The Exorcist

The Exorcist

William Friedkin

(1973)

When a mysterious entity possesses a young girl, her mother seeks the help of two Catholic priests to save her life.

Music for Reading The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty (Book Soundtrack)

Cast

Ellen Burstyn
Chris MacNeil: Ellen Burstyn
Linda Blair
Regan MacNeil: Linda Blair
Jason Miller
Father Damien Karras: Jason Miller
Max von Sydow
Father Lankester Merrin: Max von Sydow
Ellen Burstyn
Chris MacNeil: Ellen Burstyn
Linda Blair
Regan MacNeil: Linda Blair
Jason Miller
Father Damien Karras: Jason Miller
Max von Sydow
Father Lankester Merrin: Max von Sydow
Lee J. Cobb
Lt. Bill Kinderman: Lee J. Cobb

Crew

ProducerWilliam Peter Blatty
DirectorWilliam Friedkin
NovelWilliam Peter Blatty
ScreenplayWilliam Peter Blatty
EditorEvan A. Lottman

Hook

The horror is patient. It was here before you arrived and it will be here after. The Exorcist builds dread through accumulation — each strange detail a thread pulling toward something irreversible.

Identity

The Exorcist was the first horror film ever to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. It won two Academy Awards, for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound, and its influence on horror cinema has been immeasurable, shaping how the genre approaches psychological and supernatural terror for decades.

Collector Focus

Regan's contorted face and Friedkin's clinical approach produced the most commercially successful fright film of its era — walkouts, protests, and decades of analysis making every associated artifact a document of a genuine cultural event as much as a genre collectible.

Context

Directed by William Friedkin and based on William Peter Blatty's bestselling 1971 novel, which Blatty also adapted for the screenplay, the film was produced on a budget of approximately $12 million. It grossed over $440 million worldwide on its original release, making it one of the highest-grossing films of its era. It won two Academy Awards, for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound, and its influence on horror cinema has been immeasurable, shaping how the genre approaches psychological and supernatural terror for decades.

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