“The Exorcist” was the first horror film to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture.
50 years ago, the story of a girl possessed by an evil spirit caused a sensation that went beyond the cinemas.
From BBC
Directed by William “Bill” Friedkin – and based on the novel of the same name by William Peter Blatty – “The Exorcist” became a true cultural phenomenon.
Since its premiere on December 26, 1973, millions of people lined up to see the film, it was banned in several countries and it was reported that many viewers fainted or vomited from fear.
A New York Times article reported that scalpers were offering tickets for $50 and that a security guard received offers of $110 (about $768 in today's money) from people who asked him to get in touch to be at the head of the queue.
Mark Kermode, renowned British film critic, made a documentary for the BBC called “Fear of God” 25 years ago, in which he examined the film in conversations with Blatty, Friedkin, the actors and other people who played key roles in each of the films played, broken down The production lasts 121 minutes.
“They created something intangible, something that, to quote the film's tagline, is incomprehensible,” says Kermode, a self-confessed fan of the film.
Based on his opinion and the interviews he conducted, we have compiled five reasons that made “The Exorcist” one of the undisputed masterpieces of cinema history.
1. It could have happened at your neighbor's house (or yours).
Like the book, the film is based on the story of Regan, a girl on the verge of puberty who lives in a traditional house in Washington DC, is possessed by a demon and can be saved by Catholic priests.
“We wanted to make a scary movie, but I had no idea it would be as good or as scary,” Ellen Burstyn, who played Chris MacNeil, the girl's mother, says in the documentary.
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