The Exorcist (1973) - The One That Changed Everything
There are horror movies. Then there is The Exorcist.
William Friedkin's 1973 adaptation of William Peter Blatty's novel is not merely a film. It is a cultural event that permanently shifted what horror cinema could accomplish. Before this, studios treated the genre like a cheap date. Afterward, they understood that horror could be crafted with the same precision and ambition as any prestige picture.
The story is deceptively simple. A young girl named Regan begins exhibiting behavior that medical science cannot explain. Her mother, a successful actress, exhausts every rational option before turning to two Catholic priests who believe the answer lies in an ancient ritual. What follows is two hours of sustained dread that builds so gradually you do not notice how deeply it has unsettled you until the lights come up.
The Devil Is in the Details
🎬 The Exorcist was the first horror film nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. It won for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound.
🌡️ The exorcism bedroom set was refrigerated to -20 degrees Fahrenheit so the actors' breath would be visible. They could only film for three minutes at a time before the lights warmed the air.
👹 Mercedes McCambridge provided the demon's voice by eating raw eggs, drinking whiskey, and chain-smoking cigarettes. The studio initially refused to credit her.
🎭 Ellen Burstyn was cast after telling Friedkin she was "destined" to play Chris. Studio head Ted Ashley opposed her casting but relented when no alternatives emerged.
🩺 The cerebral angiography scene used real medical equipment and an actual radiological technician. Several viewers fainted during this scene specifically.
📍 The famous "Exorcist Steps" in Georgetown are still a tourist attraction. The stunt fall was padded with half an inch of rubber.
🏛️ The Library of Congress selected The Exorcist for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2010.
Still Unsettled After All These Years
What separates The Exorcist from its imitators is Friedkin's commitment to treating the material with absolute seriousness. There is no winking at the audience. No camp relief. He films the possession and the exorcism with the same documentary rigor he brought to The French Connection.
The result is a film that does not feel like entertainment. It feels like a procedure. You are not watching a movie. You are witnessing something you were not supposed to see. That is why audiences reacted so strongly in 1973, and it is why the film retains its power today.
If you have never seen The Exorcist on a big screen, you have not really seen it. The sound design alone, that relentless cacophony of whispers and grinding machinery, deserves a proper theater system. Capitol Theatre is giving you that chance. Do not waste it.
"The power of Christ compels you."