THE EXORCIST (Part One)

What a wonderful day to talk about The Exorcist. This weekMike, Brian, and Stephen start our discussion on one of the foundational filmsin modern horror, 1973’s The Exorcist. For the first half of our twoparts on this title, your hosts share their initial reactions to this masterwork,as well as how our thoughts on the film have evolved as we’ve grown older. Fromthere we take a deep dive into the history of the film, including a look at itsarchitects, director William Friedken and writer William Peter Blatty. Weexplore the exorcism case that inspired Blatty to write his novel, and thechallenges in adapting the film without “creating a commercial for the CatholicChurch” in Friedken’s view. We discuss the brilliant cast, Dick Smith’s astonishingmakeup and the standout locations. From there we talk about the “curse” of TheExorcist as well as the unconventional and unsafe methods Friedken oftenemployed that put his performers in harm’s way. Finally, we explore thecultural impact of The Exorcist on its release as well as its place in horror’spantheon more than fifty years later. It’s one of our largest, most in-depthepisodes to date, and its only the beginning.

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