The Exorcist (film series)

The Exorcist
The Exorcist: The Complete Anthology box set containing all 5 films
Directed by	William Friedkin (The Exorcist) John Boorman (Exorcist II: The Heretic) William Peter Blatty (The Exorcist III) Renny Harlin (Exorcist: The Beginning) Paul Schrader (Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist)
Produced by	Carter DeHaven John Boorman William Peter Blatty Noel Marshall
Written by	William Peter Blatty (The Exorcist, The Exorcist III) William Goodhart Uncredited: John Boorman Rospo Pallenberg (Exorcist II)
Starring	see individual articles
Music by	Barry Devorzon Ennio Morricone Jack Nitzsche Mike Oldfield
Cinematography	Gerry Fisher William A. Fraker
Edited by	Peter Lee Thompson Todd Ramsay Tom Priestley Norman Gay
Production company	Morgan Creek Productions (III)
Distributed by	Warner Bros. (The Exorcist, Exorcist II and current rights holder of III) 20th Century Fox (III)
Release date	1973 (The Exorcist) 1977 (Exorcist II: The Heretic) 1990 (The Exorcist III) 2000 (The Exorcist: The Version You've Never Seen) 2004 (Exorcist: The Beginning) 2005 (Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist)
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$147 million
Box office	$661,478,540 (worldwide total, all five films)

The Exorcist is an American horror franchise consisting of five installments based on the novel The Exorcist, created by William Blatty, and part of The Exorcist franchise. The films have been distributed by Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox.

The films have grossed over $661 million at the worldwide box office. Critics have given the films mixed reviews. In 2004, a prequel (Exorcist: The Beginning) was released. This was the second version of the prequel film made at that time as the first version (directed by Paul Schrader) was deemed unsatisfactory by the studio upon completion, and the entire project was refilmed by director Renny Harlin. However, Schrader's version received a limited release in 2005, after Harlin's, and was titled Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist. On January 22, 2016, 20th Century Fox Television announced they were developing a television series of The Exorcist. It premiered on September 23, 2016.

Based on the 1971 novel by William Peter Blatty, The Exorcist marries three scenarios into one plot.

The movie opens with Father Merrin (Max von Sydow) on an archaeological dig in Al-hadar, near Nineveh, in Iraq. He is alerted that a small carving is found in the dig, resembling a grimacing, bestial creature. After talking to one of his supervisors, he travels to a statue of Pazuzu; the small carving resembles the head of the statue. He sees ominous figures and two dogs fight viciously nearby, setting the tone for the rest of the film.