50 years ago, on December 26, 1973, “The Exorcist” hit theaters and terrorized millions of viewers. The film has become a cult because of its story, but also because of its so-called cursed film adaptation.
An inexplicable fire, a murderer among the extras, a series of deaths… The film adaptation of “The Exorcist” (1973) by William Freidkin is shrouded in mystery. Mysteries (or myths) that helped make the horror film cult. Curse or intrigue?
The Exorcist is an adaptation of William Peter Blatty's book that tells the story of Reagan, a young girl who is possessed and exorcised by two priests. In 1971, shortly after the work's publication – inspired by actual ownership, according to the author – the rights were acquired by Warner Bros.
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“The Exorcist” by William Freikin, published in 1973 © “The Exorcist” / Warner Bros. Pictures
However, William Peter Blatty imposed several conditions: he asked to write the script himself, and he forced the studio – which was considering hiring Stanley Kubrick – William Freidkin, crowned with the success of “French Connection” (1971), to do it Script for production of the feature film. Inquiries accepted.
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Filming interruptions
Filming of “The Exorcist,” starring Linda Blair as Reagan, began in August 1972 and, after several interruptions, continued until July 1973. It was initially stopped when Jason Miller's son, who plays Father Damien Karras, was the victim of an accident so that the actor could escape could take care of his child.
Linda Blair and William Freidkin on the set of “The Exorcist” (1973) © Warner Brothers/Getty Images
The second break in filming lasted six weeks after a fire inexplicably broke out on set and completely destroyed the McNeil family home on set. Complete ? Not quite: Only Reagan's room, where the exorcism took place, didn't burn.
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Enough to worry William Freidkin's teams. Before filming resumed, a priest came to perform a religious ritual on set to reassure the actors and technicians who feared that there was a curse on the film and that reality could not keep up with fiction.
Blows and wounds
What is no secret is William Freidkin's tyranny over his actors. The director did not hesitate to hit a priest (a real one) in an emotional scene to make him cry. He also fired real shots to scare his actors, including his actress Ellen Burstyn, who plays Reagan's mother.
Result: Ellen Burstyn fell on her tailbone in shock. And it's the shot where she actually hurt herself that William Friedkin kept in the edit. The screams of pain she lets out as she is thrown to the ground during a poltergeist demonstration are very real.
Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair on the set of “The Exorcist” (1973) © Bettmann / Getty Images
Linda Blair injured her spine in the scene where she is tied to the shaking bed. And she suffered from after-effects: chronic pain and scoliosis. But nothing softened William Freidkin, who held back during the editing and was delighted by his actress's authenticity.
Satanic film?
For Linda Blair, this was just the beginning of the ordeal. When the film was released in theaters, the young actress received several death threats, particularly from religious groups who considered the film to be satanic. She was therefore placed under protection. Although the bodyguards left after six months, the threats continued for years.
The release of “The Exorcist”, a real success with worldwide box office receipts of more than 440 million dollars against a budget of only 12 million, was – in addition to the discomfort of viewers in the cinemas – also marked by several incidents that supported the thesis of the religious.
The most fascinating is certainly the fire that broke out during the film's first screening in Rome. Lightning struck the cinema, which was located between two churches, and destroyed the crucifix that was in the entrance to the restaurant.
Serial deaths
If the film is considered cursed, this is also due to the deaths of nine people who are directly or indirectly related to the filming. Actor Jack MacGowran (Burke Dennings) died just days after filming wrapped, as did Vasiliki Maliaros, who played Father Karras' mother. A night watchman and a special effects specialist were also killed.
Additional deaths of people indirectly connected to The Exorcist have been attributed to the film's curse: Linda Blair's grandfather, who died shortly after the feature's release, and Mercedes McCambridge's son, who lent his voice to the demon after suicide killing his wife and daughters.
A killer on set
In The Exorcist, Paul Bateson played the doctor's assistant who examines Reagan in the hospital. In 1979, the radiologist was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the murder of Variety journalist Addison Verrill, whom he met in a bar in New York's Greenwich Village. Bar frequented by the gay community.
Paul Bateson in “The Exorcist” (1973) © “The Exorcist” / Warner Bros. Pictures
Paul Bateson was therefore suspected by investigators of being the serial killer responsible for several murders in gay bars in the mid-1970s. Murders which he never confessed to investigators but which he had reportedly discussed with William Freidkin, who visited him in prison before his trial.
Paul Bateson reportedly told William Friedkin that he had actually killed Addison Verrill and that he was considering confessing to the other murders. Enough to inspire the director to make his film “The Hunt” (1980), in which Al Pacino plays a police officer who pursues a serial killer who attacks homosexuals.
Curse or invention?
Facts that fuel the theory of a curse. This theory is not believed by William Peter Blatty, author of the book and screenwriter of The Exorcist, who believed that William Freidkin made up many stories to promote the film. “In a year it is inevitable that people will be injured or die,” he reasoned.