IMDb > The Exorcist (1973)
The Exorcist
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The Exorcist (1973) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 240% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
William Friedkin
Writers:
William Peter Blatty (written for the screen by)
William Peter Blatty (novel)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Exorcist on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
26 December 1973 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Horror | Thriller more
Tagline:
Something beyond comprehension is happening to a little girl on this street, in this house. A man has been called for as a last resort to try and save her. That man is The Exorcist. more
Plot:
When a teenager is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two priests to save her daughter. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
Won 2 Oscars. Another 12 wins & 14 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(152 articles)
Tortured Overtures: Horror Film Score Themes of the 1970s
 (From SoundOnSight. 3 November 2009, 12:12 PM, PST)

Vampires Unite for Halloween in Sin City
 (From Extra. 1 November 2009, 7:55 AM, PST)

User Comments:
Still a powerful film, more than thirty years on... more (862 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Ellen Burstyn ... Chris MacNeil

Max von Sydow ... Father Merrin

Lee J. Cobb ... Lt. Kinderman
Kitty Winn ... Sharon
Jack MacGowran ... Burke Dennings
Jason Miller ... Father Karras

Linda Blair ... Regan
Reverend William O'Malley ... Father Dyer (as Reverend William O'Malley S.J.)
Barton Heyman ... Dr. Klein
Peter Masterson ... Dr. Barringer - Clinic Director (as Pete Masterson)
Rudolf Schündler ... Karl
Gina Petrushka ... Willi
Robert Symonds ... Dr. Taney
Arthur Storch ... Psychiatrist
Reverend Thomas Bermingham ... Tom - President of University (as Reverend Thomas Bermingham S.J.)
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Exorcist 2000 (Australia) (cable TV title)
The Exorcist: The Version You Haven't Seen Yet (USA) (recut version)
The Exorcist: The Version You've Never Seen (USA) (promotional title)
William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist (USA) (reissue title)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for strong language and disturbing images. (edited version in 2000)
Runtime:
122 min | 132 min (director's cut)
Country:
USA
Color:
Color (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
70 mm 6-Track (1979 re-release) | DTS-ES (director's cut) | Dolby Digital EX (director's cut) | Mono (original release) | SDDS (director's cut)
Certification:
Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (1998) | Canada:R (Ontario) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | South Korea:15 | Malaysia:(Banned) | UK:(Banned) (original rating) | Italy:VM14 (director's cut) | Australia:MA (TV rating) | Brazil:14 | Singapore:(Banned) (original rating) | Singapore:R(A) (re-rating) (cut) | Canada:14A (re-rating) | Philippines:R-18 | Brazil:18 (original rating) | Canada:R (video rating) | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:13 | Argentina:16 | Australia:R | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (2000 re-release) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia) (2000 re-release) | Canada:AA (Ontario) (2000 re-release) | Canada:R (Manitoba) (also 2000 version) | Chile:14 (re-rating) (2000) | Chile:18 (original rating) | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 (director's cut) | France:-16 (original rating) | Germany:16 (bw) (2001 re-release) | Hong Kong:IIB | Hungary:18 | Iceland:16 | Ireland:18 | Israel:18 | Italy:VM14 (re-release) | Mexico:C | Netherlands:16 (director's cut) | Netherlands:18 (original rating) | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 (2000) | Norway:18 | Singapore:M18 (video rating) (cut) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (re-rating) (1990) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:R | West Germany:18 (bw)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
To entertain and distract Linda Blair during the long makeup process she had to sit through, the crew set up a television near her makeup chair so she could watch "The Beverly Hillbillies" (1962). more
Goofs:
Factual errors: William Peter Blatty closely modeled the exorcism scene on the actual rite of exorcism in the Church's "Rituale Romanum". Father Merrin can be seen opening a copy of the Rituale in the scene in question. However, the priests depart from the Rituale in two important details. First, there should have been four people (apart from Regan) in the room during the exorcism: the exorcist himself; an assistant priest to take over in case the exorcist died midway through; a member of the victim's family of the same sex as the victim, to help restrain her; and a doctor, to (among other things) administer any medication that was needed. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Boy: [in Iraqi language] They've found something... small pieces.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Tarnation (2003) more
Soundtrack:
Fliessend, Äusserst Zart (from Five Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 10) more

FAQ

Did Regan have a mental illness?
Why did the demon choose to possess Regan MacNeil, a 12-year old girl?
Was this based on a true story?
more
22 out of 27 people found the following comment useful.
Still a powerful film, more than thirty years on..., 28 August 2006
8/10
Author: stephenneale67 from United Kingdom

More than thirty years on, The Exorcist remains a very powerful film and was a cinematographic milestone in 1973. Repeated duplication of the genre has, no doubt, 'desensitized' a new generation of movie-watchers, though it remains an unnerving masterpiece. It is not difficult to understand why the film generated such a seismic global impact all those years ago, since it imposed an unprecedented sensory attack on the viewer. Regan's vile physical appearance, combined with her vile language and blasphemous diatribe sent a shock wave around the world. Moreover, many people seemed to believe the claims that the film was based on a true story and could therefore actually happen to them. Electricity consumption must have soared for several months in 1973 as people who had seen the film slept with their lights on! It is still not a film I would feel comfortable watching before going to bed. On another level, I found parts of it profoundly moving and actually cried at the end when Regan was finally released from her possessor and wept in the arms of her mother and Father Damien, having lunged himself through a window and down a precipitous flight of steps, managed to find just enough life in himself to indicate that he had retained his faith and repented of his sins by motioning his fingers in the sign of penitence when comforted by a distraught colleague. Possibly the only thing that lets the film down if one really sits and thinks about it is the underpinning concept that an ancient demon which had existed since the dawn of time should wish to possess the body of a twelve year old child and emit a string of juvenile profanities. But then the film was designed to shock all along!

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