1/13/2024 0 Comments Exorcist subliminal cutsUltimately production took twice as long as scheduled and cost more than twice the initial budget. A fire destroyed the majority of the set, and Blair and Burstyn suffered long-term injuries in on-set accidents. Principal photography was also difficult. After turning down, or being turned down by, major stars of the era, they cast Burstyn, a relative unknown, as well as unknowns Blair and Miller (author of a hit play with no film acting experience) the casting choices were vigorously opposed by studio executives at Warner Bros. It is the first installment in The Exorcist film series, and follows the demonic possession of a young girl and her mother's attempt to rescue her through an exorcism conducted by a pair of Catholic priests.ĭespite the book's bestseller status, Blatty, who produced, and Friedkin, his choice for director, had difficulty casting the film. Cobb, Kitty Winn, Jack MacGowran (in his final film role), Jason Miller and Linda Blair. The film stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Lee J. The much remembered projectile vomiting doesn’t occur until much later, by which time those who have come merely for cheap shocks have long since tuned out.The Exorcist is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin and written for the screen by William Peter Blatty, based on his 1971 novel of the same name. One of William Friedkin’s master strokes was knowing that viewers would already be worked up into a state before enterting the theatre, because the novel was so controversial and no one knew how they would film it without getting an X-rating, so he played off the expectation, toying with the audience for the first half-hour with nothing but an enigmatic prologue in Iraq and scratching noises in the attic. That’s not what the film is about, despite its reputation. Well, almost no film can overcome a willful desire not to be entertained.Īs far as boring, well, yeah, if you go in expecting special effects and violence from scene one, then you will be bored. Whereas once people went to the film in anticipation of being scared, now they go in as if challenged, and put up resistance to the film. I think what has happened is that the audience attitude has changed. I saw the film again a few years agot at a midnight screenining in Westood, California, and I have to disagree with those today who insist that it is no longer scary or that it is camp. At any rate, I doubt this happened very often (I saw the film three or four times during its intial release and never observed such an incident) probably the media exaggerated a very few incidents. If people had been waiting out in the sun, without eating anything, they might even be light-headed to begin with, hence the potential fainting. I would be willing to bet that the advance word-of-mouth, apprehension over the subject matter, the notoriety of the book, and the long time waiting…waiting…waiting to get inside and finally see the movie–all these contributed to a mindset conducive to being scared witless. The film played in only 60 theatres for several months if people wanted to go, they had to drive downtown and stand in line for hours. Remember, THE EXORCIST was released in the days before wide national releases opened films on 2000 screens the first weekend. Seems he had tried to identify the subliminals in the days before home videotape, laserdisc, and DVD needless to say, without frame-by-frame analysis, he ended up way off the mark.īy the way, I doubt the subliminals had much to do with the stories of people fainting in theatres. While pointing out the subliminals that actually are in the film, they also dissed an earlier article written by the guy that did that “Subliminal Seduction” book. There’s a big difference.Įven if Karras had committed a mortal sin (suicide or any other), he would not have been damned at the end of the film, as he makes a final (albeit silent) confession before dying.Īs for subliminal messages, Video Watchdog magazine did a good article on this (sorry, can’t remember the issue). No, Father Karras did not commit suicide at the end of THE EXORCIST he performed an act of martyrdom in order to save Reagen Teresa MacNeil.
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