In 1973, audiences discovered that the only thing scarier than the devil was a little girl with absolutely no filter.
This week on OH, THE HORROR!, Sam Pancake and Sarah Burns take on William Friedkin's 1973 horror classic, THE EXORCIST. Grab your holy water, keep a bucket nearby, and prepare for a little quality time with the devil.
THE EXORCIST (1973)
Theatrical Release: December 26, 1973
Budget: Approximately $12 million
Director: William Friedkin
Written by: William Peter Blatty
Actress Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) is living in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., with her 12-year-old daughter Regan (Linda Blair) when some very strange things start happening around the house. Regan begins behaving erratically, using very foul language, and displaying some rather alarming physical symptoms. After a parade of doctors, medical tests, and psychiatrists fails to explain what's happening, Chris begins to suspect that her daughter might have a problem that modern medicine can't fix.
Enter Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller), a Jesuit priest struggling with his own faith, and Father Lankester Merrin (Max von Sydow), an experienced exorcist who has encountered this particular evil before. Together, they attempt to save Regan from a demonic presence that has absolutely no intention of leaving quietly.
Based on William Peter Blatty's 1971 novel, THE EXORCIST also stars Lee J. Cobb, Kitty Winn, and Jack MacGowran. The film became a cultural phenomenon, earned ten Academy Award nominations, and won two Oscars. Its disturbing imagery, groundbreaking makeup effects, and notorious production stories helped cement its reputation as one of the most terrifying movies ever made.
And yes, the bedroom was actually refrigerated to make the actors' breath visible, Linda Blair's demonic voice was provided by Mercedes McCambridge, and that infamous head-spinning scene is still one of horror cinema's most recognizable moments.
So put away the Ouija board, stay out of Georgetown, and join Sam and Sarah for a movie that made an entire generation reconsider their relationship with organized religion, antique furniture, and split pea soup.
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