He thought that viewers being able to see the characters’ breath would add some extra creepiness. This was in part due to Friedkin’s decision to refrigerate the entire set. The cast and crew working on the set were made to feel uncomfortable on an almost daily basis. Bermingham worked as a technical advisor on the film, as well as acting in a small role Harsh Conditionsĭirector William Friedkin’s “approach” towards getting his actors in the right frame of mind during the filming of The Exorcist has become the stuff of legend. Thomas Bermingham was a Jesuit priest and professor of theology from Georgetown University who was called to the set to bless it and calm the cast and crew down. Subsequently, and as a result of these strange and tragic occurrences, a man of the cloth was called to come and bless the production shoot. There were pigeons flying around up there, and the theory (the insurance company) paid off on was that one of the pigeons flew into a light box…” The set is burning to the ground right now as we speak.’…It was an old building. Friedkin would later state: “…There were only a couple strange things, out of the ordinary…One day at 4 in the morning, I got a call from a production manager and he said ‘Don’t bother coming to work this morning. Further, the original set of the MacNeil home burned down in an unexplained fire. It should be noted that his character also met a gruesome fate in the film. He died a month before the film was released. One of the more notable deaths associated with the production was that of actor Jack MacGowran, who portrayed the alcoholic director Burke Dennings. Already a seasoned child actor, she filmed the role when she was just 13 years old. Blair portrayed the now iconic character of the possessed child, Regan. This includes the stillborn death of a cameraman’s child, the death of a security guard, and even the passing of Linda Blair’s grandfather. However, as has been told over the subsequent 40+ years, just getting the production wrapped on this now legendary film was a significant challenge for all parties involved.Īccording to numerous sources, including lead actress Ellen Burstyn, as many as nine deaths have been associated with The Exorcist. As of 2019, it has grossed $441 million worldwide, Warner Brothers greatest success. A Troubled ProductionĪfter several reissues, The Exorcist has become the ninth highest grossing film of all time in North America, and the top-grossing R-rated film of all time (adjusted for inflation). Linda Blair and director William Friedkin sharing a light moment on the set on “The Exorcist.” Released in 1973, the film grossed $441 million on a $12 million budget. Critics have since interpreted the film as addressing, through demonology, the fears of the ongoing war in Vietnam, as well as the counterculture of the 1960s.
A horror film in the early 1970’s this successful was unheard of. News reports had lines at the theaters as long as 5,000 people, waiting to get a ticket for the horrific blockbuster. Released in December, 1973 the film version of The Exorcist was even more successful than Blatty’s novel.
The director was even allowed to use the diaries of the priests involved as source material. Friedkin’s finished product of the film incorporates everything that could be verified from what happened in 1949. Said novel was a retelling of a 1949 exorcism performed on a young boy by Jesuit priests. Friedkin’s intention was to remain faithful to Blatty’s novel. It remained on the New York Times bestseller list for an astonishing 57 weeks. Published in 1971, the novel by William Blatty was a huge global sensation. Much like Like The Godfather and Jaws, The Exorcist was based on a current bestselling work of fiction. Perhaps there is no better example of this unique classification than 1973’s The Exorcist, directed by William Friedkin. These were films that pushed the needle, both commercially, and artistically. Throughout the history of the moving image, there have been a handful of films classified as a “phenomenon.” Examples of this are The Godfather (1972), Jaws (1975) and The Blair Witch Project (1999), to name a few.
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