I don’t think anyone had an inkling, back when The Exorcist was first released, that the controversial subliminal images of Captain Howdy flashing up on the screen were actually the face of a female.
I’ve always been of the understanding that Eileen Dietz was hired to be Linda Blair’s body double for the masturbation scene and at the same time her face was also used for a series of make-up tests. The resulting footage from the make-up tests was used as the Captain Howdy face.
In a recent interview with Mike Gencarelli of MovieMikes.com Dietz not only claims the face was shot specifically with the subliminal images in mind and not as a make-up test, but also she was never Linda Blair’s body double… despite the glaring obvious footage both in the film itself and the Mark Kermode documentary The Fear of God where she is clearly seen (and mentioned by both director William Friedkin and make-up artist Dick Smith) on several occasions.
Part of director William Friedkin’s intentions on keeping his possession film as mysterious as possible was to exclude some of the names involved in the behind-the-scenes mechanics from the films credits (the same reason Mercedes McCambridge, Regan’s possessed voice, was also uncredited).
Eileen also revealed she’s writing a book, the first few chapters of which are about her experiences with the Exorcist and the stories she’s heard from fans while appearing at horror conventions over the years.
I have posted some excerpts from the lengthy interview below, and you can read the whole interview here.
There were a total of six people who played Regan when she was possessed. There was a stunt double, a lighting double. There was Mercedes McCambridge, who did the voice. There was Linda Blair, there was me and there was another girl who did the spider walk. It was something they didn’t want known at the time. They wanted everybody to think that this 12 year old girl had done all the work. That’s why my name isn’t in the credits…
Almost every shot in the movie is terrifying and my part is the scariest part in the film. And it’s all me. They’ll probably put that on my tombstone: Captain Howdy. (laughs) Captain Howdy sleeps here!
…it excites me to see the effect of “The Exorcist” on people. It’s fun to know you had that kind of effect on people. And I love to hear their stories because I’m working on a book and there’s a chapter…you can just imagine the many stories I’ve heard. There’s a five year old, that I think is the youngest to see that movie. And it’s always because they’re brother dragged them to see the movie. There’s one kid that thought someone was living under his bed for five years after he saw it.
Eileen also discusses past and upcoming horror projects she’s involved with. The complete interview is a great read.
Here are some images showing Eileen Dietz having the spew mechanism applied by make-up artist Dick Smith, and a photo taken during filming of an unused take. Oh, I’d better include one of Captain Howdy, too!
Established in 1999, captainhowdy.com has become the leading online community for fans of The Exorcist worldwide. Everything Exorcist.
