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The Exorcist (franchise)
Horror media franchise From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Exorcist is an American horror media franchise that originated with William Peter Blatty's 1971 horror novel (itself inspired by the 1949 exorcism of Roland Doe) and most prominently featured in a 1973 film adaptation of the novel, and many subsequent prequels and sequels. All of these installments focus on fictional accounts of people possessed by Pazuzu, the main antagonist of the series, and the efforts of religious authorities to counter this possession.
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The films have grossed over $661 million at the worldwide box office and the novel has sold over 13 million copies.[1] 20th Century Fox Television developed a 2016 television series as a continuation of the 1973 film, to generally positive reviews.[2] As of 2020, a reboot of the film series, which was later changed to a direct sequel to the 1973 film, was in development with David Gordon Green as director. Produced by Blumhouse Productions, the film was released by Universal Pictures on October 6, 2023. Following the failure of the film, plans for a trilogy were scrapped in favor of a reboot with Mike Flanagan as director.
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Novels
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The Exorcist (1971)
The Exorcist is a 1971 novel by American writer William Peter Blatty. It was adapted into the 1973 film of the same name. The book details the demonic possession of twelve-year-old Regan MacNeil, the daughter of a famous actress, and the two priests who attempt to exorcise the demon. It was published by Harper & Row.
The novel was inspired by a 1949 case of demonic possession and exorcism that Blatty heard about while he was a student in the class of 1950 at Georgetown University.[3] As a result, the novel takes place in Washington D.C. near the campus of Georgetown University. In September 2011, the novel was reprinted by HarperCollins to celebrate its 40th anniversary, with slight revisions made by Blatty as well as interior title artwork by Jeremy Caniglia.
Legion (1983)
Legion is the 1983 follow-up to the Exorcist novel, also written by William Peter Blatty. It was made into the movie The Exorcist III in 1990. Like The Exorcist, it involves demonic possession. The book was the focus of a court case over its exclusion from The New York Times Best Seller list.
Blatty based aspects of the Gemini Killer on the real-life Zodiac Killer,[4] who, in a January 1974 letter to the San Francisco Chronicle, had praised the original Exorcist film as "the best satirical comedy that I have ever seen".[5]
Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)
Exorcist: The Beginning is a novelization of the 2004 film of the same name. Written by Steven Piziks, it was released by Pocket Star on October 4, 2004.
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Films
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The Exorcist (1973)
The Exorcist is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin, adapted by William Peter Blatty from his 1971 novel of the same name, and starring Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, Max von Sydow, and Jason Miller.
The book, inspired by the 1949 exorcism of Roland Doe,[8][9] 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 adaptation is faithful to the book, which itself has been commercially successful (appearing on the New York Times bestseller list).[10][11]
Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
John Boorman's Exorcist II: The Heretic was released in 1977, and revisited Regan four years after her initial ordeal. The plot centers on Father Philip Lamont (Richard Burton), who is struggling with his faith, as he is assigned by the Cardinal (Paul Henreid) to investigate the death of Father Lankester Merrin (Max von Sydow). Merrin was killed during The Exorcist as he performed the titular exorcism of Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair). In flashback sequences, Regan gives Merrin his fatal heart attack, as well as scenes from the exorcism of a young boy named Kokumo in Africa many years earlier. The Cardinal informs Lamont (who has had some experience at exorcism, and has been exposed to Merrin's teachings) that Merrin is being investigated posthumously for heresy. Despite approval for the MacNeil exorcism by a bishop, the Church is no longer convinced that MacNeil was truly possessed, and the controversial nature of Merrin's books on the subject are being reconsidered as politically and theologically suspect.
The Exorcist III (1990)
Adapted and directed by Blatty from his 1983 novel Legion, the film stars George C. Scott and several cast members (Jason Miller (reprising his Academy Award-nominated role from The Exorcist), Ed Flanders, Scott Wilson and George DiCenzo) from Blatty's previous film The Ninth Configuration. The story takes place 15 years after the events of The Exorcist and turns a supporting character from the first film (philosophical police detective William F. Kinderman (Scott) into the main protagonist. He investigates a series of brutal murders in Georgetown that resemble the modus operandi of a serial killer executed about the time of the MacNeil exorcism.
Originally titled Legion, the film was drastically changed after rewrites and re-shoots ordered by the studio Morgan Creek Productions.[12] Studio executives demanded the addition of an exorcism sequence and retitled the film as The Exorcist III in order to more strongly tie the film to the rest of the franchise. All of the deleted footage was previously said to be lost/destroyed but has since been found and released in 2016 under the name "The Exorcist III: Legion".[13][14][15]
Despite his misgivings about the studio-imposed reshoots, Blatty is proud of the finished version of The Exorcist III, having said: "It's still a superior film. And in my opinion, and excuse me if I utter heresy here, but for me, it's a more frightening film than The Exorcist".[16] Nevertheless, Blatty had hoped to recover the deleted footage from the Morgan Creek vaults so that he might re-assemble the original cut of the film which he said was "rather different" from what was released, and a version of the film fans of the Exorcist series had been requesting. In 2007, Blatty's wife reported on a fan site that "my husband tells me that it is Morgan Creek's claim that they have lost all the footage, including an alternate opening scene in which Kinderman views the body of Karras in the morgue, right after his fall down the steps". According to Mark Kermode quoting an article dating to 2009, the search for the missing footage was "ongoing". The Exorcist III: Legion has since been released in 2016.[17]
Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)
Because of the studio's dissatisfaction with Schrader's version of the prequel (see below section Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist), Renny Harlin was hired as director to retool the movie. Harlin reused some of Schrader's footage but shot mostly new material to create a more conventional horror film. Harlin's new version, Exorcist: The Beginning, was released, but it was not well received.
The plot revolves around the crisis of faith suffered by Father Merrin (Stellan Skarsgård) following the horrific events he witnessed during World War II. After WWII, Merrin is an archaeologist in Cairo, when he is approached by a collector of antiquities who asks him to come to a British excavation in the Turkana region of Kenya. This dig is excavating a Christian Byzantine church from the 5th century—long before Christianity had reached that region. Further, the church is in perfect condition, as though it had been buried immediately after the construction was completed. Merrin is asked to participate in the dig and find an ancient relic hidden in the ruins before the British do. Merrin takes the job but soon discovers that all is not well—something evil lies in the church and is infecting the region. The local tribesman hired to dig refuse to enter the building, and there are stories of an epidemic that wiped out an entire village. However, when Merrin, growing suspicious of these rumors, digs up one of the graves of the supposed victims of this plague, he discovers it is empty. Meanwhile, the evil grows, turning people against each other and resulting in violence, atrocities, and more bloodshed.
Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (2005)
A prequel film attracted attention and controversy before its release in 2004; it went through a number of directorial and script changes, such that two versions were ultimately released. John Frankenheimer was originally hired as director for the project, but he withdrew before filming started due to health concerns. He died a month later. Paul Schrader then replaced him. Upon completion, the studio rejected Schrader's version as being too slow and hired another director to retool the movie. Nine months after the release of the retooled movie (see above section Exorcist: The Beginning), Schrader's original version, retitled Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist, was given a small theatrical release.
Several years before the events in The Exorcist, the young Father Lankester Merrin (played by Skarsgård, who played the same part in the Exorcist: The Beginning) travels to East Africa. Merrin has taken a sabbatical from the Church and devoted himself to history and archaeology as he struggles with his shattered faith. He is haunted especially by an incident in a small village in occupied Holland during World War II, where he served as the parish priest. Near the end of the war, a sadistic Nazi SS commander, in retaliation for the murder of a German trooper, forces Merrin to participate in arbitrary executions in order to save a full village from slaughter. He meets up with a team of archaeologists, who are seeking to unearth a church that they believe has been buried for centuries. At first, Merrin resists the idea that supernatural forces are in play but eventually helps them, and the ensuing events result in an encounter with Pazuzu, the same demon referenced in The Exorcist.
The Exorcist: Believer (2023)
In August 2020, it was revealed that Morgan Creek Entertainment was developing a theatrical reboot of The Exorcist.[18] In December, Blumhouse Productions and Morgan Creek changed the reboot to a "direct" sequel which would be directed by Halloween's director David Gordon Green. Jason Blum, David Robinson and James Robinson would produce.[19][20][21] Though the film serves as a direct follow-up to the original, Green confirmed that each of the franchise installments are still canon to his new film.[22]
In July 2021, it was revealed that a trilogy of sequels were in development with David Gordon Green attached as director on each film. Green and Peter Sattler would write the screenplays, from a story by Green, Scott Teems, and Danny McBride.[6][23] Jason Blum would serve as producer, alongside James Robinson and David Robinson.[24] Burstyn would reprise her role from the original film, with Leslie Odom Jr. co-starring. The projects would be joint-venture productions between Blumhouse Productions and Morgan Creek Entertainment, with Universal Pictures serving as distributing company. Universal collaborated with Peacock to purchase distribution rights for $400 million total. The second and third films of the trilogy were being optioned as Peacock exclusive films. Later that month, Linda Blair stated that she had not yet been contacted to reprise her role from the original film.[25]
In June 2022, Burstyn stated that she had completed production for her part in the film, revealing that principal photography had commenced some time previous.[26] The film was theatrically released on October 6, 2023.[27] The movie received a poor reception, leading to the studio cancelling the remainder of Green's planned trilogy.[28]
Untitled The Exorcist reboot (2026)
By May 2024, Mike Flanagan was in talks to direct the next Exorcist film.[29] Later that month, Flanagan was confirmed to be directing, writing and producing a new Exorcist film as a reboot.[30][31] The reboot is slated for release on March 13, 2026.[32]
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Television
The Exorcist (2016–2017)
In 2016, 20th Century Fox Television developed a television series of The Exorcist, designed as a continuation of the film.[33] The premise was described as "a propulsive, serialized psychological thriller following two very different men tackling one family's case of horrifying demonic possession, and confronting the face of true evil".[34] Rupert Wyatt directed the pilot episode[35] whilst Alfonso Herrera and Ben Daniels were cast as Father Tomas Ortega and Father Marcus Keane.[36] Geena Davis was cast as Angela Rance in the pilot.[37] The pilot was filmed in Chicago in early 2016.[38][39] The series ran for two seasons, and was canceled by Fox in May 2018.[40]
Cast and characters
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List indicators
This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in more than two films in the series.
- An empty grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.
- A indicates an appearance through archival footage or audio.
- C indicates a cameo role.
- G indicates a guest appearance in the season.
- M indicates an appearance in onscreen movie footage.
- O indicates an older version of the character.
- P indicates an appearance in onscreen photographs.
- R indicates a recurring role in the season.
- U indicates an uncredited appearance.
- V indicates a voice-only role.
- Y indicates a younger version of the character.
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Additional crew and production details
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Reception
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Box office and financial performance
Critical and public response
Accolades
The Exorcist was nominated for ten Academy Awards in 1974, winning two. It was the first horror film to be nominated for Best Picture.[63] The film was also nominated for seven Golden Globes, winning four.[64]
Other Accolades and recognitions
American Film Institute recognition:
- 100 Years... 100 Thrills – #3
- 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains – Regan MacNeil – Villain #9
In 1991, The Exorcist III won a Saturn Award from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA, for Best Writing and was nominated for two more. However, it was also nominated for Worst Actor at the Golden Raspberry Awards.[65] In 2005, Exorcist: The Beginning was nominated for two Golden Raspberry Awards. In 2024, The Exorcist: Believer was nominated for five Golden Raspberry Awards, but lost all categories it was nominated for to fellow horror film, Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey.[66][67]
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Legacy
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The success of The Exorcist inspired a string of possession-related films worldwide. The first was Beyond the Door, a 1974 Italian film with Juliet Mills as a woman possessed by the devil. It appeared one year later in the United States. Also in 1974, a Turkish film, Şeytan (Turkish for Satan; the original film was also shown with the same name), is an almost scene-for-scene remake of the original. That same year in Germany, the exorcism-themed film Magdalena, vom Teufel besessen was released. Similarly, a blaxploitation film was released in 1974 titled Abby. While the films Şeytan and Magdalena, vom Teufel besessen were protected from prosecution due to the laws of their countries of origin, Abby's producers (filming in Louisiana) were sued by Warner. The film was pulled from theaters, but not before making $4 million at the box office. In 1975, Britain released The Devil Within Her (also called I Don't Want to Be Born) with Joan Collins as an exotic dancer who gives birth to a demon-possessed child.
Mexican comedians Los Polivoces (The Multivoices) made a copy-parody called El Exorcista. Eduardo Manzano incarned the "possession" and hard make-up was used. Flying clothes were used as "phantoms" and rotoscoping techniques make his bed fly.
A parody called The Exorcist: Italian Style was made in Italy in 1977 by actor and comedian Ciccio Ingrassia. Another parody, Repossessed, was released the same year as The Exorcist III, with Blair lampooning the role that she had played in the original. The prologue for Scary Movie 2 was a short parody of several scenes from the original film.
In 1987, Warner Bros. released an animated short starring Daffy Duck titled "The Duxorcist", which was a parody of The Exorcist, in which a group of spirits possess a female duck. Daffy does eventually succeed in getting them out of the female character.
An episode of The Simpsons titled "Home Sweet Homediddly-Dum-Doodily" features Bart, Lisa, and Maggie getting put under the care of the Flanders family. After Lisa reveals that neither she, Bart nor Maggie is baptized, Ned decides to baptize them. On the way to the baptism, Maggie turns her head around in a way similar to Linda Blair in The Exorcist. The film was also parodied in "Fland Canyon", "Treehouse of Horror", "Treehouse of Horror XVI", and "Treehouse of Horror XXVIII" (with the first segment based entirely on the film).
In Bride of Chucky, when Chucky is on the bed, his head turns all the way around just before killing Damien. Tiffany watches this in excitement.
In the children's horror anthology series Goosebumps, the episode "Cry of the Cat" is about a pair of rude teenage actors making a parody of The Exorcist, with their cat as the possessed being.
In the animated comedy horror series Courage the Cowardly Dog, the episode "The Demon In The Mattress" is a direct spoof of the film, using several plot elements that were lifted straight from The Exorcist. In the episode, Muriel orders a comfy new mattress, not paying attention to the grotesque deliveryman nor the sinister horse-drawn carriage that had delivered it. Unaware of the demon in the mattress, she is later possessed by it when she is sleeping.
In Angel: Earthly Possessions, a spin-off comic story based on the television series Angel, the protagonist Angel finds himself dealing with a priest who performs exorcisms, but comes to realize that the priest is summoning the demons for him to exorcise in the first place. He also makes a note of The Exorcist film, noting that the vision that it created of possession actually made things easier for possession demons by making it harder for humans to know what to expect from a possession.
A meta-reference to the film was made in an episode of Supernatural titled "The Usual Suspects". In the show, demons possessing humans is a common plot element; demons in the series are human souls corrupted by their time in Hell, lacking physical bodies of their own to interact with Earth. Linda Blair appeared in "The Usual Suspects" as a police detective, with the protagonist Dean Winchester finding her character familiar and expressing a strange desire for pea soup at the episode's conclusion.
The film was parodied in The Boondocks episode "Stinkmeaner Strikes Back".
In the episode of Gravity Falls titled "The Inconveniencing", Mabel twisting her head 180 degrees whilst being possessed by a ghost is a reference to a scene in The Exorcist in which Pazuzu, possessing Regan MacNeil, turns its head 180 degrees.
The 2013 disaster comedy film This Is the End referred to the exorcism when Jonah Hill is possessed by a demon and Jay Baruchel performs an exorcism on him by repeating lines from the film.
In the paranormal television series Ghost Adventures, the producers visited the "Exorcist house" for the 100th episode of the series. In the episode, Zak Bagans, Nick Groff, and Aaron Goodwin visit the house to see that an exorcism occurred there in 1949. The episode has been announced as one of the scariest lockdowns since Bobby Mackeys.
In 2014, British author Saurav Dutt released a book titled Pazuzu Unbound, which is set in contemporary times dealing with the demon Pazuzu but which does not deal with the original characters in the film and novel on which the book is inspired.
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Home media
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A limited-edition box set was released in 1998. It was limited to 50,000 copies, with available copies circulating around the Internet. There are two versions; a special edition VHS and a special edition DVD. The only difference between the two copies is the recording format.
On the DVD
- The original film with restored film and digitally remastered audio, with a 1.85:1 widescreen aspect ratio.
- An introduction by director William Friedkin.
- The 1998 BBC documentary. The Fear of God: The Making of "The Exorcist".
- 2 audio commentaries.
- Interviews with the director and writer.
- Theatrical trailers and TV spots.
In the box
- A commemorative 52-page tribute book, covering highlights of the film's preparation, production, and release; features previously unreleased historical data and archival photographs.
- Limited edition soundtrack CD of the film's score, including the original (unused) soundtrack (Tubular Bells and Night of the Electric Insects omitted).
- 8 lobby card reprints.
- Exclusive senitype film frame (magnification included).
Blu-ray
A Blu-ray edition features a new restoration, including both the 1973 theatrical version and the "version you've never seen" from 2000. It was released on October 5, 2010.[68]
In preparation for the first film's 41st anniversary, the complete collection of the series was released as The Exorcist: The Complete Anthology containing all five films restored on Blu-ray in September 2014. The rest of the installments of the franchise were also given an individual release for the first time on Blu-ray with the exception of Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist which can only be obtained on Blu-ray by purchasing the collection.
Cut scenes
Contortionist Linda R. Hager was hired to perform the infamous "spider-walk scene" that was filmed on April 11, 1973. Friedkin deleted the scene just prior to the original December 26, 1973 release date because he felt it was ineffective technically. However, with advanced developments in digital media technology, Friedkin worked with CGI artists to make the scene look more convincing for the 2000 theatrically re-released version of The Exorcist: The Version You've Never Seen. Since the original release, myths and rumors still exist that a variety of spider-walk scenes were filmed[69][better source needed] despite Friedkin's insistence that no alternate version was ever shot.[70]
In 1998, Warner Brothers re-released the digitally remastered DVD of The Exorcist: 25th Anniversary Special Edition. This DVD includes the special feature BBC documentary, The Fear of God: The Making of The Exorcist,[71] highlighting the never-before-seen original non-bloody version of the spider-walk scene. The updated "bloody version" of the spider-walk scene appears in the 2000 re-release of The Exorcist: The Version You've Never Seen utilizing CGI technology to incorporate the special effect of blood pouring from Regan's mouth during this scene's finale.
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Other media
Stage
In February 2008, American playwright John Pielmeier expressed his interest in adapting William Peter Blatty's novel of the same name into a play and soon met with Blatty. He then began working on a script for the play, in which the first draft was completed within ten days.[72] The Exorcist first premiered at the Geffen Playhouse, Los Angeles in 2012.
Video game
An episodic video game adaptation exclusive to virtual reality, titled The Exorcist: Legion VR, was developed by Wolf & Wood, Ltd. and published by Fun Train for Steam VR, Meta Quest (formerly Oculus) and PlayStation VR headsets in 2018. The game is loosely based on the premise and events of The Exorcist III.[73][74]
Theme park attraction
In 2025, a haunted house attraction called Universal Horror Unleashed will feature characters from the film franchise.[75]
Cancelled projects
In November 2009, Blatty planned to direct a miniseries of The Exorcist.[76][77]
In September 2015, Morgan Creek Productions was selling its library of films, while retaining remake and sequel rights to key properties, including The Exorcist. Rumors began circulating that the original film would be remade, which was later denied by Morgan Creek.[78]
In July 2021, when a trilogy of new Exorcist films was announced, two sequels were confirmed to be concurrently in development. David Gordon Green was slated to serve as director, while work on the scripts for the two additional movies was ongoing.[79][80] By July 2023, the first sequel was officially titled The Exorcist: Deceiver and slated for release on April 18, 2025.[81][82] On January 11, 2024, the film was removed from Universal's release calendar when Green departed as director as he focused on his production of Nutcrackers starring Ben Stiller, as well as season four of HBO's The Righteous Gemstones.[83] By May 2024, plans for the trilogy were scrapped following the poor reception of Believer.[30]
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See also
- The Exorcist: Italian Style or L'esorciccio, a 1975 Italian comedy film that parodies the original 1973 film.
- Possessed, a TV movie claiming to follow the true accounts that inspired Blatty to write The Exorcist.
- Exorcist (disambiguation)
- Exorcism
Notes
References
External links
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