When the horror genre is in question, it is really impossible to not mention the 1970s iconic true event-inspired film The Exorcist. Revolving around a young girl named Regan (Linda Blair) and her mother, Chris (Ellen Burstyn), the film sees the girl getting possessed by two mysterious entities. Fearing the behavioral shift in Regan and her deteriorating health, Chris seeks help from two priests to help her out of the mess. Indeed, with such an intriguing plot, the movie, no doubt, offered a scary ride to the audience. And it was not just the plot that had the audience biting their nails, but everything in between, from music to performances amping the horror tropes and sending chills down the spine.
Unfortunately, The Exorcist was an ambitious movie, effectively ahead of its time. The film undeniably had certain aspects that didn’t appease many in the audience. The Exorcist prompted controversies in several parts of the West for hurting religious sentiments. The film even received flak for portraying explicitly disturbing visual images. Following this, unsurprisingly, that movie got banned in some parts of the U.K. Despite being wrapped in a lot of mess, it was a major box office hit. But that will never change the fact that The Exorcist was a controversial film from the very beginning. Here is everything you need to know why the movie was controversial and banned.
Why Was The Exorcist Banned?
The Exorcist was, no doubt, the most talked-about horror film of the decade that, to date, is held in high esteem in horror film history. Frankly, despite being so dated, it still has all the indispensable elements to send the audience to jump scares even today. Truly, the film leaves no room for ambiguity and directly delivers an intriguing plot, dread-inspiring sound effects, and explicit imagery to convey the magnitude of the situation.
Sadly, all of this near-perfect storytelling accumulated to producing a film that was too accurate to digest for the audience, courting a lot of controversy. Firstly, it was reported that The Exorcist provoked fainting, vomiting, and heart attacks in the cinema. While these extreme reactions of the moviegoers were widely the result of the apt cinematography, a little could also be accrued to the medical accuracy captured in The Exorcist. Director William Friedkin made sure to go to lengths for the research of the film. He talked to doctors at New York City hospitals and even kept himself updated about neuroimaging that was used in the movie
Further, since the film revolved around religion, it comes as no surprise that the Catholic Church wasn’t exactly thrilled to see the light in which priests were portrayed in The Exorcist. The film was cited by the church as “unsuitable for a wide audience.” In fact, the Cardinals in Boston loathed the film and wanted it banned. According to Entertainment Weekly, Friedkin shared the details about people’s hatred for the film. He said, “Billy Graham, who was not Catholic, denounced it from the pulpit and said ‘The Devil is in every frame of this film.’ Now, how he examined every frame, I don’t know.”
Of course, not everyone held a grudge against The Exorcist and wanted the film to be banned. Many were able to see beyond the controversy and believed that the movie restored the power of faith. The director mentioned that the movie received a positive reception from Cardinal in New York. The members of the Church preached and praised the film from the pulpit. Even further, Friedkin shared details about the popularity of the film, saying, “Most of the people at the highest levels of the church accepted it totally because the Roman Ritual of Exorcism is still in the New Testament.”
Although there was positive reception, clearly, a lot of fiasco too was involved at the release of The Exorcist. And as a result of this, the film’s home sales were illegal in the U.K. for quite a few years. Even further, the trailer of the movie was pulled from screening in the American theaters. Fortunately, all of this added to the shock value of the film leading to extreme financial gains for William. Reportedly, per Box Office Mojo, the worldwide collection of the film grossed $441 million. Which no doubt is a behemoth.
Was the Ban Ever Lifted?
Cut to 1998: on the 25th anniversary of the film, the Britain Board of Film Classification (BBFC) lifted the ban on The Exorcist stating that it, “while still a powerful and compelling work, no longer had the same impact as it did 25 years ago”. In fact, the board even permitted uncut video/DVD release of the film, but with an 18 rating. However, the trailer continued to stay banned in America.
What Happened to the Exorcist Franchise?
It has been almost 40 years since the release of the iconic The Exorcist and fortunately, this year, fans will once again relive the magic the film created in 1973. A reboot of The Exorcist is scheduled to hit the theaters on October 13. The sequel, The Exorcist: Believer, will be directed by David Gordon Green and will even see the return of fan-favorite Lina Blair and Ellen Burstyn as their respective characters. While other details are thin about the film, fans can’t wait to see what will the franchise churn next for its viewers.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
