Where to watch The Exorcist (1973)

Trivia & production notes

• William Peter Blatty's novel became a bestseller only after he appeared on The Dick Cavett Show to discuss the existence of the devil, prompting public interest that sent it to the top of the New York Times list.
• Blatty insisted on producing the film himself, which prevented him from accepting Lew Grade's offer for the rights during a time of financial hardship.
• A planned co-production with Paul Monash, who produced Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, fell apart when Blatty discovered Monash was attempting to take control of the film.
• The screenplay toned down sexual content from the novel because a young actress was expected to play Regan, removing a more explicit and prolonged crucifix scene from the book.
• Director William Friedkin cast Jason Miller as Father Karras after Miller told him during a screen test that the character "is me," leading Friedkin to buy out Stacy Keach's contract.
• Linda Blair was cast as Regan with minimal acting experience, primarily known for modeling work and a single soap opera role, after she demonstrated confidence during Friedkin's unconventional audition questions about the film's dark subject matter.
• Voice actress Mercedes McCambridge ate raw eggs, drank whiskey, and chainsmoked to create an intimidating voice for the demon Pazuzu, but the studio initially refused to credit her until Screen Actors Guild arbitration.
• Eileen Dietz, who was 15 years older than Linda Blair, performed as her stunt double for violent and disturbing scenes including the crucifix scene and fistfight, appearing as the on-camera face of Pazuzu for approximately 28 seconds of the film.
• William Friedkin cast Max von Sydow as Father Merrin based on a photograph of Jesuit philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, rejecting both Marlon Brando and actor Paul Scofield for the role.
• Jason Miller, who played Father Karras, had actually studied to become a Jesuit priest for three years at Catholic University of America before experiencing a spiritual crisis similar to his character's.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article The Exorcist, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Rewritten for StreamShack; errors are ours — tell us about them.