CaptainHowdy.com The #1 Exorcist Fansite Since 1999
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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. đ 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. đ
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.” đ
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. đ
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.
I agree with dsea on the comedy part. It would be like the sound of a fart in the hypnosis scene! đ
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! đ
“Friedkin was just brilliant in being dissatisfied with Blairâs voice with the stupid âechoingâ 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!
Oh “goodness, gracious sakes alive!” I think they should sell Mary Jane at every movie theater. The sales at the concessions would skyrocket and we would all love ANY movie we were about to see. Legalize, legalize, legalize!
dsea, Rob Doe and Ronald Hunkeler are one in the same.
The supernaturally possessed portrayal of Anneliese Michel occurs in the American film, “The Possession of Emily Rose.” The best online “featurette” I could find is below. The movie version challenges the medical society against the religious society. The filmâs bottom line philosophizes the terms of Aristotleâs Virtue Ethics versus those set forth by God in the Bible.
Anneliese was indeed a victim on both counts – from both philosophies. If Anneliese was a paranoid schizophrenic deprived of her medications by the priest while under a physicianâs care at the same time, who is to blame for her demise? In this theory, the priest is wrong and the attending physician is wrong.
Theories, theories, theories. I would have to examine the case more in-depth, but I believe her âpossession,â or more instinctively, her mental ailments are all a part of the unloving, self-interested individuals who did not act rationally on either end of the scale.
Dying from malnutrition in the mid-1970âs is a disgrace regardless of Annelieseâs circumstance, either medically or religiously. To stipulate if a person has a mental condition or is legitimately possessed leaves the door wide open, in my opinion, for the obvious: medical intervention was a necessity and everyone turned a blind eye to Annelieseâs physical condition. She did not die from the demons within her; she died from the demons in the form of irrational human beings surrounding her.
Look here.
From the official The Exorcist 25th Anniversary website:
“Throughout the filming of THE EXORCIST, with all the visual challenges entailed, one issue had never been resolved â how to make Regan MacNeilâs voice sound as powerfully horrendous as Blattyâs screenplay demanded. Even before shooting began, sound recordist Chris Newman and audio expert Ken Nordine had attempted to find a way to distort Blairâs own naturally childish tones and twist them into something demonic and overpowering. The results were poor, producing merely an electronic growl with none of the threatening subtleties implied in both the novel and script.
As Friedkin now candidly admits; “When I started making THE EXORCIST, I had no idea how we were going to do the demon voice. Bill Blatty gives you a clue in the novel, saying that itâs something horrific, horrendous, shattering, booming, whatever…but how do you actually achieve what those adjectives suggest? When we were filming those scenes, Linda Blair did all the original dialogue, which Chris Newman recorded. Then we went back and forth with Ken Nordine doing some experimentation, both with Lindaâs voice, and with his own voice, fed through a computer, distorted and amplified. When I listened to the result I was extremely disappointed because it just sounded like a manâs voice dubbed onto the face of a child. I just couldnât figure out how to fix it, because I knew I wanted a voice that was neutral, neither male nor female, but with both male and female characteristics. Who the hell sounds like that? Who has ever sounded like that? In the end I just threw myself on the mercy of the movie god and the name Mercedes McCambridge came into my head.
“McCambridge was a great actress who had won an Academy Award⢠for her work in ALL THE KINGâS MEN but before that she had done a number of memorable radio programs for people like Orson Welles. It turned out she was in Dallas, Texas, doing WHOâS AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF on stage. I spoke to her on the phone, and to my joy she sounded exactly as she had sounded thirty years earlier on the radio. I told her about this project that I was working on, and she agreed to come and see it.”
“We flew her out to Los Angeles and she watched the picture and said; âOK, Iâll have a crack at it. In fact I think I can do most of it with my own voice.â So then we went into a sound-stage at Warner Bros. where she worked for maybe three weeks doing the demon voice. And she really went for it. She was chain-smoking; swallowing raw eggs; getting me to tie her to a chair; all these painful things just to produce the sound of that demon in torment. And as she did it the most curious things would happen in her throat. Double and triple sounds would emerge at once, wheezing sounds, very much akin to what you can imagine a person inhabited by various demons would sound like.”
“It was really something else. Sheâd just sit there in that chair looking at the screen and go âAaaaaaaarghhâ and you would hear these things multiplied in her throat; these strange counterpoint noises; little skittering whistles and strange creaking rattles. When she was done, we took the speech that she had dubbed to Linda Blairâs mouth, and occasionally we enhanced it, adding animal noises and sounds. But basically she performed it, under great duress. She knew exactly what was needed to go out and produce this effect, and I was stunned at what she put herself through, and what she allowed me to put her through in order to accomplish this. It was way beyond the call of duty, and if you were going to say that there was a single element that really made the film, then it could well be the sound quality that she achieved. It was pure inspiration.”
The involvement of Mercedes McCambridge on the soundtrack of THE EXORCIST later became a source of heated controversy when Warners failed to credit her on the first run prints of the movie. Exactly why McCambridgeâs name was initially omitted from the credits is unclear: Friedkin claims she specifically declined any on-screen acknowledgement, while McCambridge insists she fully expected it. Whatever the truth, her name appears on all but the first thirty-odd prints of THE EXORCIST, although not specifically as “The Voice of the Demon” as she would have preferred; instead her credit reads simply “And Mercedes McCambridge”.
howdy, you’re right about the speed of the film, way too fast! I’ll bet that Friedkin refused the scene once he saw it. Case in point, Friedkin rejected the Eileen Dietz vomit scene because the special effect looked too fake. Solution: Friedkin had an artisan paint the vomit in the scene flying from Blair’s mouth. We get to see only that split second of Dietz at the end with the special effects paraphernalia.
Friedkin claims the spider-walk was, “too early in the film,” but I think audiences would have laughed and he knew it. The scene is too gimmicky on film and didn’t quite fit what Friedkin wanted (speculation of course). Therefore, WB “fixed” the dilemma for TVYNS by adding the CGI blood to try to add more credence.
It didn’t work without the blood then and it doesn’t work with the CGI blood today, but it is cool to see something old that’s new again.
