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William Friedkin's “The Exorcist” is known both within and outside the industry
for having one of the most chilling production stories in film history.
According to accounts from various members of the production team, a large
number of supposedly “paranormal” events occurred before, during, and after its
release.
The fire.
A few days before filming began, the set depicting the MacNeils' house was
destroyed by a devastating fire. Strangely, the flames consumed everything
except the room where the exorcism was being filmed. According to subsequent
investigations, the cause was a bird that had flown into the building and
caused a short circuit in the electrical panel.
Deaths.
The fire delayed the start of filming by six weeks. It seemed as though the
rough patch was behind them, but on the second day, Max von Sydow, who
played Father Merrin, asked for permission to take time off because his
brother had passed away. A few days later, Linda Blair, the lead actress,
was also absent for a few days because her grandfather had died. The
characters played by Jack MacGowran (Burke Dennings) and Vasiliki Maliaros
(Father Karras’s mother), who died in the film, did not live to see the
premiere; both died during post-production. One of the technicians was
murdered, and the night watchman guarding the studio was found dead. The son
of actor Jason Miller (Father Karras) nearly lost his life in a motorcycle
accident while his father was working on the film.
Supernatural phenomena.
From the official start of filming on August 14, 1972, strange noises were
reported, and some crew members claimed to have seen furtive shadows.
Friedkin and Blatty tried to reassure the crew by saying they were just
imagining things, but rumors quickly began to spread that the film was
cursed.
Whether they were just imagining things or not, many claimed that on set,
lights would fall, footsteps and voices could be heard, objects would
vanish, including tapes with already-filmed scenes, and that if they
answered the phone, they could hear whispers. Amid that atmosphere, as
oppressive as it was tense, whenever the crew took a few minutes’ break,
Friedkin could think of nothing better than to play the music from
“Psycho” in the background.
At one point, Ellen Burstyn, who played the mother of the possessed girl,
refused to continue filming unless they cut the lines that said
“I believe in the devil,” because she claimed there would be
consequences. The production agreed.
Accidents.
During the infamous crucifix scene, the script called for Regan to slam her
mother against a wall, and to prevent accidents, a harness was supposed to
protect her. But during filming, the technician pulled too hard, and the
actress fell violently. The impact was so severe that she let out a
horrifying scream of pain. Far from cutting the scene, the director kept
filming, and her heart-wrenching screams were left in the final cut.
Afterward, Friedkin demanded that Father Thomas Bermingham, the film’s
spiritual advisor, perform a real exorcism, but the priest said that would
only make everyone more nervous and that it would be better if he simply
blessed them.
For her part, the young actress Linda Blair also suffered a back injury due to
a technical malfunction in the mechanical bed, which was moving violently
during the possession scenes. Fortunately, it wasn't anything serious.
Murders.
In 1979, actor Paul Bateson, who had a small role in the film as a
radiologist's assistant, was convicted of murdering a film critic and was
suspected of six other crimes. In 1987, the son of Mercedes McCambridge, the
woman who voiced the demon that possessed Regan, killed his wife and
children and then committed suicide.
Questionable directing practices.
Some of the events that occurred were not the result of occult forces but of
questionable behavior. Friedkin used unusual methods to elicit the desired
reactions from his actors. Jason Miller, who played Father Karras, was
supposed to look terrified in the presence of the possessed girl, but the
director was not satisfied with the actor’s expression. Determined to get
what he wanted, he brought a gun to the set and, without saying a word,
began firing during the scene in question. The look of panic he elicited
from the actor was not an act.
The director wasn't satisfied with the expression on Father William
O'Malley's face either. He walked over to him and slapped him across the
face. Seeing his reaction, he said,
“That's the expression I wanted, now let's shoot.”
In another scene, Regan vomited a disgusting green substance all over Father
Karras. What no one told the actor was that Linda was ready to throw a
mixture of disgusting, foul-smelling puree in his face. The expression
captured on film is that of the genuine disgust the actor felt.
To film the scene with the icy breath, Friedkin had four air conditioners
installed in Regan's bedroom, which lowered the temperature to between -10
°C and -30 °C. Linda was wearing only a nightgown.
It is known that at the start of the project, Blatty and Friedkin, the
screenwriter and director, respectively, were close friends. But once
filming began, conflicts arose between them. Friedkin told him that the film
had too many premonitions, a contrived style, and that it needed to be more
direct. The screenwriter countered by claiming that Friedkin was overusing
special effects and that the one they used when Regan turned her head was
ridiculous rather than terrifying.
Shocking screenings.
When “The Exorcist” began screening in movie theaters, many viewers fainted,
vomited, and suffered panic attacks, leading to rumors of alleged lawsuits.
Minutes before the screening, during its premiere at the Metropolitano
Cinema in Rome, a thunderstorm caused a 400-year-old metal cross located at
the nearby church of Sant'Agnese in Agone to fall.
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