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The Exorcist
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Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 240% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
William Friedkin
Writers:
William Peter Blatty (written for the screen by)
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:
(152 articles)
Tortured Overtures: Horror Film Score Themes of the 1970s
 (From SoundOnSight. 3 November 2009, 12:12 PM, PST)

Vampires Unite for Halloween in Sin City
 (From Extra. 1 November 2009, 7:55 AM, PST)

User Comments:
Engraved into your minds...forever more (862 total)

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)
El exorcista (Argentina) (director's cut) (Spain) [es]
O Exorcista (Brazil) (Portugal) [pt]
хГЦНМЪЧЫХИ ДЭЪБНКЮ (Soviet Union: Russian title) [ru]
Ördögüzö (Hungary) [hu]
Der Exorzist (West Germany) [de]
Der Exorzist - Director's Cut (Germany) (director's cut) [de]
Der Exorzist - die neue Fassung (Germany) (video title (director's cut)) [de]
Egzorcysta (Poland) [pl]
Eksorcisten (Denmark) [da]
Exorcisten (Sweden) [sv]
Exorsisten (Norway) (DVD title) [no]
L'esorcista (Italy) [it]
L'esorcista - Versione integrale (Italy) (director's cut) [it]
L'exorciste (France) [fr]
L'exorciste - version intégrale (France) (director's cut) [fr]
L'exorciste 2000 (Canada: French title) [fr]
Manaaja (Finland) [fi]
O exorkistis (Greece) [el]
Seytan (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Vymýtac dábla (Czech Republic) (restored version) [cs]
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 (Ontario) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | 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:
To entertain and distract Linda Blair during the long makeup process she had to sit through, the crew set up a television near her makeup chair so she could watch "The Beverly Hillbillies" (1962). more
Goofs:
Factual errors: William Peter Blatty closely modeled the exorcism scene on the actual rite of exorcism in the Church's "Rituale Romanum". Father Merrin can be seen opening a copy of the Rituale in the scene in question. However, the priests depart from the Rituale in two important details. First, there should have been four people (apart from Regan) in the room during the exorcism: the exorcist himself; an assistant priest to take over in case the exorcist died midway through; a member of the victim's family of the same sex as the victim, to help restrain her; and a doctor, to (among other things) administer any medication that was needed. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Boy: [in Iraqi language] They've found something... small pieces.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Tarnation (2003) more
Soundtrack:
Fliessend, Äusserst Zart (from Five Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 10) more

FAQ

How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
What were the noises in the attic?
A Note Regarding Spoilers
more
65 out of 117 people found the following comment useful.
Engraved into your minds...forever, 6 December 1999
7/10
Author: de_niro_98 from London, England

For those who watched this film on the big screen when it was re-released and thought it was 'comical, funny, not disturbing nor scary' are just do not understand the complexity that surrounds this movie. Back in '73, no one was expecting a film of this kind, and I know it has been said many times but it WAS way ahead of its time. A time where cinema was in its infancy, religion was practiced on a larger scale than today and showing such violent, graphic and disturbing scenes was not thought of as being possible, one can understand why it has been banned for so many years.

I recently watched this movie (at night, before bedtime) and it really left me thinking of how such horrifying scenes could be shown and portrayed in such a way. There were many scenes that would not get out of my head (for those who have seen the movie would know what scenes they are). I could not sleep that night and that hasn't happened since I saw Nightmare On Elm Street Part 1 when I was 6!

What makes things worse is that there are well known cases where people have been possessed by the devil or a supernatural being, which leads them in doing evil deeds.

When you mix a horror movie with religion on such a large magnitude, things can heat up and become very unpleasant.

Was the above comment useful to you?
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