The Exorcist (film)

The Exorcist is a 1973 American supernatural horror-drama film directed by William Friedkin, adapted by William Peter Blatty from his 1971 novel of the same name. The book, inspired by the 1949 exorcism of Roland Doe, deals with the demonic possession of a 12-year-old girl and her mother's attempts to win back her child through an exorcism conducted by two priests. The adaption is relatively faithful to the book, which itself has been commercially successful (hitting the New York Times bestseller list).

The film experienced a troubled production; even in the beginning, several prestigious film directors including Stanley Kubrick and Arthur Penn turned it down. Incidents, such as the toddler son of one of the main actors being hit by a motorbike and hospitalized, attracted claims that the set was 'cursed'. The complex special effects used as well as the nature of the film locations also presented severe challenges, such as the on-site film-making in Iraq leading to chronic illnesses among the crew as they dealt with 130 °F weather. The film's notable psychological themes include the nature of faith in the midst of doubt as well as the boundaries of maternal love as a mother has to do whatever she can to save her child. The movie features performances from Linda Blair, Ellen Burstyn, Jason Miller, Max von Sydow, and (in voice only) Mercedes McCambridge. Director William Friedkin came on board given the acclaim of his previous film, The French Connection.

The Exorcist

The Exorcist is an American media franchise originating with The Exorcist, a 1971 horror novel by William Peter Blatty and most prominently featured in a 1973 film adapted from the novel, and many prequels and sequels. All of these installments focus on fictional accounts of persons possessed by Pazuzu, and the efforts of religious authorities to counter this possession.

List of media

Media within this franchise includes:

See also

William Peter

William Peter (22 March 1788 - 6 February 1853) was a British diplomat and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1832 to 1835.

Peter was born at Harlyn, St Merryn, Cornwall, the son of Henry Peter and his wife Anna Maria. He was educated at Christ Church, Oxford, receiving BA in 1807 and MA in 1809. He was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn on 28 May 1813. After a few years in London, he returned to Cornwall where he was a J.P. and Deputy Lieutenant. He complied a two volume set of Speeches of Sir Samuel Romilly in the House of Commons, published in 1820.

At the 1832 general election Peter was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for Bodmin, and held the seat until 1835 when he stood down.

In 1840, he was living at Bruges when he received an appointment as HM Consul in Philadelphia USA. In the United States he married Sarah Ann Worthington King, daughter of Ohio Governor and U. S. Senator Thomas Worthington, and widow of Edward King a prominent Ohio politician and son of Minister to Great Britain Rufus King. She died in 1877 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Peter died in Philadelphia at the age of 64 and was buried in St Peter's Churchyard, Philadelphia.

William Peter Blatty

William Peter Blatty (born January 7, 1928) is an American writer and filmmaker.The Exorcist, written in 1971, is his most well-known novel; he also wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation, for which he won an Academy Award, and wrote and directed the sequel, The Exorcist III.

His most recent works include the novels Elsewhere (2009), Dimiter (2010), and Crazy (2010). In 2013, Demons Five, Exorcist Nothing: A Fable (1996) and Dimiter (2010) were re-released as revised editions with new covers and interior artwork. Each were limited to 250 signed copies. The former had its subtitle changed from A Fable to A Hollywood Christmas Carol.

Blatty's upcoming publications include The Exorcist For The 21st Century featuring "an original and never before published adaptation for a new miniseries of Blatty's classic novel," and a non-fiction book that is "part funny memoir and part proof of life after death," titled Finding Peter: A True Story Of The Hand Of Providence And Evidence Of Life After Death.

Linda Blair

Linda Denise Blair (born January 22, 1959) is an American actress. Blair is best known for her role as the possessed child, Regan, in the film The Exorcist (1973), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award and won a Golden Globe. She reprised her role in Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977).

Youth and beginnings

Blair was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and was raised in Westport, Connecticut. She began her career as a 6-year-old child model and started acting with a regular role on the short-lived Hidden Faces (1968–69) daytime soap opera. Her first theatrical film appearance was in The Way We Live Now (1970). Blair was selected from a field of 600 applicants for her most notable role as Regan in The Exorcist (1973). The role earned her a Golden Globe and People's Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress as well as an Academy Award nomination. She reprised her role in the sequel, Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977), garnering a Saturn Award nomination for Best Actress of 1978. Between these two films, she appeared in Born Innocent (1974),Airport 1975 (1974), Sarah T. – Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic (1975) and Sweet Hostage (1975) opposite Martin Sheen.