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The Exorcist
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The Exorcist (1973) More at IMDbPro »

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The Exorcist (1973) -- hv post
The Exorcist (1973) -- hv post

Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 9% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
William Friedkin
Writers:
William Peter Blatty (screenplay)
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:
(117 articles)
Event Report: AMPAS' Tribute to FX Legend Dick Smith
 (From Fangoria. 29 June 2009, 1:10 PM, PDT)

An American Werewolf in London Remake in the Works
 (From Dread Central. 29 June 2009, 11:35 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
Still a powerful film, more than thirty years on... more

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 (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Canada:R (Ontario) | 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:
Stanley Kubrick wanted to direct the film, but only if he could produce it himself. As the studio was worried that he would go over budget and over schedule, it eventually settled on Mark Rydell, but William Peter Blatty insisted on William Friedkin instead. After a standoff with the studio, which initially refused to budge over Rydell, Blatty eventually got his way. more
Goofs:
Continuity: The final scene when the family is driving off in the black Mercedes, the badge naming the type of Mercedes changes from Sxxx to a longer German word. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Boy: [in Iraqi language] They've found something... small pieces.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Biography: Satan: Prince of Darkness" (????) more
Soundtrack:
Study No. 2 more

FAQ

Was this based on a true story?
Is "The Exorcist" based on a book?
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
more
18 out of 20 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 sent a shock wave around the world 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 cried 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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