The Exorcist Rare Outtake Reveals Early Look At Pazuzu

In 1973, The Exorcist was released in theaters. It would end up being both praised and repulsed by audiences for decades, and hailed as one of the scariest movies of all time. Now, new footage has been unleashed to the world in the form of the demon Pazuzu itself. Paul Davis shared the footage on his Twitter/X account, along with a special announcement of his own!

Davis elaborates on the history of the shot in the Twitter/X thread. The shot was supposedly an early makeup test for Regan, with Eileen Dietz the actor in question and wearing makeup applied by Dick Smith. Davis also reveals that The Exorcist director William Friedkin was initially not happy with the footage, and felt the makeup was not “organic in terms of what is described as Regan’s physical appearance in the script.”

According to Davis, editor Bud Smith later discovered the reel and “spliced two frames into the sequence in which Father Karras dreams of his mother.” Friedkin, who later watched the scene, was so impressed that he ordered more appearances of the mysterious face into the film. He even called for Dietz to get back into the makeup for more footage, which was added to the scene of Regan in the bed. Dietz would also play as Linda Blair’s double during the more intense possession scenes.

Paul Davis started directing with 2009’s Beware the Moon: Remembering ‘An American Werewolf in London. He would go on to direct “The Body” and “Uncanny Annie” from Blumhouse’s Into the Dark anthology series. This Halloween, Paul will be releasing a commentary video for The Exorcist, which will “include 10 minutes of unseen outtakes and the full 2min makeup test that was eventually used as the iconic “Captain Howdy” face.”

RELATED: The Exorcist: Is the Original Still One of the Scariest Horror Movies?

The Legacy of The Exorcist

In December of this year, The Exorcist will celebrate its 50th anniversary. Based on the 1971 novel of the same name, the film has become a tentpole in the world of horror cinema. Upon its initial release, it was met with mixed reviews, but its infamy was more than enough to draw crowds to the theater. It became the first horror film to earn a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Picture, while it didn’t win that it managed to walk away with Best Adapted Screenplay and Best sound. In 2010, it was chosen by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.

With such box office numbers, awards, and infamy, The Exorcist was bound to get sequels. There were two direct sequels, Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) and the renowned The Exorcist III (1990). Two prequels followed in Exorcist: The Beginning (2004) and Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (2005).

We’re now on the brink of a brand-new chapter for The Exorcist franchise. On October 6th, The Exorcist: Believer will hit theaters. Directed by David Gordon Green, the film will be a direct sequel to the original 1973 film. Ellen Burstyn reprises her role as Chris MacNeil, the mother of Regan, who must face off against demons again in order to save the lives of two innocent girls. Two sequels are reportedly in the works to round out a trilogy, with the second chapter, The Exorcist: Deceiver, to debut in spring 2025.