60 Fun Facts About The Exorcist

In which year was The Exorcist released in US cinemas?

It opened the day after Christmas, on 30 screens, and ran for 105 weeks.

Who directed The Exorcist (1973)?

The producer insisted on him after The French Connection, over the studio's choice of Mark Rydell.

Who wrote the 1971 novel The Exorcist and won an Oscar for adapting it?

He was a comic novelist and screenwriter first, and only tackled the story after seeing Rosemary's Baby in 1968.

Who played the possessed 12-year-old Regan MacNeil?

Her mother brought her in unannounced; Janet Leigh would not let Jamie Lee Curtis audition and Nickerson's family found the script too dark.

In which Washington, D.C. neighbourhood is The Exorcist set?

The author heard about the real 1949 case as a Georgetown student in the class of 1950, so he set the story by the campus.

What is the name of the demon that possesses Regan?

It is a real ancient Assyrian demon; Father Merrin finds its statue on a dig in northern Iraq in the prologue.

What does Regan use to contact the 'friendly' spirit she calls Captain Howdy?

The demon first masquerades as an invisible companion before the possession takes hold.

Which instrumental piece by Mike Oldfield became famous as the theme of The Exorcist?

The director wanted something with a childhood feel like Brahms' Lullaby, found the record in the studio's music library and had Warner buy the rights.

What foodstuff was used for the possessed Regan's projectile vomit?

It was porridge coloured to look like pea soup and pumped through a hidden tube; the actor was told it would hit his chest, so his disgust when it hit his face was real.

The Exorcist was the first horror film ever nominated for which Academy Award?

It was nominated for ten Oscars in all and won two, for adapted screenplay and sound.

Which of these was a real-world consequence of the film's release?

One Toronto theatre manager said a plumber was 'practically living here now'; some cinemas kept ambulances on call.

Which 2017 film finally overtook The Exorcist as the highest-grossing R-rated horror movie?

The Sixth Sense had already passed it among supernatural horror in 1999; The Exorcist and Blair Witch remain the only 20th-century films in both top tens.

What is the famous image of Father Merrin arriving at the MacNeil house, used on the poster, based on?

Empire of Light (1954) inspired the silhouette under the streetlamp; the crew spent a full day lighting the shot.

Who wrote and directed The Exorcist III (1990)?

He adapted it from his own 1983 novel Legion, and Morgan Creek forced him to add an exorcism climax he never wanted.

Which 2023 legacy sequel brought Ellen Burstyn back as Chris MacNeil?

Universal and Peacock paid $400 million for the rights to a planned trilogy, then scrapped it after the film's poor reception.

What was the working relationship between the film's producer and its author?

He wrote the novel, produced the film and won the Oscar for the screenplay, though he and the director clashed over cuts.

Which voice actress supplied The Exorcist's demon voice after raw eggs, whiskey and chain-smoking?

The studio left her off the credits until the Screen Actors Guild forced the issue; the dispute killed a planned dialogue soundtrack album.

Which actor originally signed to play The Exorcist's Father Karras had his contract bought out?

Miller had studied to be a Jesuit for three years, read the novel and told the director '[Karras] is me'.

Which comedian did the director want for the role of Chris MacNeil, before the studio said no?

Audrey Hepburn, Anne Bancroft and Jane Fonda all turned the part down before Ellen Burstyn said she was 'destined' to play it.

Warner Bros. wanted which star to play Father Merrin, only for the director to refuse?

A photograph of the Jesuit scientist Teilhard de Chardin, a model for Merrin, led him to Max von Sydow instead.

Where were the film's opening archaeological-dig scenes shot?

The US and Iraq had no diplomatic relations, so the director negotiated directly with local Ba'ath Party officials; daytime hit 130 °F.

How cold was Regan's bedroom set refrigerated to so the actors' breath would show?

A $50,000 cooling system kept it that way for only three minutes at a time under the lights; the exorcism took a month to shoot.

How was the sound of Regan's head rotating created?

The sound team also blended bees, dogs, hamsters and pigs into the demon's voice.

Principal photography was scheduled to take 85 shooting days. Roughly how long did it actually run?

A bird flew into a circuit breaker and burned down every set except Regan's bedroom, and the Pazuzu statue was shipped to Hong Kong instead of Iraq.

Which scene, not in the novel, did the producer refuse to ever watch and audiences find most disturbing?

It was later described as the most realistic medical procedure in a popular film, and the director claimed it was used in radiology training.

Which famous deleted scene was cut before the 1973 premiere and restored in the 2000 director's cut?

Stuntwoman Ann Miles did it without the special harness after two weeks' practice; the director denied it existed until Mark Kermode found the footage in the 1990s.

How long did it take each morning to apply Dick Smith's ageing makeup to Max von Sydow?

Pauline Kael called it one of the most convincing ageing jobs she had seen; many viewers never realised he was made up at all.

Roughly how many minutes of music are in the two-hour film?

The director rejected Lalo Schifrin's score and threw the tapes away in the parking lot, using Penderecki, Webern and Oldfield instead.

The Exorcist was budgeted at $4.2m. What did it ultimately cost Warner Bros.?

It grossed $193 million in its first run and $441 million lifetime, so nobody complained for long.

Which director made Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977), widely called one of the worst films ever made?

He had turned down the original; Richard Burton starred as Father Lamont and only Blair and von Sydow returned.

Which actor replaced the late Lee J. Cobb as Lieutenant Kinderman in The Exorcist III?

Kinderman investigates murders bearing the marks of the Gemini Killer, whom the author modelled partly on a real Californian serial killer.

The Gemini murders in The Exorcist III were partly modelled on which real-life case?

The Zodiac was one of several real serial killers known to have enjoyed the original film.

Who directed the 2004 theatrical Exorcist prequel, Exorcist: The Beginning?

Schrader's original version was shelved and then released as Dominion in 2005, and the author thought it far better.

Which director was hired in 2024 to helm the reboot The Exorcist: Martyrs?

He replaced David Gordon Green's planned trilogy after Believer flopped, and reportedly cast 11 of his regular collaborators.

What was the pseudonym given to the Maryland boy whose 1949 exorcism inspired the novel?

The Skeptical Inquirer identified him in 2021 as Ronald Edwin Hunkeler, who lived until 2020.

Which Jesuit priest performed the 1949 exorcism that inspired aspects of the novel?

He had taught at St. Louis University, and most of the ritual took place at a relative's house in St. Louis rather than in Washington.

The novel sold poorly until its author went on which TV programme to debate whether the devil exists?

Soon afterwards it topped the New York Times bestseller list.

Which 1968 film convinced the author he wanted to write a story like it, ending aside?

He admired how Polanski kept the audience unsure whether Rosemary's fears were real, but found the ending 'schlocky'.

Which metal band's 1992 album Vulgar Display of Power takes its title from Regan's taunt to Father Karras?

They used the phrase again for a book about their touring adventures.

In which 1990 comedy did Regan's actress spoof her own role as a housewife in need of exorcism?

SNL had already parodied the film in its first season with Richard Pryor as Karras, and did it again in 2023 with Jenna Ortega.

Which stunt double stood in for the young star in the crucifix scene and appears as the face of the demon?

She was 15 years Blair's senior; Blair estimates she is on screen for about 17 seconds, a figure Dietz has disputed.

Which composer's rejected score did the director throw away in the studio parking lot?

Herrmann had already turned the job down after a rough cut, objecting to being told he could not use an organ.

Which unusual distribution deal, a major-studio first, did Warner Bros. use for the film?

The studio rented the theatres outright and also made them commit to 24-week runs, copying what Paramount had done with The Godfather.

Which evangelist told the National Enquirer that 'the devil is in every frame of that film'?

The remark was later taken to mean he thought the actual print was possessed.

Which Muslim-majority country banned the film in 1975 as 'propaganda in favor of Christianity'?

Pauline Kael, from the opposite direction, called it the Church's biggest recruiting poster since Going My Way.

In which year were all UK home-video copies of The Exorcist withdrawn after the BBFC director vetoed it?

James Ferman overruled his own board's majority; it was finally passed uncut with an 18 certificate in 1999.

What did the makeup team add to the animatronic Regan dummy so its throat would bulge as it 'spoke'?

Dick Smith and Marcel Vercoutere tested the dummy's realism by turning its head in the front seat of a taxi while people watched.

What was the 1975 medical term coined for the psychiatric episodes the film triggered in some viewers?

The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease paper recommended doctors watch the film with affected patients.

In 1976 Mississippi's high court overturned an obscenity conviction of a theatre in which town?

Police had arrested the projectionist and manager after the first showing; the fine was $100.

What was named Daimonympha friedkini in 2023 in honour of the film and its director?

It joins the commemorative plaque the District of Columbia put on the Exorcist steps in 2015.

Which network's 2016-2017 Exorcist TV series revealed its character Angela Rance to be the adult Regan?

The twist in episode five made the show a direct sequel to the film; it was cancelled after two seasons.

How many Academy Award nominations did The Exorcist receive in total?

Only two nominations converted: Blatty's adapted screenplay and Best Sound for Robert Knudson and Chris Newman.

Which play led William Friedkin to approach its author, Jason Miller, to play Father Karras?

Miller had studied to be a Jesuit priest for three years and, after reading the novel, told Friedkin '[Karras] is me'.

At which ancient ruins in northern Iraq does Father Merrin's archaeological dig take place?

The real site lies south-west of Mosul, and Warner Bros. feared the crew might not be allowed home since the US and Iraq had no diplomatic relations.

What caused a fire that destroyed most of the house sets and delayed shooting six weeks?

Every set burned except Regan's bedroom, which some crew found eerie given the subject matter.

Which injury did Ellen Burstyn suffer when the possessed Regan throws Chris backward?

The take that hurt her is the one in the finished film; she spent two weeks off set and the rest of the shoot on crutches.

In which year was The Exorcist added to the US National Film Registry?

The Library of Congress deemed it 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant', a rare honour for a horror film.

Which director had the studio hired before Blatty insisted on William Friedkin?

Blatty had been impressed by The French Connection; Mike Nichols had turned the film down, doubting a child actress could carry it.

Which 1974 film edged out The Exorcist as the year's top earner in US and Canadian rentals?

The Exorcist took $66.3 million in rentals to The Sting's $68.5 million, and still became Warner Bros.' biggest film to date.

In what year did Washington, D.C. unveil a commemorative plaque on the 'Exorcist steps'?

Blatty and Friedkin attended the ceremony the day before Halloween; Friedkin called it a greater honour than another Oscar.