Exorcist: The Beginning
Facts and FiguresExorcist - The Beginning is released nationwide in the UK on 29th October, 2004 by Warner Bros. Pictures. It's a Certificate 15 and runs for 114 minutes. Counter Culture presents below some Facts And Figures for trivia fans.
Exorcist: The Beginning was originally to be directed by John Frankenheimer (The Manchurian Candidate) but sadly his death at the age of 72 meant that a new director had to be found.
For a sequence in which a child is attacked by dogs director Renny Harlin was forced to rely on digital effects since the trained dogs refused to attack the boy.
Stellan Skarsgard is meant to be playing a younger version of Father Merrin. In fact the actor is a decade older than Max Von Sydow who played the role in the 1973 film.
In a creepy coincidence director Renny Harlin found himself staying in the Excelsior Hotel in Rome during the shoot. The Excelsior is the hotel that Ellen Burstyn's husband is staying in in the original film.
The original Exorcist film was banned from video or DVD release in this country as censors said it was uniquely disturbing.
The vomit that Linda Blair so effectively decorates the room with was in fact nothing more than pea soup and oatmeal, while the horrific sounds of the demon being exorcised were recordings of pigs being driven to slaughter.
There are 2 other sequels to the Exorcist. Exorcist II, directed by John Boorman and Legion, directed by the author of the original novel, William Peter Blatty.
The original novel's author William Peter Blatty has made more money out of his story than any other novelist has out of theirs. He is rumoured to have made over $40 million from the movie.
The original Exorcist is reputed to be based on a true story that happened in 1949. A 14-year old boy was reported to be possessed but was exorcised by a Catholic priest. The boy grew up and apparently has no recollection of the dreadful events of his childhood.