The opening title card reads William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist. Blatty is also credited on a later title card, which reads: "Written for the screen and produced by William Peter Blatty based on his novel." The viewed print contained a credit for Mercedes McCambridge, who was the voice of the demon “Pazuzu;” however, according to a 2 Jan 1974 Variety article, the actress was not credited onscreen at the time of the original release. A 30 Jan 1974 Variety article noted that by late Jan 1974, after McCambridge complained to director William Friedkin, trade ads contained her credit. Throughout the film, subliminal stills, including some depicting the devil and characters’ faces, are briefly seen.
       Although The Exorcist was a book of fiction, author Blatty based his international best seller on an actual exorcism of a fourteen-year-old boy that took place in Silver Spring, MD, in 1949. According to various sources, Blatty learned of the exorcism while attending nearby Georgetown University, where the film adaptation would later be shot. The Los Angeles Times review noted that the character of “Father Merrin” was loosely based on Roman Catholic priest Teilhard de Chardin, a theologian who possibly performed an exorcism in Africa. According to historical sources, the Catholic Church reported only a handful of exorcisms in the twentieth century, one of which was the Silver Spring case.
       The viewed print was the 2000 DVD release of the film, labeled “the director’s cut” that included several scenes not in the original theatrical release, such as the opening shots of the house exterior and the statue of the Virgin Mary. In his interview at a 2006 AMPAS screening, Friedkin noted that the “spider walk,” in which “Regan” walks down the stairs in a backbend, was not in the original release because wires holding the stunt contortionist were visible, but were removed digitally for the DVD. The director added that the language laboratory scene, the coffee scene between “Chris MacNeil” and “Lt. Kinderman” and the return of the medal in the final scene of film were added for the DVD release.
       According to the Box review, Shirley MacLaine was originally considered for the role of Chris. The film was shot on location in New York City; Mosul, Iraq; and various locations throughout Washington, D.C., including Georgetown University. In his interview at a 2006 AMPAS screening, Friedkin noted that because America did not have diplomatic relations with Iraq, he dealt directly with the ruling Baath Party, who agreed to the production on the condition that he hire a large number of Iraqi crew members and teach them how to create makeup blood.
       The film was plagued with problems that caused delays and raised the budget. In a 5 Nov 1973 Hollywood Reporter article, Friedkin blamed part of the budget problems on the continuous breakdown of a $50,000 air conditioning unit required to cool Regan’s room to sub-zero temperatures for some scenes in which the actors’ breath needed to appear chilled. In his interview at a 2006 AMPAS screening, Friedkin noted that when camera lights heated the room, shooting would be discontinued until the air returned to below freezing.
       Additional problems, recounted by Friedkin in a 18 Nov 1973 Los Angeles Times article resulted because both Ellen Burstyn and Max von Sydow were out for weeks, Jason Miller’s young son was critically injured during filming, and shooting in Iraq was so hot that the some crew members grew ill and had to be replaced. In his interview at the 2006 AMPAS screening, Friedkin said that the two-story house set burned to the ground, causing a three-week delay as well.
       The film’s sound was notable for its bizarre sound effects and, in some instances, sequences were made more eerie by a complete lack of sound. According to a 28 Feb 1974 Rolling Stone article, the sound designers used a variety of recording techniques and realistic, as opposed to electronic, sounds. To create sound effects ranging from scratching in the house to the devilish noises, the sound effects crew recorded beagle dogs, pigs going to slaughter, a woman convulsing, and a trapped bee. In one instance, a variable speed oscillator was used to “tune” the buzzing of the bee to various pitches to create a chord cluster spanning four octaves.
       The 24 Dec 1973 Daily Variety review noted that although composer Lalo Schifrin was originally chosen to score the picture, Friedkin rejected his early efforts in favor of existing compositions. Mike Oldfield’s “Tubular Bells,” from his debut album by the same title, became an international hit after the film’s release and has become synonymous with the film’s haunting mood. Among the many iconic images from the film are Regan’s grotesquely formed head spinning around, the bed’s violent levitations and the key art image of Father Merrin approaching the MacNeil house. The silhouette of the priest, wearing his black clerical suit and hat and carrying a briefcase, was illuminated by light being cast down from Regan’s bedroom window.
       Many of the ghoulish special effects used in The Exorcist were new and shocking to audiences when the film was released. Critics varied in their reviews of the film, with the Hollywood Reporter review claiming it had “the most fiendish special effects ever designed,” while the 27 Dec 1973 New York Times review stated that the film had reached a “new low.” A 6 Jan 1974 Los Angeles Times article reported that audience members were often seen vomiting and fainting during each screening as a result of watching the film.
       In his interview at a 2006 AMPAS screening, Friedkin claimed that leading Catholic authorities supported the film, including the head of the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits, Father Pedro Arupe. Friedkin also noted that technical advisor Father John Nicola was the Catholic Church’s exorcism expert. However, at the time of its release, The Exorcist spawned countless magazine and newspaper editorials debating the existence of the devil, the validity of exorcisms and the merit of the film. A 29 Jan 1974 Daily Variety article noted that American Catholic leaders had denounced the MPAA for giving the picture an R rating rather than an X. MPAA president Jack Valenti, himself a Catholic, defended his decision in a letter published in a 25 Feb 1974 New York Times article.
       The Exorcist broke box-office records in the U.S., Europe and Japan and received the following Academy Award nominations: Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Miller), Best Actress (Burstyn), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Blair), Best Art Direction (Bill Malley and Jerry Wunderlich), Best Cinematography (Owen Roizman), Best Film Editing (Jordan Leondopoulos, Bud Smith, Evan Lottman and Norman Gay), Best Director (Friedkin) and Best Picture, a category in which a horror film had never before been nominated. The film won Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay for Blatty’s screenplay of his own novel and for Best Sound (Buzz Knudson and Chris Newman).
       On 6 Nov 1973, Hollywood Reporter reported that Blatty had filed suit against Warner Bros. and Friedkin over credits and for being barred from production. Friedkin claimed that Blatty was only barred from post-production and that Blatty wanted the credit line, which was added prior to the picture’s release,: “William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist.” In a 12 Nov 1973 Hollywood Reporter article, executive producer Noel Marshall stated that Blatty had dropped the suit against the studio but still had plans to bring a suit against Friedkin over credits and being barred from post-production. According to a 22 Jan 1974 Hollywood Reporter article, Warner Bros. charged Newsweek magazine with infringement of copyright for the magazine’s use of pictures of Blair as she appeared in a demonic state. Warner Bros. stated that they purposefully withheld any images of those sequences from the public.
       According to a 2 Feb 1974 Los Angeles Herald Examiner article, stand-in Eileen Dietz filed a petition with the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) claiming that Friedkin had forced her to sign a gag order about playing Blair’s double for demonic scenes. While on 5 Feb 1974, Hollywood Reporter noted that Friedkin denied Dietz performed in any demonic scenes, Dietz then stated in a 6 Mar 1974 Variety that she had not claimed to have done all of the demonic scenes and had not granted interviews to the press, blaming Friedkin for false claims. A 12 Mar 1974 Daily Variety article reported that SAG ruled Dietz’s contract was not binding, but Dietz then refused to participate in a SAG arbitration.
       The film was embroiled further in legal battles over the years. While a 6 Feb 1974 Daily Variety article noted that Warner Bros. was to give Friedkin $4 million, as his ten percent cut of the film’s profits, on 1 Apr 1975, Los Angeles Times reported that Friedkin then sued Warner for $5.8 million that he claimed was still due to him. A 13 Sep 1978 Variety article stated that Friedkin finally settled with the studio, but Blatty was still involved in a suit against Warner Bros. for $1.5 million, while having already received $15 million from the studio.
       The Exorcist marked the film debut of then thirteen-year-old Linda Blair. Her mother, Elinore Blair, who accompanied her on set, had a cameo in the film as a nurse. The picture also marked the film debut of stage actor and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Jason Miller and the final film of actor Jack MacGowran (1918--1973), who died during production. MacGowran played film director “Burke Dennings,” a character murdered by the possessed Regan. Swedish actor Max von Sydow was only 40 years old while playing “Father Merrin,” an elderly priest. Hollywood Reporter production charts, as well as an early studio press release on the film, include J. Lee Thompson to the cast; however, the British director did not appear in the film. The press release suggested that Thompson would portray the director of the film that Chris was making, but that role was played by MacGowran. A modern source adds Mary Boylan and technical advisor Reverend John Nicola to the cast.
       According to a 13 Jun 1979 Variety news item, The Exorcist was to be rereleased later that year. Several sequels and prequels of the film have been made, including the 1977 film The Exorcist II: The Heretic, directed by John Boorman and starring Linda Blair; the 1990 film The Exorcist III, written and directed by Blatty and starring George C. Scott and Jason Miller; the 2004 film Exorcist: The Beginning, directed by Renny Harlin and starring Stellan Skarsgård; and the 2005 film Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist, directed by Paul Schrader and also starring Skarsgård (see entries).