CINEMA NEWS – The Exorcist, produced in 1973, went down in film history as the best horror film of all time and, unusually, became a legend upon its release. William Peter Blatty’s bestseller, from which it was adapted, was well known, and according to leaked preliminary information, the film itself not only lived up to the book, but also surpassed it.

There were long lines snaking in front of theaters showing The Exorcist, and there were people who even gave ticket buyers a hundred dollars to get into the screening. Until then, there were not many examples of the audience itself participating in the promotion of the film, even if in an unorthodox way. A lot of people got sick while watching the film, they staggered out of the room dizzy, and those waiting outside sat down for the next screening already excited because of this. It was recorded that the film had such an effect that one woman miscarried, several people had heart attacks, and a young woman ran outside catatonically repeating Jesus, Jesus.

The biggest stars of the era, Peul Newman and Jack Nicholson, also applied for the role of the exorcist priest, but the creators chose the relatively unknown Jason Miller, because he received a Jesuit education, so he was structurally close to him the character. Another interesting feature of The Exorcist is that roughly half of the audience interpreted the ending as the victory of Evil, even though the self-sacrificing priest succeeded in driving away the demon. With this, the creators wanted to convey that man is still worthy of divine grace.

The Exorcist‘s story continues 50 years later, in the form of a trilogy. In the upcoming The Exorcist: The Believer, two little girls are possessed by the demon, and the desperate parents ask for the help of the character of Ellen Burstyn: in the first film, she played Megan captured by the Evil One. his mother.

The sequel is coming next year: The Exorcist: Believer (approx. The Exorcist: The Deceiver).

(The Exorcist: Believer – domestic release: October 12, 2023.)

Source: UIP Dunafilm