seen them. They are in no way shape or form as gruesome; more mysticism(don't know if that's the right word but.....) There are other books as well.
While the sequels and the Prequels (Exorcist the Beginning, both versions), were not very good. Just an example of a studio using a successful movie's name, slapping a #2 on it to make a quick $$💰💵buck💵💰$$. However there is one of the sequels that is actually very well made and is also quite scary! Exorcist III, or the book's name Legion. It follows the cop Lieutenant Kinderman, the👮♂️officer👮♂️ who interviewed Ellen Burstyn's character after her friend was thrown out the window and fell down that long flight of stairs. Basically he (Kinderman, played by George C. Scott), was investigating some ritualistic murders that oddly resemble some killings that a Serial killer he arrested and watched die in the electric 💺 chair had committed. I own the 📀Blu-Ray📀, and I recently received the 📖Book📖 for a 🎁present🎁. As well as the Re-released version of the Original Exorcist. This movie terrified me as a kid. As I've mentioned before, I lied to my parents, and they took me to the Drive-in that was playing the Exorcist. I swear it gave me a form of PTSD. I had nightmares for over a year. That face haunted me for even longer. It wasn't until my mid-late 20's that I was able to watch the movie without needing to turn away at certain points. Exorcist III isn't AS terrifying as the original Exorcist, but I honestly don't think ANY movie will be able to duplicate the level of terror, fear, intensity, or pure evil that the first Original movie was able to accomplish. The original was ⚡⚡Lightning in⚡the Bottle⚡⚡! A perfect storm. The perfect time(when it was released), the most unique and unusual story(this was never seen before), and how it was made. It didn't rely so much on "jump-scares". It was a methodical, slow developing story initially, but once the possession becomes clear things really happen quickly and violently. Plus the use of practical effects. Incredible make-up techniques, amazing physical effects both with a person and a machine. Every single aspect about this movie really hit home to a LOT of people. Plus add to that, demonic possession has been documented in many many cases over many different centuries, different Cultures, different countries, in cities in our own country. The reality of this really affected many people, especially those who went to church, had gone or used to attend church, or had attended a Religious school. This movie affected quite a few people, and that type of 🌎World-wide🌎 reaction I honestly don't think that will ever happen again.
Part 3 is pretty scary though
I was 11 when I saw The Exorcist...and i STILL can't watch it all the way through and never alone!
Great film
I just pulled out my Bantam edition Exorcist book and realized its from July of '72. Man time flies. If you havent read the book version, i highly reccommend you do. Its 403 pages, but youll fly through it pretty quickly. The visuals the brain gives you is disturbing. It puts a new light on it compared to the movie.
The movie terrified me as a kid. The book terrifies me as an adult. One of my favorite stories.
An amazing film!
A True Classic!
When this film was released in Pakistan, Karachi I was a young man but very much fond of English movies. I saw that movie and since then it is still my favourite movie.
Torontonians lined up in the freezing cold...
I literally couldn't believe my co-workers at our home office in Toronto.
An inch of snow, and they all panic and close the schools, and I'm the only person on the road!
"An inch of snow? That's just the first half hour of a snowstorm in Baltimore!"
Absolutely brilliant 👏 😊
It's a great movie, I have never been scared by a movie but what makes it so good is that you can't predict what is going to happen next.
The exorcist was my favorite comedy as a child in the 80’s. My parents explained back then that based on a true story usually means one part of it is at least true. No demon would dare go near my parents house, they would exorcise them themselves. Work their asses off kind of exorcise.
I was visiting some family about 2 hours from where it was filmed and drove to the iconic exorcist stairs few pics of myself and the exorcist house...
This movie…..I am not even born in this world yet.the talk about this movie in my country Philippines is soooooo huge❤so the screening is open AGAIN in all cinema is huge also and for me never seen this film ever is so curious so I my self watch this film and so Scared shock and amazed after watching it👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻and now working here in Japan I got the chance to buy my own DVD copy of this movie I am so scared but still watching this film over and over again❤️❤️❤️👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻I just loved it.
Look at those lines, WoW!
Don't know if anyone has ever noticed this before, but, in the vintage footage of the theater-goers' reactions, the guy at 4:43 is definitely an actor - Yorgo Voyagis, who would a few years later play Joseph in the excellent 1977 Franco Zeffirelli film/miniseries Jesus of Nazareth. I'm not saying that some of these people might have been 'paid actors' - the L.A./Hollywood area is obviously heavily populated with young unknown actors, and he might have just been there to see the film like everyone else. Just found it interesting.
It was a best selling novel before the film was made.
Not one mention of the ouija board that started this off in the first place , just shows the lack of spiritual discernment of people .
That's why I'm not sure I believe in all of this, people still use them today and yet you don't hear of possessions