CaptainHowdy.com The #1 Exorcist Fansite Since 1999
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No. Not the devil himself. A mythological demon named Pazuzu was in charge of Regan. A quick read that’s pretty succinct is here.
You know, when you think about it, maybe Stephen King did a little take on this in The Shining with the word, “REDRUM.” 🙂
Agreed, dsea! Good point on Wise. Can you imagine how much better these films would have been if the director’s had been given the time do make the film’s exactly like they wanted them? James Cameron paid his own money to finish his “Titanic” dream and look what happened to it!
I’m still not convinced that the original was ever filmed with the blood pouring from Regan’s mouth. And, yes, CGI has been in film for years, but that’s not the point here. I believe we’re discussing the fact that the scene was indeed made with CGI blood for TVYNS. It does look realistic, but so do the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park! 😉
I do believe you have a great point on the spider-walk in the intro as a premonition, but wouldn’t that kind of be overplay on dream sequences in The Exorcist? If Chris’ dream sequence includes the spider-walk scene, I think audiences would be lost just as many viewers were lost when the dialogue between Regan and Chris took place after she emptied her bladder on the floor at the party.
Regan: “Mother, what’s wrong with me?”
Chris: “It’s just like the doctor said, it’s nerves and that’s all. Okay? You just take your pills and you’ll be fine, really. Okay?”There’s nothing in the original that helped audiences know that Regan was even remotely ill. The only clue to that is the scene I mention above. But, audiences kept wondering what’s wrong with her and then the violent bed-shaking episode takes place.
The spider-walk doesn’t work, but it’s cool as shit to see it because it was in the book. I have a Regan Spider-Walk right in front of me on my desk in my office as I write this (sans the CGI blood), so I don’t hate the scene. It’s just that the scene doesn’t work either way it … with blood/without blood. However, that scene was a great way to make $$$ for WB when they released TVYNS. 🙂
The part of Mark Kermode’s book (really worth owning if you don’t already!) that you mention is the one in which Marcel Vercoutere is recalling the spider-walk scene from memory in 1983.
Kermode summarized Vercoutere’s statements in which Vercoutere accords, “… the scene became ‘kinda bloody’ and so disrupted [sic] the natural progression of Regan’s illness, since it would have ‘clinched it for the audience that she was possessed.’ [Kermode, Mark. (1997). BFI Modern Classics: The Exorcist. London: British Film Institute Publishing.]”
Fine forensic analysis, Mr. Vercoutere. 🙂 However, William Friedkin really thought of that genuine idea and conclusion first. Friedkin directed The Exorcist and that means he directed everyone to abide by his demands.
Friedkin repeated his assessment of that scene publicly several times over that 10-year-span prior to Vercoutere’s statement. This leads me to believe Vercoutere is recapitulating the original owner’s thoughts and ideas.
Friedkin never said a word about the “kinda bloody” part. Nor does Friedkin “wow us” with the alternate version that has blood pouring from Regan’s mouth. If you listen to or read his interviews, he’s very well versed in pointing out the “wow” factors. Therefore, I don’t believe for a moment that he would have forgotten something like that scene being filmed with the blood … I’m still convinced that WB added the CGI blood to Regan’s mouth for a more “traditional bloody and gory horror film look” and to make that scene more intense.
So, let’s just say that Vercoutere has an incredible memory that is different from the director, writer, and other crew members. Keep reading until the end and maybe you be will influenced more that Vercoutere may have mixed up the crucifix scene with the spider-walk scene. That, of course, is speculation on my part about what Vercoutere could have been thinking of at the time of that statement. On the other hand, perhaps Vercourtere was simply expanding the meaning of the words ‘kinda bloody’ from actual fake blood to that of an “elevated vernacular.” His statement does have quote marks surrounding those two words which can offer another benefit of the doubt to Mr. Vercoutere.
In Kermode’s book, there are lots of incorrect statements that don’t match up with his book and his own interviews in The FoG. For instance, just before this statement is made in the book about the spider-walk scene from Vercoutere, Mark Kermode notes that Linda Blair said “.. that the athletic Eileen Dietz had taken part in such a scene.” That information is incorrect as noted by the screen capture above by WB and through simple research on who the contortionist is in that scene (Linda R. Hager).
I gave comparison shots between the original release and TVYNS of Linda R. Hager. You can see that is has been digitally remastered because of the clarity and brightness in that one shot. So, if we use Vercoutere’s statement to say that Linda R. Hager descended the stairs with blood pouring from her mouth, it certainly is more than a human mouth full of blood. If you watch the scene until the very last second, even more blood gushes from Hager’s mouth. She either swallowed massive quantities of fake blood and vomited it on cue or was wearing Dick Smith’s vomit appliance filled with fake blood. Seriously doubtful on either count. Plus, it doesn’t quite fit by today’s standards because CGI is easier (you’ll see why I am convinced of the CGI from Friedkin’s own words).
Why am I so convinced of the CGI? Friedkin!
Here’s a FAQ by William Friedkin. So, now I AM convinced that what is used in the scene is a carefully mastered version utilizing CGI:
____________________EXORCIST FAQ by William Friedkin
Q. When you release this new version on dvd, will you PLEASE include the Georgetown Birthday scene in it’s entirety and any other cut snippets or outtakes, a photo gallery from behind the scenes (I KNOW there are tons of photos not shown on the 25th Anniversary Edition such as makeup tests, closeup shots, set stills,etc.) and the audio radio spots and the television spots with the female voiceover? Also, that Spider-walk special effect in the new version… Was that digitally done for the new release or was the blood shot that way originally?… And BRAVO that upsets to the new version. This should have been the original release version… sorry Mr Friedkin if you… Is Linda still your assistant?
A. A lot of the scenes you refer to have been lost. We restored everything we had that was complete in both sound and picture. The spider walk had to be digitally restored for the new release. Thank you for your comments and, no, Linda is no longer my Assistant.
____________________Doesn’t sound like Friedkin is mentioning the filming of the blood. The spider-walk scene goes right along with that of the novel and script. To me, that is more in tune with the filming of that infamous scene than anything otherwise. In fact, Friedkin is saying from his own answer that scenes were “digitally restored.”
And, finally, but most importantly is Friedkin’s answer to this question that came from a 13-y-o no less:
____________________Q. Hi, I’m 13 and I just saw the exorcist two nights ago. it was the 25th anniversary edition. Now when it came time for that in the movie they didn’t show the spider-walk. Why is that? And was there really an alternate version where she slithered down like a snake?
A. The spider walk was cut from the original release because I didn’t feel it was very effective technically. Now with digital technology, we have been able to make it look convincing. There was no alternate version of this shot.
____________________Um, I see a period at the end of Friedkin’s sentence. And, yes, the 13-y-o asked about the, “alternate version where she slithered down like a snake.” Friedkin would have jumped on the bloody alternate scene … he’s too swift and brilliant to not take advantage of that opportunity. 😉
I hope that helps because it’s coming from the “real expert’s” mouth – William Friedkin.
Want the full FAQ by William Friedkin? Read it here.
As a favorite line of mine goes in The Exorcist:
“There is only one.” 🙂
This does appear in The FoG as the Cap points outs. In addition, in The FoG there is never a mention of the blood pouring from Regan’s mouth from either the actors or crew. Neither the script (I have an original final copy) nor the book reference blood pouring from Regan’s mouth as she descends the staircase.
While not mentioning this does not prove anything, I think someone in one of the interviews would have spoke of the blood in the spider-walk scene. Marcel Vercoutere and Dick Smith always shared the various aspects of special effects, and blood just was not a part of the discussions. Vercoutere did explain how a massive fishing pole and heavy fishing line came into play to support the contortionist’s bodyweight. He also mentions the building of a new staircase that would allow the rig to be parallel with the staircase. It is my firm belief, after capturing the scenes from both The FoG and the TVYNS, that the blood scene is a CGI add-on. The scene was never filmed with blood.
Take a look at my posting here. You be the judge. 🙂
Yeah, Ghetto, I agree with you. But, it’s unusual when you see the, “Bloopers, Whoops, and What’s That???,” things because they don’t impact your viewing of the film. It’s too great of a historical American film.
Friedkin was under such pressure by WB head honchos to finish The Exorcist, that I’m sure he probably caught a lot stuff and had to let it pass once it hit the editing room.
The only oddball one (so far) that stands out to me is in the beginning of the film (which was filmed last). In the scene with Father Merrin in Northern Iraq, the young boy tells Merrin, “They found something … small pieces.” As Merrin walks to the “base of the mound” where the pieces are, you can see the workers in the background with sledgehammers and picks. If you look (and not even closely), these guys never hit dirt, rock, or anything else. It’s strange when you see it, because you wonder why these men are “play acting” as opposed to the other workers in the foreground who are rustling up the rocks. Perhaps it’s sacred ground?
Jack MacGowran (Burke Dennings) bit the dust on January 30, 1973, from the flu. Other “reports” said he drank himself to death or he had a heart attack. Nope, just the flu from what I can find on him. The date he died also let’s us know how long The Exorcist was in production because the film was released on December 26, 1973.
It’s easy to isolate a voice over voices in the background in film. Look on this website and you’ll find the videos with Mercedes talking about the dubbing.
Oh, and the Sound Department that worked on The Exorcist won an Academy Award for Sound (Buzz Knudson, et al.). The sounds you here in The Exorcist are not always what you think they are! 🙂
“Friedkin was just brilliant in being dissatisfied with Blair’s voice with the stupid “echoing” sound that the sound guys added.”
If you hear the voice in the clip, Linda is trying for a rough-and-tumble voice … it didn’t work. I would never think she re-dubbed herself because the Sound Department had already been playing around with different kinds of special effects that didn’t work. The voice, it appears, is an “as-is” filmed version of Linda that the sound boys couldn’t make menacing. Yeah for Mercedes!
