Things You Didn’t Know About The Exorcist

#1 The Exorcist

Despite countless imitators and special-effects advancements made over the time, the 1973 film remains unparalleled as a terrifying and disturbing cinematic experience. Stories from how it was made are almost as unsettling. The movie earned several Oscar nominations and won for special effects and makeup. The most astonishing fact is that the story is based on actual events, put to paper by author William Peter Blatty.

#2 Audrey Hepburn Was First Choice for Chris MacNeil

Yes, the loveable Breakfast At Tiffanys starlet was supposed to portray the mother, Chris MacNeil in the movie. Hepburn was Friedkin's first choice for the role of Chris MacNeil and the studio, Warner Brothers wanted her too. However, Hepburn demanded that the film be shot entirely in Rome, Italy. They could not agree, so she was turned away. The role eventually went to Ellen Burstyn, who was magnificent, but no Audrey Hepburn.

#3 Lots Of Celebs Were Up For Parts

before Jason Miller landed the role of Father Karras, his first role and one that won him an Oscar nomination, Jack Nicholson was asked to do the part. He was nixed by the director, Friedkin because he was considered too unholy to play a priest. The studio wanted Marlon Brando for the role of Father Merrin. Friedkin nixed that as well, saying he wanted to keep it as written and with Brando it would become a Brando film and not an important film he wanted to produce. Producers sought out to have Jamie Lee Curtis audition for the role of Regan MacNeil but her mother Janet Leigh (Psycho, 1960) refused. Barbra Streisand declined the role of Chris McNeil after Hepburn backed out and Linda Blair was number 30 on the list of girls to play Regan until her mother took her to Friedkin's office and had her audition in person.

#4 The Vomiting Scene Required Only One Take

One of the most memorable scenes in the movie is when Regan, played by Linda Blair, spurts out green vomit onto Father Karras (Jason Miller). The mechanism that ejected the slime was supposed to hit Miller in the chest but it backfired and the green gook went right in his face. The scene was so perfect as he looked disgusted and wiped the vomit from his face and eyes that they used that as the final cut.

#5 A Contortionist Was Hired for the “Spider Walk” Scene

The famous backward spider walk scene,which was later cut from the movie after its initial release, was filmed using contortionist Linda R. Hager, using a harness and some thin wires. The wires moved her down the stairs slowly as she was bent over backward. Director William Friedkin did not like the finished scene because the wires were visible so it was cut out. For the anniversary release, they went back in with new technology and erased the wires and the scene was restored.

#6 Mercedes McCambridge Went for True Authenticity

Mercedes McCambridge, a well-known actress from the 50s and 60s, did the voice of the demon that possessed Ragan. A recovering alcoholic, she was committed to her character and even drank whiskey to give her voice a rough sound. She swallowed raw eggs, chain smoked to alter her vocalizations and drank a bottle of whiskey to give the demon a distorted sense of reality. At different points she was tied to a chair, with feet, wrists and arms tied with bedsheets to give a "struggling" sound to her voice.

#7 William Friedkin Missed a Dinner Appointment Due to the Script

William Friedkin, the film's director, was given the script to read before meeting with the writer, William Peter Blatty for dinner. He forgot to read it until a few hours before the engagement and got so interested in the story that he missed his dinner date, making Blatty think he was not interested in doing the film version.

#8 Behind the Scenes: “Help Me” on Regan’s Torso

Remember the scene where the words "help me" rise out of Regan's torso? Well, this effect was achieved by constructing a foam latex replica of Linda Blair's belly. Special effects wrote the words out with a paint brush and cleaning fluid, then filmed the words as they formed from the chemical reaction. Special effects artists then heated the forming blisters with a blow dryer, which caused them to deflate. They then ran the filmed version in reverse to get the effect of the words being spelled out on her stomach.

#9 The Novel Was Based on an Actual Exorcism

Author and screenplay writer William Peter Blatty wrote the book based on a real exorcism that happened in 1949, which was performed in both Cottage City, Maryland, and Saint Louis Missouri. The true version is that priests exorcised a demon from a 13-year-old boy named Robbie for over six weeks. Blatty heard the tale and began researching the act of exorcisms and was surprised at what he learned. He even interviewed the priest who was involved in the 1949 case. He combined everything he found into what would later become one of the biggest horror novels and movies ever.

#10 Regan and the Crucifix

Eileen Dietz, a stunt woman, did most of the scenes involving Regan being violent. The double was shot from the back. The famous crucifix masturbation scene was also performed by Dietz. Her role in the film is uncredited, though Friedkin says in his book about the flick that she indeed played the demon Pazuzu. The crucifix scene was done with a rubber body mounted on the bed while a puppets upper body and head, perfect for spinning around, was used at the top of the rubber legs. Diets was under the bed slamming the crucifix into her bloody vagina. The scene was filmed eight times.

#11 The Set Was Kept at Freezing Temperatures

They wanted a look that made it appear cold and chilling, so four air conditioners were used to cool down the bedroom scenes. Temperatures would plunge below the 30-degree mark, meaning it was so cold, perspiration would freeze instantly on some of the cast and crew. The purpose of this was so that Friedkin could capture the icy breath of the actors in the exorcising scenes authentically. Actress Linda Blair says that to this day she suffers terribly when the temperatures drop below 50 degrees.

#12 Viewers Opinions Differed on the Most Disturbing Scene

Many viewers were affected by different scenes in the film. The scariest, of course, are the levitation scenes, the head spinning, and the vomiting. But Ellen Burstyn told viewers on a reunion show that the scene where Regan has her arteriogram was the part where most people fainted because she actually saw a woman pass out before going to her aid as she wobbled out of the theater. That wasn't that bad compared to the rest of the film, but real blood loss is gross.

#13 The Sound of Pigs Being Herded Was Used in the Film

When the demon left Regan's body, the sound used is actually pigs being herded for slaughter. This choice for the film alludes to a story in the Bible from the New Testament where Jesus cast out several demons (collectively called Legion) from a man and transferred them into the bodies of pigs. Also, the apartment used for the scene is the actual apartment where writer Blatty lived in Georgetown. The "Exorcist steps" at the end of M Street in Georgetown, were padded with Â½"-thick rubber to film this death scene of Father Karras.

#14 Joel Schumacher Tried to Film in a Georgetown School and Was Denied

When Joel Schumacher was filming St. Elmos Fire in 1985 he asked for permission to film a few scenes on location at Georgetown. The Jesuit priest faculty rejected his request. Schumacher disagreed and argued with the faculty stating: "You let Bill Friedkin film the Exorcist here in 73, and one of the characters in that movie said, âÂ€Â˜Your mother sucks c___ in hell!'" One of the Jesuit priests responded with the following insult: "Yes, but the devil didn't win in their movie".

Categories

More