"EXORCIST" TURNS HEADS

          Celebrating 45 years of horror's compelling box-office blockbuster.
          Adapted by William Peter Blatty from his 1971 novel, The Exorcist (which Blatty also produced) is a tale of demonic possession loosely based on the supposedly true story of a boy possessed in 1949.
          Ellen Burstyn plays Chris MacNeil, a famous actress renting a Federalist-style house in Georgetown while making a film. Her daughter Regan (Blair), is a perfectly normal, healthy 12 year-old girl--until gradually, inexplicably, she behaves increasingly strangely. So strangely, Chris takes Regan to a doctor.
          Meanwhile, a Jesuit priest named Damien Karras (Miller) is suffering a crisis of faith. The guilt-ridden son of an ailing mother, Father Karras is continually confronted by the dark side of humanity. Eventually, when the medical world can't do anything to help Regan, Chris asks Father Karras for help.
          In a special feature of the Extended Director's Cut of The Exorcist, William Friedkin reveals that the opening scene set in Northern Iraq was filmed in Mosul at an actual archeological dig. The scene is important because it establishes the mythology behind the film. "Out of this ancient land," says Friedkin, "a priest/archeologist gets a premonition."
          As Father Merrin, Max von Sydow (the knight who plays chess with Death in The Seventh Seal) seems venerable and vulnerable, frail with a heart condition, but incredibly the actor was only 43 or 44 when filming.
          The demon which possesses Regan is called Pazuzu. A Mesopotamian deity, Pazuzu was the king of the demons of the wind and brother of Humbaba. The voice of Pazuzu comes from Mercedes McCambridge, whom Orson Welles praised as radio's greatest actress.
          Boasting a Ouija board, green slime, and an invisible buddy named Captain Howdy, The Exorcist excels at planting subtle cinematic seeds which reach full fruition in a confrontation between good and evil.
          Little-known fact: Before penning the novel, Blatty--who died just last year--co-wrote with Blake Edwards the screenplay for the first Inspector Clouseau movie, A Shot in the Dark (1964).
          Following in the steps of Rosemary's Baby (1968), The Exorcist features Old-Time devilry in a modern urban setting, yet differs in that it focuses also on the special effects required to demonstrate the murderous demon possessing the innocent child.
          One of the highest-grossing films ever, it is the first horror movie to get nominated for the Best Picture Oscar.
          The film spawned four sequels and a TV series currently in its third season.

THE EXORCIST
Starring Ellen Burstyn,
Linda Blair,
Max von Sydow,
Jason Miller,
Lee J. Cobb,
Jack MacGowran
Directed by William Friedkin
Written by William Peter Blatty
Runtime 122 minutes
Rated R