The Exorcist (film)
| The Exorcist | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | William Friedkin |
| Produced by | William Peter Blatty |
| Screenplay by | William Peter Blatty |
| Based on |
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty |
| Starring | |
| Music by |
Mike Oldfield Jack Nitzsche |
| Cinematography |
Owen Roizman Billy Williams (Iraq sequences) |
| Edited by | Evan A. Lottman Norman Gay |
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Production
company |
Hoya Productions
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| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
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Release date
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Running time
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121 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language |
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| Budget | $12 million |
| Box office | $402.7–441.3 million |
The Exorcist is a 1973 American psychological horror film directed by William Friedkin, adapted by William Peter Blatty from his 1971 novel of the same name, and starring Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, Max von Sydow, and Jason Miller. The film is part of The Exorcist franchise. The book, inspired by the 1949 exorcism of Roland Doe, deals with the demonic possession of a 12-year-old girl and her mother's attempts to win back her child through an exorcism conducted by two priests. The adaptation is relatively faithful to the book, which itself has been commercially successful (hitting the New York Times bestseller list).
The film experienced a troubled production; even in the beginning, several prestigious film directors including Stanley Kubrick and Arthur Penn turned it down. Incidents, such as the toddler son of one of the main actors being hit by a motorbike and hospitalized, attracted claims that the set was 'cursed'. The complex special effects used as well as the nature of the film locations also presented severe challenges. The film's notable psychological themes include the nature of faith in the midst of doubt as well as the boundaries of maternal love as a mother has to do whatever she can to save her child.
The Exorcist was released theatrically in the United States by Warner Bros. on December 26, 1973. Though booked at first in only twenty-six theaters across the U.S., it soon became a major commercial success. The film earned ten Academy Award nominations, winning two (Best Sound Mixing and Best Adapted Screenplay). It became one of the highest-grossing films in history, grossing over $441 million worldwide in the aftermath of various re-releases, and was the first horror film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.
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