The latest in a series of horror updates and sequels, The Exorcist is a film that shook the foundations of the genre to their core. Here’s the score on the holy reboot starring Hamilton’s Leslie Odom Jr and The Handmaid’s Tale’s Ann Dowd.
When it comes to groundbreaking and genuinely terrifying horror, it doesn’t get much better than The Exorcist.
The original 1973 film has stood the test of time and kept a firm grip on its unofficial crown as one of the most frightening and genre-affirming scary movies. And now that the fan favourite is next in line for an update, we’ve gathered together everything you need to know about the devilishly haunting reboot.
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What is The Exorcist?
A film that encapsulates the subgenre of religious horror, The Exorcist, based on William Peter Blatty’s novel of the same name, was dubbed so petrifying that there are urban legends of audience members fainting during the original theatrical run.
It follows the story of a mother Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) and her young daughter Regan (Linda Blair), as they enlist the help of two priests after Regan becomes possessed by a demonic spirit.
With shocking images of Regan’s impossibly contorted body, visual trickery and gore, and a now-iconic theatrical score, The Exorcist quickly became not only a Halloween staple but also the first horror film to be nominated for an Academy Award for best picture.
Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair on the set of The Exorcist, 1973 It also inspired stories about the production itself being cursed, with several members of the cast and crew meeting untimely ends during or shortly after wrapping. It’s not a surprising claim – after all, The Exorcist went to great lengths to serve up some innovative scares that leave the viewer with a feeling of unease. With intercut images of demonic faces, heavy religious imagery and supposed subliminal sound effects that include bees and pigs to create an unknown source of anxiety, it’s top-tier level discomfort. Upon its release, many tried to hinder the circulation of the film, with churches even trying to get the film banned. It was only made available as an uncut videotape available for home sale in the UK in 1999. To this day, it’s considered a classic instalment in the genre and set the bar for all subsequent demon-based horror tropes. Luckily, the director of this project is hardly a newcomer to the reboot world. David Gordon Green, who directed the Halloween reboot trilogy, will be taking the helm. The film will also be backed by Blumhouse, who produced such notable horror films as Get Out, Insidious, and the Paranormal Activity franchise, and distributed by Universal and Peacock. Almost 50 years since the original first release, Green will start production on what is reported to be the first instalment in a trilogy in a few weeks. The pressure of rebooting such a classic piece of culture is not lost on Green. Speaking to Variety at the Halloween Ends red carpet, he spoke about feeling “honoured to step into something that is so valuable within cinema history. And knowing there is a fanbase that is curious, aware, alert, potentially concerned to see what we’re up to.” The currently untitled Exorcist film will be a direct sequel to the original 1973 version, and will star Leslie Odom Jr of Hamilton fame, as well as Ann Dowd, who plays the terrifying Aunt Lydia in The Handmaid’s Tale. Excitingly, the reboot will also see original cast member Ellen Burstyn reprise her role as Chris MacNeil. While Burstyn’s return will please fans of the original, it also serves a purpose in terms of ensuring respect and consistency. “For me, I love having an anchor of perspective, and so I feel like I’m dealing with, this isn’t historical subject matter, but I’m dealing with historic, cinematic characters, and I’ve got the iconic actress that played this part fifty years ago, and she’s there to ask questions,” said Green of working with the actress. “She’s there to evaluate, give me notes on the script and she’s become like my spiritual guru that I go to, which…just the way that the film affected her life, we found ways that the story we’re creating affected Chris MacNeil in certain ways.” And as for Burstyn? It seems that there were some honourable intentions behind her return to the franchise now after turning down sequels for years. “I’ve said no every time. This time they offered me a whole bunch of money and I still said no,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “And then they surprised me and they came back and said, ‘We doubled the offer.’ I said, ‘OK, let me think about this.’ I thought, ‘That’s a lot of money. Let me think about it.’ The next thought that came to mind was: ‘I feel like the devil is asking my price.’ And the next thought that came to mind was, ‘My price is a scholarship programme for talented students at our master’s degree programme at Pace University. That’s my price.’ So I then went back and upped their up and ended up getting what I want. And I’ve got a scholarship programme for young actors.” With filming commencing in a few weeks, it’ll likely be a while before we’ll catch a proper glimpse of the demonic reboot. It’s expected that the film will be released on 13 October 2023, just a few months ahead of the 50th anniversary of the original film. But with Halloween just around the corner, there’s plenty on offer to still satisfy your horror cravings while you wait, be it witchy tales or spine-chilling adaptations. And in the meantime, maybe count your blessings that you’ve got time to prepare for the inevitable scares. The Exorcist (1973) is available to stream now on Amazon Prime Images: Warner Brothers; Getty; Hulu Source: Read Full ArticleWho’s involved in the reboot?
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Is there a trailer?