[Ceru]

I’m Chiming in again, bumping threads, etc.

Regarding the digital addition of visual elements (Mother Karras’ face in the window), I really, reeeally wish they hadn’t digitally altered Regan’s face right before she grabs the hypnotist’s crotch. It resembled a wolf’s face! They even recycled a growl sound effect from the scene just before Merrin uses his thumb to make a cross sign on Regan’s head.

Now, I sort of remember reading in the novel, during Karras’ initial encounter with Regan, how the demon let Karras “see” Regan’s face for a split-second moment:
‘Then Karras saw Regan’s face, contorted with fear, then back to the grinning demon’ or something like that. I thought, *How* would they do that on film?
Well, they did it best during the exorcism. When the bed comes crashing down after floating, the lights flick on and off, Regan is writhing and thrashing and – Pazuzu face!! Karras even does a double-take.

But that face, just before the crotch grab? Sorry, didn’t work for me.

[Ceru]

“Here’s the cover art for the DVD:”

Ha! I once had a black t-shirt with that very image, in that very color, with a dull gold-colored THE EXORCIST title above it. The reactions I got from strangers and passersby: priceless!
Sadly, the shirt had to go bye-bye, and I never did find a replica.

Oh right, we were discussing the Blu-Ray. Yes, I’ll be getting it, for sure!

So for DVDs, that makes:
The Exorcist (cover had a green hue)
The Exorcist Special Edition 25th Anniversary (purple font title)
The Exorcist: The Version You’ve Never Seen (with red banner)
The Exorcist Anthology (boxed and in a super-slim case)
The Exorcist Blu-Ray (red “The”, and the brightest cover yet, you can see the back of Sydow’s head!)

[Ceru]

Hi guys!
For me, The Exorcist has gotten to the point where:
– You can throw any line of dialog from the film at me, and I’ll recite the next lines of dialog.
ie: “Couldn’t you put her someplace else?”
“Like what? Private hospital? Who got the money for that, Dimmy? You?”
It’s *that* ingrained in my mind.

– I’ll snap up (almost) anything Exorcist related. A figurine, a bobblehead, an ancient VHS copy in the black clamshell case. Yeah, I haven’t gotten The Exorcist Anthology set, with that Exorcist: The Beginning font.
– I’ll be purchasing the Blu-Ray on Day One… for the supplemental features. That’s what I’m most jazzed about. New stuff, old stuff, whatever’s in the WB vaults, put it on the disc! Blu-Rays can store a ton of info. Just make it the be-all and end-all definitive disc set.

The “original” original print, with the possessed Karras jump-cut instead of the morph would be great, but if it ain’t there, well whatever!

[Ceru]

If there was anyone to lighten the mood on that damned set, it was Max!

…or maybe he was just reacting to another gunshot Friedkin let off.

[Ceru]

Whoa, that is bizarre.
Too bad there wasn’t any “Stick your…” or “Your mother sucks…” or other existing obscenity-filled audio footage from Miss Blair. Now that would’ve been hilarious!

In the hands of another director, they would’ve just slowed her voice down and gone with it (like they tried unsuccessfully to do w/Linda’s voice), or gotten some gruff male voice actor to grumble the lines.
There was no way in hell an age-appropriate child actress could effectively provide that voice, whether it was Linda Blair or Pamelyn Ferdin, or whoever.

But Friedkin’s idea of someone whose voice had male characteristics, but also female characteristics (who the hell sounds like that??) was a genius move. The first time I heard the demon, I thought God, is that a woman or a man? I had no knowledge of the film’s history, and I initially couldn’t tell!

Bonus: Listen to the scene where Karras is playing the tape in reverse. Along with “I am no-one, fear the priest” etc., you can hear Mother Karras say “Dimmy” and Regan (the real one) gasping and sobbing.

[Ceru]

My wife and sister-in-law thoroughly enjoyed TVYNS when we all watched it last Halloween.

Sis-in-law went “Eeeugh” at the shot of Regan post-vomit, right after Karras wipes the green stuff from his face.
She also gave a hearty laugh at Kinderman’s embarrassed “I lied, it’s for me” line. It’s one of a few lines in the film that offers some much-needed light relief amid the dread and the tension.

As for the wife, well, she agreed that the story really was about the mystery of faith, like Friedkin keeps stating.

She also made a comment when Dyer hands the pendant back to Chris in the car: “But wouldn’t that bring her bad luck?”

Oh, and the clothing designer in my wife LOVED all of Chris’s outfits! That’s something you don’t hear, is it? “What do you remember about The Exorcist?”
“The outfits Ellen Burstyn wore!”

[Ceru]

How awesome that you have that film cell in your possession (heehee), instead of it being simply lost or discarded.

A bit obvious this one, but I’m sure Dick Smith still has the pea soup projectile mouth bladder whatever-you-call-it thing, he even wore it in The Fear Of God doc.

[Ceru]

Well, I believe what young Linda said to Friedkin about “jerking off”, but she could’ve just known that was a slang term for masturbation. Doesn’t necessarily mean she knew its purpose, hence the comment she made in her interview.
Seems like she said it to a) appear knowledgeable on that subject matter to Friedkin, and b) aid in her getting the part of Regan (which worked!)

It’s like asking “Do you know what a prostitute is?”
“Yeah, it’s being a hooker, isn’t it?”

[Ceru]

Nope, not that scene. You’ll hear the music during the spoken line: “Stealing is a sin.”

[Ceru]

Both versions, actually. It’s playing in the background during the scene in particular.

Clue: if you own Tubular Bells on CD or mp3, skip ahead to 15 minutes and 32 seconds into Part One.

[Ceru]

Hey, father…
(could ya help an old altar boy?? No no, I’m kidding, thankfully.)

Pop quiz for you, sir. We all know the Tubular Bells piano intro, and where it is in the film: Chris’ stroll down the street, Regan ranting at the doctors at the Barringer clinic, the end scene, the end credits.

But where in the film is Tubular Bells playing, only *not* the piano intro? there’s one scene in particular.

[Ceru]

Wow, I am really late for the party on these posts.

I’d say immediately after the head-turning scene and Karras’ Amen, the extreme close-up shot of Regan looking directly at the viewer, with the demon’s half-superimposed face seemingly yelling “Nooo.”
I still can’t stand it when the skin on Regan’s leg splits open while she’s levitating, that disgusts me every time.

Separate viewing experiences: my wife, my cousin, and an audience member when I saw TVYNS in the theater in 2000, they all flinched in shock and loudly went “Ah!!” when Regan rises up behind Karras and gives him a two-fisted thump on the back, knocking him over. I still get a kick out of that!

[Ceru]

I’m sure others have noticed this, but…
Just before the bed shaking scene, when Chris says to Regan “it’s nerves and that’s all, just take your pills…” Linda’s arm position changes from one shot to the next.

During the initial exorcism sequence, Regan has what appears to be a blue splint under her left arm. It’s gone when she later rips through her restraining wrist straps and levitates.

(Sorry, no screencaps to back them up)

[Ceru]

Just watched The Exorcist for the umpteenth time, and felt compelled to join the forum.

In 1990, at 14 years of age, I saw the first half of the movie (my queasy stomach couldn’t hack it anymore after Regan’s little run-in with the crucifix), then I read the novel, then watched the entire movie.
I agreed on Friedkin’s decisions to leave out certain elements that were in the book: the entire Elvira subplot, the actual exorcism lasting for days and performed in shifts, some of the demon’s dialog, Regan yelling at Merrin’s lifeless body.
Try as I might, I simply wasn’t able to imagine Blair’s possessed Regan saying things like “Ah, my sweet honey piglet”, lowing like a steer, or Burke Dennings’ voice ranting on to Karras about how “it isn’t bloody fair”, etc.

Lets just say this miniseries project is a go, are we going to see actors performing every last detail of the novel?
Will Regan have braces and freckles?
Will Karras read up on how, in ancient times, possessed nuns used to do explicit acts on each other, and make/eat a poultice of bodily fluids?
Will Regan fiiinally utter “This time, you’re going to lose” to Merrin? Not Sharon recounting it, but actually showing it.
Will Sharon be called out by Regan on having the hots for Karras?
Will casual viewers watch it and say “I don’t remember this part” only to have someone else reply “It’s in the novel.”
Will there be CGI?
Will surviving original cast members have cameos?
and lastly: will it be on HBO??

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