William Friedkin’s The Exorcist was a massive box office hit back in its day. It once held the record for highest grossing horror movie ever made, although it’s since been topped by such hits as The Sixth Sense and It. It was also the first ever horror film to receive a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Demonic possession is one of the most well-worn tropes in horror cinema, but The Exorcist provided the definitive take on that trope; the one that every subsequent possession movie has been compared to.
Alfred Hitchcock Turned Down The Movie
When the film rights to William Peter Blatty’s novel The Exorcist were up for grabs, the book was offered to Alfred Hitchcock and he turned down the chance to produce a movie adaptation. Then, after another producer purchased the film rights, that producer offered Hitchcock the job of directing it, but he similarly turned it down.
Before William Friedkin was hired to helm the project, the director’s chair was offered to Peter Bogdanovich, Mike Nichols, John Boorman (who eventually directed the sequel), and Arthur Penn.
Audrey Hepburn Was William Friedkin’s First Choice For Chris MacNeil
Audrey Hepburn was director William Friedkin’s top choice for the role of Chris MacNeil, but she only wanted to do the movie if they shot it in Rome, which the studio wasn’t willing to do.
Jane Fonda was offered the role, but turned it down due to its supernatural elements. Shirley MacLaine was offered it, but chose to do a different film. Anne Bancroft couldn’t make the shoot because she was pregnant.
The White-Faced Demon Was Created From Rejected Makeup Tests
Throughout The Exorcist, there are a handful of chilling shots of a white-faced demon. This demon’s look was born out of makeup tests for the potential appearance of possessed Regan that were rejected.
Regan’s Spider Walk Was Performed By A Contortionist
One of the most terrifying moments in The Exorcist is when Regan does a spider walk down the stairs. This was performed by a contortionist named Linda R. Hager, suspended from a harness that was rigged up above the staircase.
William Friedkin removed this scene from the theatrical cut, because he worried it was a step too far and also couldn’t remove Hager’s wires from the shot. When they could be digitally removed, Friedkin added the scene back into the film for the 2000 extended edition.
The Vomit Scene Backfired
For the iconic scene in which Regan vomits all over Father Karras, the pea soup prop was supposed to hit the priest in the chest. However, the mechanism malfunctioned and sent the pea soup directly into Jason Miller’s face.
Miller’s repulsion was genuine, which worked beautifully for the scene. There are rumors that it wasn’t a malfunction at all, and that the crew tweaked the mechanism at the last second without telling Miller. Either way, it added a lot to the scene.
William Friedkin Deemed Jack Nicholson To Be To Unholy To Play Father Karras
Prior to the casting of Jason Miller, who requested the part after connecting to the character due to his own history of training as a priest, Jack Nicholson was up for the part of Father Karras. However, director William Friedkin considered Nicholson to be too unholy to play a priest.
Some of the biggest actors in Hollywood were considered for the role before Miller’s casting, including Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, Paul Newman, Christopher Walken, Burt Reynolds, James Caan, and Gene Hackman.
Ellen Burstyn Vetoed One Line Of Dialogue
When Ellen Burstyn signed on to star in The Exorcist, she asked for one of her lines to be removed from the script: “I believe in the Devil!,” which she refused to say. The producers agreed and the line was cut.
Stanley Kubrick Was Interested In Directing The Movie
When Warner Bros. got a hold of the film rights to The Exorcist and were looking for the perfect director to bring it to the screen, Stanley Kubrick was interested in directing the project, but only if he could produce it himself.
The studio feared that the notoriously meticulous Kubrick would go over budget and over schedule if they gave him too much creative control, so he was turned down. Kubrick eventually helmed a horror movie in 1980 when he co-wrote and directed an iconic film adaptation of Stephen King’s The Shining.
Linda Blair Received Death Threats For Starring In The Film
Since religious groups felt that The Exorcist glorified the worship of Satan and resented Linda Blair for starring in the film, they sent the poor actor death threats. In response to this, fearing for Blair’s safety, Warner Bros. hired bodyguards to protect Blair for six months after the movie hit theaters.
The Production Was Believed To Be Cursed
It is widely believed that the production of The Exorcist was cursed – possibly by the Devil himself – because the cast and crew faced endless problems. Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair both suffered from terrible back injuries, with the latter also developing a mental illness as a result of drug addiction.
Filming was delayed for six weeks when a fire destroyed every set except for Regan’s bedroom. The crew became so fearful that demons haunted the set that a real Roman Catholic priest was hired to protect the set from evil spirits.
