The Exorcist

Deleted Scenes

A slightly different opening, which shows the MacNeil's home in Georgetown, then cuts to the opening titles.

The scene where Chris MacNeil screams on the phone includes a new music cue and omits the line "I've been on this fucking line for 20 minutes!" and simply cuts to the next scene.
A new scene with Regan at the hospital receiving treatment to diagnose her "unusual" behaviour. The doctor tells Chris MacNeil that Regan told him to "keep his hands away from her Goddamn cunt." This scene sets up her bizarre behaviour earlier and clarifies the scene where Chris tells Regan "it's just like the doctor said, it's just nerves. You just take your pills and you'll be fine"

The party scene removes the shot of Regan laughing with the guests, obviously because of her "unusual" behaviour in the previous scene.

In the scene where Chris returns home and the lights go out, new digital effects including satanic faces and images of the statue, new sound effects, and music have been added to the scene.

The "spider-walk" scene has been restored and digitally altered from the original scene. Here, crude wires from the scene have been digitally removed, she comes down the stairs much faster, and her mouth is full of blood. It then cuts to black, and the next scene opens.

Before she grabs the psychiatrist's crotch, a new digital effect of her face morphing into the devil (which is seen in subliminal cuts throughout) including a new growl has been added.
A new music cue has been added to the scene with Lt. Kinderman and Father Karras.

After Father Karras leaves for the night, a new scene of him examining a tape of Regan trying to talk to her dad has been added and a new music cues ties the new scene and the scene of Father Karras at the mass together.

New scenes with Sharon trying to tune out the devil groans and a short moment with Chris MacNeil and Father Merrin (which hints his vulnerability and weakness) have been added.

A new music cue has been added to the scene with Father Karras and Father Merrin going up the stairs to perform the exorcism, and a short scene has been added before they enter the room. Father Damien asks Chris MacNeil what Regan's middle name is. She tells him it's Theresa, and he says "what a lovely name."

The scene with Father Karras and Father Merrin talking on the stairs (which was included on the 25th Anniversary DVD) has been restored.

When Father Karras looks up at the window when he's possessed, a new digital effect with Karras' mother's face has been added, and the scene includes the "subtle morph effect" that was included on the 25th anniversary edition DVD.

When Chris MacNeil gives Father Dyer Father Karras' medal, he gives it back to her and says "I think you should keep it", instead of simply keeping it as in the original version. A new short scene of Regan smiling and waving at Father Dyer as they drive away and Father Dyer waving back has been added.

The original ending with Father Dyer and Lt. Kinderman has been restored. The 'tubular bells' music cue plays over them walking away, and it ends before Lt. Kinderman can say quote "Casablanca", "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship".

Cast Trivia

Ellen Burstyn was nominated for her role as Chris MacNeill. She lost out, but won the following year for her excellent turn as the title character in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore.

Ellen Burstyn's real name is Edna Rae Gillooly.

Linda Blair's career did not flourish after The Exorcist. She starred in a string of low-grade TV movies and in 1990 starred in a mediocre spoof of The Exorcist-Repossessed-with Leslie Nielsen as - get this - Father Mayii.

Jason Miller's son is Speed 2 actor Jason Patric

Max Von Sydow's connections with hell haunt his career: he played chess with Death in The Seventh Seal and helped Robin Williams retrieve his wife from down there in What Dreams May Come.

Lee J. Cobb starred in the original Twelve Angry Men, which William Friedkin remade in TV movie from in 1997.

Crew Trivia

William Friedkin had previously won the Best Director Oscar for his brilliant work on The French Connection, which also won best picture that year. It was also this film that inspired Blatty to hire Friedkin to direct The Exorcist.

William Peter Blatty started out writing comedy scripts before writing The Exorcist.

General Trivia for The Exorcist

The Exorcist received 10 Oscar Nominations and won just two for best screenplay which went to William Peter Blatty and sound.

The film was released on December 26th, 1973

The 'subliminals' that appear 3 times in the film were actually make-up tests of Eileen Dietz that were rejected by Friedkin but later used to chilling effect.

The demon's raging voice was provided by the vocally neutral Mercedes McCambridge, who later sued for proper credit, like Eileen Dietz, Blair's body double who sued in the famously titled 'Great Pea Soup War.'

The Exorcist is banned in Finland and up until recently, had been banned in the UK too.

Friedkin rejected several scores for the film, including Lalo Schifrin's, which would later be re-used in The Amityville Horror and receive and Oscar nomination.

Passed uncut for a UK cinema release in 1973 with an "X" certificate (the old equivalent of an "18" rating), the film was later released on video in the UK in the early 80's, until the introduction of the "Video Recordings Act" in 1984. The film was then effectively outlawed, as the BBFC refused to award it a video certificate. As a result it continued to do business at the cinema's, at special screenings. This went on, right up till 1998 when the film was re-issued commercially (with an amended "18" certificate) to coincide with the 25th anniversary of its release.

The film was finally passed for a UK video release in January 1999 and hit rental shops in April, with it's sell through release following in October. All it took was 25 years and a change in management at the BBFC, and no society didn't crumble as a result.

The BBC screened a special documentary entitled "Fear of God" prior to the films re-issue in 1998. This was the first time that clips from the movie had been allowed to be shown on television. Back in 1991, Channel 4 had screened a documentary on horror films entitled "Fear in the Dark", which featured an interview with William Freidkin, but the Independent Television Commission had refused to let them show any Exorcist clips.

The BBC's "Fear of God" documentary can be found on the UK sell-through release of the film. However, this version misses out the introduction and narration by journalist Mark Kermode and omits the interviews with Mercedes MacCambridge and former BBFC chief James Ferman.

Director Freidkin had some very interesting methods of stimulating his actors, to get the desired performance from them. One method used was to fire off a shotgun (loaded with blanks) backstage when he wanted them to suddenly turn round in shock.

25 year old Eileen Deits was used to double for Linda Blair during some of the scene's, most notably the one with the crucifix (you know the one) and actress, Mercedes MacCambridge provided the voice over for the possessed Reagan.

The dummy used for the scenes where her head spins round, was tested by putting it in the front seat of a taxi and driving round New York to see what reaction they got from passers by.

Scene's in Reagens bedroom were actually filmed in a refrigerated trailer so that you could see the characters breath, as suitable special effects were unavailable in those days.

There was some controversy during the production of the movie, as to wether the film was jinxed. The set mysteriously burned down at one point, there were a number of deaths including the actor Jack MacGowron who played Burke Dennings, and the crew were plagued with constant technical problems. However, the majority of the crew believe this was all hokum, particularly Max von Sydow who was very dismissive.

Author, William Peter Blatty followed up the success of the Exorcist with the novel "Legion". However, Warner Bros seemed uninterested and instead decided to film their own sequel. This turned out to be the abominable Exorcist 2 : The Heretic. Blatty's follow up was later filmed as Exorcist 3 by 20th Century Fox.

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