In the documentary The Fear of God: 25 Years of the Exorcist, Ellen Burstyn, who played Regan's mother and stars in the upcoming Believer, said nine people died during the production, including an assistant cameraman's newborn baby and a night watchman.

What happened while filming The Exorcist?

Many cast and crew were injured, some died, and unusual accidents delayed shooting. Production took twice as long as scheduled and cost almost three times the initial budget; the many mishaps have led to a belief that the film was cursed.

What happened to the stair scene in The Exorcist?

One Exorcist moment that took decades to get noticed was The Exorcist spider walk scene, in which Regan walks backward down the stairs on her hands with a mouthful of blood. The reason it went under the radar is that The Exorcist spider walk was deleted from the film's initial 1974 release, only being restored later.

What strange occurrences happened during the filming of The Exorcist?

It's likely that the crew played up a number of creepy incidences during the making of the film to generate interest in the movie. There were reports by The Washington Post in early 1974, of heart attacks around the world spiking whenever the film premiered, and lightning bolts targeting a screening in Italy.

What scene was removed from The Exorcist?

The Exorcist spider walk scene, initially deleted from the film's release, was restored later, delighting fans who consider it a favorite sequence. Director William Friedkin felt the scene was a big special effect too early in the story, but later reinserted the scene using CGI to erase wires.

Top 10 Creepiest Things That Happened Behind the Scenes of The Exorcist

Who got hurt filming The Exorcist?

Actor Ellen Burstyn, who played Blair's onscreen mum Chris MacNeil and has reprised the role for the new horror movie The Exorcist: Believer, ended up with an injury to her coccyx that left her with permanent injuries and requiring the use of crutches for two weeks during filming.

Why was The Exorcist banned in the US?

Why was The Exorcist banned? The film gained notoriety after it was supposedly provoked audience members to faint, vomit and even suffer heart attacks.

What is the scariest scene in The Exorcist?

The Exorcist is a horror masterpiece that traumatizes audiences with explicit and realistic scenes, causing people to faint and vomit. The scariest scene in The Exorcist is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment during Father Karras's first meeting with the possessed Regan, which is filled with intent and scope.

Which serial killer watched The Exorcist?

His favorite movies were The Exorcist (1973), Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) and The Exorcist III (1990). One of his surviving victims recounts seeing him watch one of the films repeatedly, in a trance-like state. A resident in Dahmer's hometown was happy that he was killed.

Is The Exorcist based on a true story?

While its sensationalized depiction of demonic possession has all but defined this type of narrative in the popular imagination, the material itself is loosely based on a real-life case from 1949, where Father William Bowdern performed a series of exorcisms on a 14-year-old boy.

Did the girl in The Exorcist break her back?

Watching the film back now, and the violence of her thrashing and jerking, it is little wonder that Blair suffered a spinal injury. A fracture in her back developed into scoliosis, leaving her in chronic pain for years.

What happened to the little girl who played in The Exorcist?

However, when she was peer pressured into buying cocaine at the age of 18, it led to an arrest and subsequent sentencing to three years probation. The much-publicized drug bust caused Linda to be blacklisted in Hollywood, and her career was soon reduced to B-movies and occasional TV guest appearances only.

Did people faint during The Exorcist?

The Exorcist Was So Scary in 1973 It Made Moviegoers Faint, Vomit, and Cry.

Was Linda Blair injured during the filming of The Exorcist?

Linda Blair and Ellen Burstyn were really injured

But during one take, the lacing came loose, and "it fractured my lower spine," Blair said. "No, they didn't send me to a doctor. It is the footage that's in the movie." Similarly, when Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) falls after Regan slaps her, Burstyn injured her back.

What did the girl do with the cross in The Exorcist?

The girl stabs her eyes with a cross, blinding her. She is still alive, though. Horrified, Victor knows they can't wait any longer. In his own living room, they tie up the girls in two chairs, back to back, to perform an exorcism.

How did they do the head turning scene in The Exorcist?

The scene was a blend of practical effects and VFX that was shot in five different parts as cameras tracked Bonilla's head spinning around. “I had about three or four various stages of neck-twist prosthetics that were made,” Nelson says. “We'd put the appliance on and tack it down, and VFX would clean up the edges.

Why is The Exorcist 1973 so scary?

From subtle whispers in the background to all-out pandemonium as a chorus of demonic voices envelop the theater, the sense that you're being constantly pursued by otherworldly voices is palpable and relentless in The Exorcist.

What is the only female exorcist movie?

Prey for the Devil is a 2022 American supernatural horror film about a nun who trains as an exorcist under the Roman Catholic Church and confronts demonic possession.

Who is the main villain in The Exorcist?

Pazuzu is a fictional character who is the main antagonist in The Exorcist horror novels and film series, created by William Peter Blatty. Blatty derived the character from Assyrian and Babylonian mythology, where the mythic Pazuzu was considered the king of the demons of the wind, and the son of the god Hanbi.

Is Exorcist 2 that bad?

The sequel suffered from a lack of continuity, with only a few cast members returning and important characters being absent. Exorcist II: The Heretic is widely regarded as one of the worst sequels and films ever made, with laughable dialogue, incomprehensible plot, and unconvincing special effects.

Which horror movie is banned in the world?

The Human Centipede was banned altogether from Icelandic, British, and Australian theaters and released in the US without a rating. Its sequel, The Human Centipede 2, was placed under even heavier bans, due to its exacerbation of the horrific elements in the first film.

Is it safe to watch The Exorcist?

Extreme violence, gore, and psychological torture. Parents need to know that The Exorcist is a terrifying 1970s horror film about a young girl who becomes demonically possessed and violent.

How did the girl get possessed in The Exorcist?

Two teenage friends, Angela (Lidya Jewett) and Katherine (Olivia Marcum) disappear in the woods one day while trying to perform a little ritual between the two of them, and end up summoning something dark that possesses them both.

Who was the girl in the original Exorcist?

When "The Exorcist" was released in 1973, Linda Blair was just 14 years old. Though the film generated a considerable amount of controversy, the young actress blew audiences away with her haunting performance as possessed preteen Regan MacNeil.

What does the opening scene of The Exorcist mean?

The beginning is Merrin realizing he is being called to be an exorcist. The evil knows him and he it and the beginning signifies, with all the imagery entailed, that Merrin will have to face down evil throughout his life.