THE EXORCIST (1973) and its sequels & prequels

[Richard--W a straight arrow Find all posts View Profile Close Richard--W]

I didn't see a thread committed to this franchise, so I'll initiate a thread with this clipping from Cinefantastique, Volume 3 Number 4 (1974):











I first saw THE EXORCIST in the freezing cold winter of January 1974. It had opened Christmas day and had not yet come to neighborhood theaters. I saw on a Friday the first day of the Famous Monsters / Hammer Convention at the Commodore Hotel. I went to the late morning screening so that I could get to the convention by early afternoon, several blocks uptown. I waited on line longer than the movie lasted. It was worth it, because nobody had ever seen anything like it before. It's all old-hat now, but when THE EXORCIST was new, it was NEW.

[Richard--W a straight arrow Find all posts View Profile Close Richard--W]

The inspiration for the novel and the movie:

Priest Frees Mt. Rainier Boy Reported Held in Devil's Grip

By Bill Brinkley
Post Reporter
Friday, Aug. 20, 1949

In what is perhaps one of the most remarkable experiences of its kind in recent
religious history, a 14-year-old Mount Rainier boy has been freed by a Catholic
priest of possession by the devil, Catholic sources reported yesterday.

Only after between 20 and 30 performances of the ancient ritual of exorcism,
here and in St. Louis, was the devil finally cast out of the boy, it was said.

In all except the last of these, the boy broke into a violent tantrum of screaming,
cursing and voicing of Latin phrases-a language he had never studied-whenever
the priest reached the climactic point of the ritual, "In the name of the Father,
the Son and the Holy Ghost, I cast thee (the devil) out."

In complete devotion to his task, the priest stayed with the boy over a period of
two months, during which he said he personally witnessed such manifestations
as the bed in which the boy was sleeping suddenly moving across the room.

A Washington Protestant minister had previously reported personally witnessing
similar manifestations, including one in which the pallet on which the sleeping
boy lay slid slowly across the floor until the boy's head bumped against a bed,
awakening him.

In another instance, reported by the Protestant minister, a heavy armchair in
which the boy was sitting with his knees drawn under his chin tilted slowly to
one side and fell over, throwing the boy on the floor.

The final rite of exorcism in which the devil was cast from the boy took place
in May, it was reported ...

A priest here voiced the belief that it was probably the first casting out of the
devil through the ritual in at least a century of Catholic activities here and
perhaps in the entire history of the church in this area. ...

The boy was taken to Georgetown University Hospital here where his affliction
was exhaustively studied, and to St. Louis University. Both are Jesuit institutions.

Finally, both Catholic hospitals, said the priest, reported they were unable
to cure the boy through natural means.

Only then, said a priest here, was a supernatural cure sought.

The ritual was undertaken by a St. Louis priest-a Jesuit in his 50s-who
devoted himself to the task through prayers and fasting.

The ritual began in St. Louis, continued here and finally ended in St.
Louis.

For two months the priest stayed with the boy, accompanying him back
and forth on the train, sleeping in the same house and sometimes in
the same room with him. ...

Even through the ritual of exorcism the boy was by no means cured readily.

Repeatedly, each time the ritual was performed, the final violent reaction
would come from the boy when the words were spoken, "I cast thee out" -a
reaction of profanity and screaming and the astounding use of Latin phrases,
the priest was reported as saying.

In one manifestation the boy reported that he had seen a vision of St.
Michael casting out the devil.

Finally, at the last performance of the ritual, the boy was quiet. Since then,
it was reported, all manifestations have ceased.

© Copyright The Washington Post Company

The "cold hard facts" reported by Strange Magazine Online:

Breaking the Story of the Haunted Boy

The following articles represent a large cross section of published material on this case. A careful reading will reveal many glaring inconsistencies in the basic story-telling, but I feel all are important for the raw data they offer. In scanning this material from 1949 to the present day one can discern the most common and widely believed scenario for this case of possession. Reporters to date have claimed that the 13- or 14-year-old boy was allegedly from Mount Rainier, Maryland. (It was later revealed that his date of birth was June 1, 1935, meaning he was actually 13 when the rite of exorcism was finally completed). Later accounts declared his home address to have been 3210 Bunker Hill Road. It is said the boy underwent a first exorcism at Georgetown University Hospital conducted by local priest Father E. Albert Hughes (where the boy allegedly slashed Hughes's arm with a bedspring), and then underwent a final and successful rite of exorcism by Father William Bowdern at Alexian Brothers Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri in the spring of 1949. The road linking this information together is a muddled trail indeed.

The media first became involved in this case when The Washington Post ran an article on August 10, 1949 titled “Pastor Tells Eerie Tale of 'Haunted' Boy.” Written in an almost tongue-in-cheek style by reporter Bill Brinkley, the piece tells an “out-of-this-world” story of a local 13-year-old boy. The story came to light when an unnamed minister gave a speech before a local meeting of the Society of Parapsychology at the Mount Pleasant Library in Washington, D.C. According to the minister the family had experienced many strange events in their suburban Maryland home beginning January 18th: scratching noises emanated from the house's walls; the bed in which the boy slept would shake violently; and objects such as fruit and pictures would jump to the floor in the boy's presence. The minister, described as being intensely skeptical, arranged for the boy to spend the night of February 17th in his home. With the boy sleeping nearby in a twin bed the minister reported that in the dark he heard vibrating sounds from the bed and scratching sounds on the wall. During the rest of the night he allegedly witnessed some strange events—a heavy armchair in which the boy sat seemingly tilted on its own and tipped over and a pallet of blankets on which the sleeping boy lay inexplicably moved around the room. Curiously, the article described the minister as laughing as he related these incidents to his audience. He admonished the boy by saying, “Now, look, this is enough of this....” The article ended by saying that the minister called in the family doctor, who prescribed phenobarbital for the whole family.

The Evening Star (Washington, D.C.) followed up the Post's scoop with an uncredited article later that evening on August 10, 1949 titled “Minister Tells Parapsychologists Noisy 'Ghost' Plagued Family.” The Evening Star's account differed from the Post's in that the family was referred to as “Mr. and Mrs. John Doe” and their 13-year-old son “Roland.” It also describes their house as a “one-and-one-half story home in a Washington suburb” and refers to the events as “the strange story of Roland and his Poltergeist.” The article tells of the talk given by the minister before the Society of Parapsychology, and recounts his experiences with the boy. The minister told the reporter that Roland had made two trips to a mental hygiene clinic and that during an earlier trip to the Midwest the boy had been subjected to three different rites of exorcism by three different faiths—Episcopal, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic. The article quoted Richard C. Darnell, president of the Society, as saying that Dr. J. B. Rhine, director of the Parapsychology Laboratory at Duke University, called the so-called haunting the “most impressive manifestation he has heard of in the poltergeist field.” The article ended with the minister saying that things had been calm in the household for about the last two months.

The Times-Herald (Washington, D.C.) joined the fray with an article by William Flythe, Jr. on August 11, 1949 titled “'Haunted' Boy's Parents Tell Of Ghost Messages.” A basic rehash of the previous two accounts, this piece adds that the boy lived in the “Brentwood section northeast” and also tells that the family had found dermographic messages written in a rash on the boy's body. The article states that when the messages were brought to the attention of the minister involved, “he could detect nothing more than an ordinary rash.” The family reported that the boy was taken to St. Louis, where he returned to normalcy after experiencing visions of St. Michael chasing away the devil.

On August 19, 1949 The Evening Star (Washington, D.C.) featured the article “Priest Freed Boy of Possession By Devil, Church Sources Say.” As the first account to provide any exorcism details to the public, the article opens by saying, “A Catholic priest has successfully freed a 14-year-old Mount Rainier, Md., boy of reported possession by the devil here early this year, it was disclosed today.” While names are withheld, it is revealed that the ritual of exorcism was given after the boy's affliction was studied at both Georgetown University Hospital and St. Louis University. The article went on to describe the exorcism process, but offered no other significant details. The next day the same paper ran a follow-up titled “New Details of Boy's Exorcism In Catholic Ritual Disclosed,” though in reality few new details were revealed. It did cite church sources as saying that during the rite the boy had recited a stream of blasphemous curses, intermingled with Latin phrases. The article then recapped events that had earlier been printed regarding the minister at a meeting of the Society of Parapsychology.

The Washington Post chimed in on August 20, 1949 with another Bill Brinkley-authored piece, this one titled “Priest Frees Mt. Rainier Boy Reported Held in Devil's Grip.” At greater length than the previous published accounts, Brinkley recounts the family's entire haunting episode and reveals that only after 20 to 30 performances of the ancient ritual of exorcism was the devil finally cast out of the boy. He also tells that during the rite the youngster would break into violent tantrums of screaming, cursing, and voicing of Latin phrases. The exorcism, which according to Brinkley was conducted by a St. Louis priest in his fifties who accompanied the boy for two months, was first initiated in St. Louis, continued in D.C., and was ultimately completed back in St. Louis. The article states that when the last performance of the ritual was given, the boy became quiet and later reported witnessing a vision of St. Michael casting the devil out. The exorcism ritual was completed only after the boy had been taken into the Catholic church. It was this article that inspired then-20-year-old Georgetown English major William Peter Blatty to later write his novel of demonic possession.

The Parapsychology Bulletin (August 1949, Number 14), a periodical of the New York-based Parapsychology Foundation, weighed in with the uncredited “Report Of A Poltergeist,” an article that finally published the name of the anonymous clergyman of the haunted boy's family. He turned out to be Reverend Luther Miles Schulze and in this article his experiences with the boy were reported in detail. My own research revealed that Luther Miles Schulze was born on July 30, 1906 and at the time of this case served as the pastor of St. Stephen's Evangelical Lutheran Church (1611 Brentwood Road NE, Washington, D.C.).

The rest is here:

http://www.strangemag.com/exorcistpage1.html

[Alex K. Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Alex K.]

The first film is very good. Very well made and effective film. But (not to get on a soap box or anything) I feel that as an Atheist it loses some of its effect. It operates largely on religious horror and if one lacks that then it doesn't seem as effective.

The 3rd film (Legion) I think is not only better then the first film but one of the most underrated horror films ever made. George C. Scott and Brad Douriff are fucking amazing in this.

[Richard--W a straight arrow Find all posts View Profile Close Richard--W]

[Paul L Scholar of Sleaze Find all posts View Profile Close Paul L]

The 3rd film (Legion) I think is not only better then the first film but one of the most underrated horror films ever made. George C. Scott and Brad Douriff are fucking amazing in this.

I'd agree with this completely. I only wish the original cut of this survived.

[Richard--W a straight arrow Find all posts View Profile Close Richard--W]

No sequel or prequel can surpass the original in terms of innovation, entertainment value or social impact, but they are all interesting films in different ways. EXORCIST 3 is comes close to being a special film. If only the director's cut could be restored.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

Complete Blu-ray set coming soon...

[Alex K. Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Alex K.]

I mentioned it in the "What are you Watching Now" thread but the fanedit of Exorcist 3 is fantastic.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

I didn't know there was a fan edit. Details?

The price on the boxed set is solid. I'll probably bite.

[Mark Tolch Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mark Tolch]

That's a great price, especially if you don't have them on blu.

I'm in the minority that I didn't like III. Both of the prequels are friggin' terrible, in my opinion. I don't remember II.

[Paul L Scholar of Sleaze Find all posts View Profile Close Paul L]

I didn't know there was a fan edit. Details?

The price on the boxed set is solid. I'll probably bite.

Details of the fanedit can be found here, Ian: http://www.fanedit.org/ifdb/108-legi...st-iii-fanedit

Sounds interesting. Think I'll give it a go. I've always liked EXORCIST III (the novel is superb, imo) and would love to see the original cut - I guess this fanedit is as close to that as possible, at least for the time being.

I'll most likely buy the boxset too. Call me crazy, but I like Boorman's THE HERETIC. It's wacky and weird with a great Morricone score (which I've still got on LP!) I'm guessing THE HERETIC will be represented in this boxset via the 117 min version.

[Paul L Scholar of Sleaze Find all posts View Profile Close Paul L]

I didn't know there was a fan edit. Details?

The price on the boxed set is solid. I'll probably bite.

Details of the fanedit can be found here, Ian: http://www.fanedit.org/ifdb/108-legi...st-iii-fanedit

Sounds interesting. Think I'll give it a go. I've always liked EXORCIST III (the novel is superb, imo) and would love to see the original cut - I guess this fanedit is as close to that as possible, at least for the time being.

I'll most likely buy the boxset too. Call me crazy, but I like Boorman's THE HERETIC. It's wacky and weird with a great Morricone score (which I've still got on LP!) I'm guessing THE HERETIC will be represented in this boxset via the 117 min version.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

" Me: Morgan Creek have been posting some rather cryptic things on their Twitter account with regards to a DVD special release. Can you shed any light on what they may be talking about?

Bill: They are planning a new Blu Ray of "my cut."

Regarding HOW the missing footage was found, Bill has said that it's not clear as yet.

Keep checking TNC.com in the new year for further news! Exciting stuff ahead."

http://www.theninthconfiguration.com/

Sounds like this could be good news indeed...

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

Friedkin wrote a pretty interesting article for Vanity Fair about a real life exorcism.

http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/...social_twitter

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

Dawn Of The Discs is reporting a UHD steelbook release from WB/Cine-Museum slated for... 2024.