CaptainHowdy.com The #1 Exorcist Fansite Since 1999
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I don't know if this is any indication of what to expect on the upcoming release but the Italian 40th anniversary re-release trailer is cut using the same print as the first Blu-ray.
Looks more like a production photo rather than a frame from the film itself, but there is a similar shot looking down at Karras' bloodied body and you can just see the lamps coming into the frame. I'm probably wrong but I don't think there's any other night shots of the stairs, at least from that view.
Father Bowdern said:
Are we absolutely certain this is the cover art? It's been monkeyed with … a lot. I don't recall the sulfur-bulb lamps at all although I do like them.
I can honestly see JSM's point here. This is iconic to those of us who know the film well. However, I don't see it (the artwork alone) being sensational or ominous enough to capture any new viewer's attention.
I do ask if we are certain about the artwork because leaving the words “40th Anniversary” off is quite a big marketing blunder.
Father B
This is the final artwork, unless WB decide to revise it later on.
The lamps have always been there. The “fight pigs” graffiti has been removed, though, and you can see the bits of the image repeated at the top right where they've used the clone-tool in Photoshop to remove the parked cars.
Apparently leaving off “40th Anniversary” isn't strange for WB, they did the same thing with Enter The Dragon and just put a sticker on the packaging.
TEDDY HEADSPIN said:
This would be lovely on the top of the back cover…
That's the image I've always pictured for alternate artwork. Something like this cover for Blatty's novel would look really nice as a steelbook:
I like the cover art. Could it be better? Sure, but those stairs are iconic and I love the use of the opening title font. They need to fix that atrocious red text, though. Looks like it was added on in Microsoft Paint.
And it doesn't mention anywhere it's the 40th anniversary edition?
Father Bowdern said:
GhettoExorcist said:
Maybe its just the quality of the pic or its just a weird angle but doesn't it look like Captain Howdy was supposed to have a lion-like mane?
Now that you mention it, it does look that way. Maybe it was one of Dick Smith's lost Captain Howdy looks.
Father B
Friedkin's ideas for the subliminal images were heavily inspired by Onibaba, which could possibly explain the big hair in the early tests.
I think Linda only tested Dick Smith's apparatus once or twice, it never went any further than that. She hated the whole thing. Not sure if there's even any test footage with her, it mostly all looks like Eileen.
Nothing on it.
Update from the seller: “Yes this USB is an official merchandise item. I got this from WARNER BROS agency here in Greece. It's official from WARNER BROS INTERNATIONAL and they made it to promote the Director's Cut (Extended Edition) DVD release.”
Extra : An Exorcism In Georgetown (shooting of The Exorcist in D.C., unreleased 1973 doc.)
Extra : This Week In Theatres (1973 TV show about the release of The Exorcist)Are these legit, or your own creations? And could you please upload them for us? They sound like real gems!
I don't have a scanner hooked up at the moment so the best I can do is take photos. The first two I hadn't seen, the other two were shown during the E! Curse of The Exorcist doc.
Read the book last night and really enjoyed it.
It seems as though a lot of what we've previously heard from and about Eileen has been misconstrued (like the above press release). There's none of that in the book. Eileen is very open and honest about her role in the film and at no point does she try and take credit from Linda or any of the other cast and crew. In fact, she's constantly praising Linda, giving he credit for the role, and even jokes they paid her more to just be there than to actually act.
The only discrepancies I found were details of some scenes (for example, she mixed up the shot where Kinderman sees the silhouette of Regan in the window with the arrival of Merrin), which can be attributed to the fact that it was filmed 40 years ago and she probably doesn't watch it on a regular basis.
Here are a couple of excepts some might find interesting:
“We both ended up with some bruising after we shot that scene [Karras' final moment], but it was all worth it. It looked great on film. And, it was after shooting this scene when I ultimately decided I would never do stunt work. You've gotta be nuts and highly trained. I was lucky I didn't get hurt. Ironically one of the stunt men (who went out the window and down the steps) must have liked what he saw and asked me if I was interested in doing stunt work full time. I politely turned him down.”
“I never even thought about what Linda did vs. what I did – the transformation from Regan to demon was so seamless and complete. I marveled at the on-screen results produced by Dick Smith and Marcel Vercoutere, two geniuses of makeup and effects.”
“Linda earned a Globe for her role. Simply put, she was amazing. Forget about being 12 years old, she was just great. She stood toe-to-toe with some of the best in the business and never backed down. Friedkin provided some guidence, sure, as all directors do, but it was Linda in front of the camera. I was genuinely happy for her and applauded when they announced her name during the awards.”
“Although I agreed not to talk about the film or my involvement, everybody knew I was shooting The Exorcist. From my agents to their clients and colleagues. It wasn't a big secret and casting notices had gone out so everyone knew they were casting someone to play this demon. I had assumed it was the same with folks on the west coast as well. Unfortunately, this was not the case. I was friends with a girl who was friends with a writer for the LA Times. She had told her journalist friend about me and how I was moving to LA at the invitation of Warner Bros. Before I knew it, a story was released about an actress from New York who did all of the possession scenes. I started freaking out.”
“Joyce Haber had taken the story and run with it as far as she could. I thought it might be good to take an interview with the person who was taking the biggest shots at me. I could talk about how I thought Linda had done an amazing job, and how she'd done the majority of acting in the film. I could tell I only did what they asked me to do, which was to play the part of the demon for a few specific scenes that required a stronger body. Linda certainly carried the film on her back and I've always been awed by her performance. Ultimately, I thought talking about this could make things much worse, so I demurred. I just wanted to close my eyes and pretend none of this was happening.”
“Also, wasn't Dietz just hired randomly for the Dick Smith makeup screen tests? Didn't Dietz do the screen tests in New York? I don't believe, “After director William Friedkin brought her to California …” WTH?”
I've always heard they were looking specifically for an actress to do the scenes Linda Blair couldn't do, and that's how they found Dietz (which she confirms in the book). Initially she was only hired to do the crucifix scene but eventually landed a 6 month contract as a principal cast member and went through all the make up/screen tests and rehearsals with Linda, which is why she's so adamant about not being called body double. She was brought to California after the film was released to attend meetings with Friedkin and WB. But before she got there the story broke out about her involvement in the film and all shit hit the fan.
I definitely recommend picking up a copy of the book.
