WHAT: The Exorcist (1973) Original Theatrical Version
WHEN: October 7, 2026 1 PM & 7 PM
WHERE: Pickwick Theatre, Park Ridge, IL
WHAT ELSE: Special guest Nick Digilio will introduce the 7 PM screening. Organ pre-show music at 6:30 PM courtesy of Jake McDonagh. Trailer.
HOW MUCH: $12/$10 Advance or $10 for the 1 PM matinee.
Advance Tickets: Click Here and select date and time (7 PM).
NOTE: This film is Rated R.
“If you’re watching closely, you realize that the film’s true protagonist is not the girl but the Catholic priest. The Catholic priest in the story is losing his own faith through various incidents in his life; the dying and the death of his mother; that he was not there for her when she needed him. And, he is feeling guilty and he is losing his faith and he, not the little girl, is the target of the demon… The weakness that he is showing is what makes the demon target him. And so, what he witnesses and goes through with this young girl is directed to him because the demon is showing him that humanity is no good, even in an innocent child, there is evil within her.” ~director William Friedkin, April 2019
“The Exorcist may be the most misunderstood classic of all time… Scholars have said it reflects the social and political upheavals of its era, yet it draws its power from religious attitudes so old that they have survived the Enlightenment. It contains images that have been called subliminal, yet the man who directed it says he had nothing in mind beyond trying to tell a good story. There is ongoing dispute about the ending. Even its victim is misplaced; many people think it’s about a twelve-year-old girl, yet the secretary who retyped William Peter Blatty’s manuscript, before anybody else had read it, correctly asked the author, ‘They’re after him aren’t they?’– meaning Damien Karras, the priest. Like all great art, people take from it what they bring to it, and people brought a lot to The Exorcist.” ~Nat Segaloff, The Exorcist Legacy: 50 Years of Fear (2023)
“What an excellent day for an exorcism.” ~Regan (Linda Blair)
The Exorcist (1973), a landmark film of 1970s cinema, is one of the touchstones of modern horror and is often cited as one of the scariest movies ever made. In fact, it was the first horror film to be nominated for Best Picture– one of its ten Academy Award nominations. The film was a sensation when released– its impact on audiences legendary with some viewers becoming sick or having generally strong reactions to it. But The Exorcist is more than the shock elements that people remember: the 360-degree-head-turning effect or the projectile vomiting, for instance. Fixating on these moments misses the point of the film. It’s a powerful tale about good and evil told in an adult manner. The Pickwick Theatre Classic Film Series will be presenting the film on October 7, 2026. Special guest Nick Digilio– film critic, podcaster and author– will introduce the 7 PM screening. Nick, a longtime host at the annual Flashback Weekend Horror Convention, will also have copies of his new book, 40 Years, 40 Horror Films, available for purchase before and after the screening.
Director William Friedkin was riding high in the early 1970s after the success of his Academy Award-winning The French Connection (1971). It was during a press tour that he received a manuscript from writer William Peter Blatty. It was the story The Exorcist, which was based on a real-life case of exorcism from 1949. Blatty had recently sold the rights of his story to Warner Brothers and believed Friedkin would be the perfect choice to direct. Friedkin had a background in documentary filmmaking, and it was felt that this was the approach needed to tell the story effectively. Friedkin loved what he read and agreed to direct the film version.
Chris MacNeil, a single mother and actress, lives in Georgetown with her daughter Regan while coping with a series of disturbing changes in the girl’s behavior. Their story is interconnected with that of a young psychiatrist priest, Father Karras, who is losing his faith in the wake of his mother’s death. As things deteriorate with Regan, Chris seeks out medical help. Science is at a loss to explain Regan’s split personality. As things worsen, Chris asks for help from Karras. He eventually takes the case before the church elders where it is determined that an exorcism is needed. However, Karras can’t perform it alone. Father Merrin, an older priest who has recently spent time in northern Iraq during an excavation, arrives at the MacNeil home to assist in the ritual.
William Friedkin’s intent was to shoot the story almost like a documentary. He believed strongly in the material and wanted to tell the story of an exorcism with a degree of authenticity. In terms of spiritual themes, Friedkin had been deeply inspired by the Carl Dreyer Danish film, Ordet (1955), which dealt with a woman’s literal resurrection. Friedkin wanted to present the exorcism with as much conviction as Dreyer had given his film. Owen Roizman, who had shot The French Connection, was Friedkin’s cinematographer. Together, they fashioned a film that took its subject seriously — so much so that some scenes, particularly the angiography in the medical center, felt uncomfortably realistic. This wasn’t an old-school horror film with Gothic trappings done in a stylized setting. The horror here emerges from the real world, a disordered world, and its modernity and urban setting could be just as frightening.
The iconic poster image of Father Merrin arriving at the MacNeil household was inspired by Rene Magritte’s painting Empire of Light (1954). Friedkin and Blatty wanted to depict Merrin as a “melancholy traveler frozen in time.”
The documentary approach comes across through the film’s use of on-location shooting and naturalistic lighting. Yet, the camera goes beyond realism to depict a heightened unreality. When Regan attacks the psychiatrist, the camera captures him as he falls backward to the floor. The cinematic tricks and craftsmanship are evident throughout, but it is the pacing of the story that makes The Exorcist emotionally engaging. There is a sense of foreboding that is established right from the start with the prologue set in Iraq. Here, Father Merrin comes face to face with a demon from antiquity. Everything that will follow is suggested in these early scenes. There is a slow build-up afterward which eventually leads to total chaos.
The performances make the story so gripping. Ellen Burstyn is excellent as the distraught mother desperate to save her daughter. What triggers an atheist to finally seek the help of the church? The answer is convincingly portrayed by Burstyn. Max von Sydow was one of the finest actors of his generation who, just eight years before, had portrayed Jesus in The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965). A very serious actor on set, he played Father Merrin with conviction. (Warner Bros. reportedly wanted Marlon Brando for the role.) Jason Miller was an unknown at this time and essentially talked his way into the role. Miller, who had a religious background, recognized so much of himself in the role of Karras and felt he was the only one who could play him. Actor Stacey Keach had in fact been hired for the part, but when Friedkin saw the screen test between Miller and Burstyn, he was convinced. Warner had to buy out Keach. Also in the cast is Lee J. Cobb as a movie-loving detective investigating a recent death near the MacNeil home.
Thirteen-year-old Linda Blair as Regan, transitioning into the devil…
But it is 13-year-old Linda Blair who carries the film and is remembered most. She had virtually no acting experience, but William Friedkin worked with her closely and tried to keep the mood light on set while filming very intense scenes. Whether it was wearing uncomfortable eye contacts, coping with tubes inserted into her mouth, or doing scenes in a nightgown in a refrigerated room, Blair endured a lot physically but always did what was asked of her. There were scenes that she later admitted she didn’t understand– the crucifix scene is a case in point– but Friedkin got her to do what he wanted by using a tactic geared towards kids: he would simply make a game out of it. One essential part of Blair’s performance that was not actually her own was the demonic voice. This was performed by Mercedes McCambridge.
Besides Blair’s willingness to do what was asked of her, a large part of the success of the performance– and of the film overall– is owed to makeup artist Dick Smith. Smith made her more demonic-looking as the film progressed, heightening the scars and other facial features. Blair never wore a mask, so he was able to make her still recognizable to the audience. Equally masterful is the makeup applied to Max von Sydow, who was still a relatively young man at this time. Dick Smith’s work on him is one of the most convincing “old man” make-up jobs ever done for a movie.
The Exorcist was made almost twenty years before computer effects started to be used. What a viewer sees on the screen is what the actors saw. It is a testament to the craftsmen involved that the effects are so convincing in the film. When Regan levitates during the actual exorcism, it was all accomplished with carefully hidden wires that were painted light and dark and blended into the background. The practical effects were all done mechanically and hold up better than many CG effects that came afterward.
William Friedkin has said that he made the film as a believer. In his eyes, he did not see the movie as a horror film. To him, The Exorcist was a story about the mystery of faith. Others have seen it as a theological thriller or, in the words of author William Blatty, a “supernatural detective story.” But one of the more astute observations about the film came from writer Ray Bradbury who, after seeing the film, called it a beautiful love story. It’s a sentiment shared by both Blatty and Friedkin. The Exorcist is the story of a priest who loses his faith but sacrifices himself, out of love, for a child he never really knew.
The Exorcist was released on December 26, 1973. It became a box office phenomenon with people often waiting in long lines to see it. It grossed $193 million by the end of its initial run in theatres. Some of the reviews at the time were mixed, but the film was recognized at the Oscars with awards for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound. Its cultural impact continues to be felt today, having paved the way for all the demonically possessed-themed films that followed. Books have been written about its influence in society. The Exorcist became a franchise with sequels, prequels and spin-offs, but nothing ever equaled the impact and resonance of the original film. In 2000, Warner Brothers released the Extended Director’s Cut– “the version you haven’t seen”– which famously featured the previously cut footage of Regan’s “spider walk” down the staircase. The 2000 version is more overt and puts into words what was always implied in the original.
Author Nick Digilio will introduce the 7 PM screening and will discuss the impact of this legendary motion picture. You can meet Nick in the lobby beginning at 6 PM when the doors open. His new book, 40 Years, 40 Horror Films, will be available for purchase before and after the evening show.
~MCH
A highly recommended documentary on the making of The Exorcist.
