On Boxing Day, December 26, 1973, The Exorcist was first screened in American theaters. As the year turned and became 1974, the horror film would be seen across the world amassing an enormous following and becoming the highest grossing film at the time; undoubtedly one of the most recognizable and respected horror films in history. A classic in every sense of the word.

The Exorcist is now a staggering 35 years old, and on behalf of all registered members and those who frequent The Exorcist Fansite, we’d like to thank William Peter Blatty, William Friedkin and everyone involved with the film for bringing the timeless story to the world.

2009 will see the 35th Anniversary Blu-ray release of The Exorcist with all new features, as well as many other hidden surprises for Exorcist fans.

On a personal note, I’d like to thank all who support captainhowdy.com and appreciate the efforts behind it. Without you, it simply couldn’t exist. Wising you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Regards,
Captain Howdy

Picture this: Director of The Exorcist William Friedkin casually strolls through the primary locations of Georgetown, discussing elements of the classic horror film with its author and creator William Peter Blatty.

Sounds pretty neat, doesn’t it! The tour is being shot in February 2009 specifically to appear on the much-anticipated Blu-ray release of The Exorcist, which hits shelves around September-November 2009.

The National Ledger got this scoop in November, and spoke to Friedkin about the arranged filming: “We’re going to do an on-camera tour of all the locations in Georgetown. We’re going to the real places,” he said.

Exorcist fans will recall the last time Friedkin and Blatty spoke on film together was for the 25th Anniversary DVD in 1997, which was shot by The Fear of God documentary creator and renowned Exorcist journalist Mark Kermode (video highlight included below).

As previously reported on The Exorcist Fansite, William Friedkin began working on the Exorcist Blu-ray project earlier this month.

Friedkin went on to elaborate on his love for the Blu-ray format. “VHS was a lousy medium,” he said. “All my films came out on VHS, but they’re all faded now, just like the 35 mm prints. They had a death certificate on them when they were made.”

Speaking about his restoration of The French Connection for Blu-ray release, he expressed how impressed he was with the final print, which leads me to presume The Exorcist will get the same restoration treatment.

The question still remains, however: Which version is being used?

I’m a fan of internet auctions and the rare treasures they can uncover. That is why eBay is an often-clicked bookmark in my browser (and subsequent dent in the wallet). Couple this with my strange need to own many copies of The Exorcist novel (17 so far, and counting) and you can understand how thrilled I was to find this edition recently.

More rare than you might think, this 1999/2000 reprint actually features the FILM’s cover art and coincided with the release of The Version You’ve Never Seen. The real treat is the foreword provided by William Peter Blatty on his classic novel.

I thought it might be nice to share with Exorcist fans, so I have ignored the copyright page of the book (shhhh!) and typed it out for those who haven’t read it before:

It is sometimes hard for me to believe that almost thirty years ago I was living in a one-room cottage and eating most of my meals standing up as I attempted to write a novel of demonic possession, at the time an obscure and little spoken of phenomenon. I was convinced such things did occur. The task, in order for the novel to work, was to convince the reader – to transmute the incredible into the credible. When the book was first published in the US, it seemed I had failed. The public showed no interest. As I toured to promote it in city after city the publisher’s representative would greet me at the airport – in some cases with an eerily cheery manner, I must say – with the report that such and such a department store had just ‘returned their 100 copies’. Then by some smiling twist fate, while in the midst of a disconsolate lunch in New York City, my publisher telephoned to tell me a guest on the Dick Cavett television show – at the time the most influential in America – had at the last minute fallen out. As I was literally only two minutes away from the studio – and therefore the only person who could possibly get there in time – I’d been tapped to fill in. I raced to the studio and into makeup. Normally, the ‘author’s spot’ is no more than six minutes at the very end of the show. But each of the two guests before me were abruptly deemed to be – well – unstimulating, let us say. And suddenly there was almost an entire show to be done and nowhere to turn but to me. As Mr Cavett had not read the novel, I was allowed to do a forty-five minute monologue about it. The book hit the lists within the next ten days. And went on, it seems. And so what was the difference between a book’s utter obscurity, forever, and a strange life that goes on to this day? ‘That you weren’t in the loo when the call to the restaurant came’, the cynic might reply. But not I. I believe, with all my heart, that Someone, somehow, arranges things.

William Peter Blatty
June 1999

I’m not sure how I missed this one right before Halloween (busy time for me as of late) but I’m glad to have stumbled upon it:

William Friedkin recently shared with EW the top 13 films that give him nightmares. Classics such as Rosemary’s Baby, Psycho, Susperia and even Alien make the director’s list, each selection featuring a short explanation from Bill about why he finds it so affective.

A very interesting read for people who found The Exorcist terrifying and might be wondering what kind of films scare the director of such a classic horror movie.

I personally found it interesting to find two films of recent years on the list, one of which had slipped under my radar. But with Friedkin’s recommendation, I’ll be seeking it out especially.

How many of the films on Friedkin’s list have you seen? View the list here. You’ll need to ignore the fact that the opening image is actually from Exorcist II: Heretic, and forgive EW for this popular error (many websites incorrectly credit the image as being from The Exorcist, I’ve found), but it is definitely worth reading.

CaptainHowdy.com registered members - especially those active in the Discussion Forums - please urgently read and be aware of this thread. Thank you.