Jump Scares in The Exorcist (1973) (2024)

FAQs

Does The Exorcist 1973 have jump scares? ›

It includes at most two or three expected jump scares. In possession movies, it's reasonable not to anticipate many jump scares because the primary goal is to expel the evil force from the possessed, so the bulk of the scary moments involve the possessed individual. Unfortunately, even those scenes fall short here.

This movie is very complex when it comes to religion, but also incredibly scary to some people to this day. When I saw it, I found it shocking after seeing it and thinking about how both the story and the horror develop slowly, bit by bit, which makes it more scary to many audiences.

With a bulk of the film revolving around religion, the Catholic Church were not happy with the release of The Exorcist and its release led to them citing the film was “unsuitable for a wide audience" and there were calls for the film to be banned.

Some of the most terrifying scenes include Regan's head spinning around, her throwing up on Father Karras, and killing Priest Merrin.

From subtle whispers in the background to all-out pandemonium as a chorus of demonic voices envelop the theater, the sense that you're being constantly pursued by otherworldly voices is palpable and relentless in The Exorcist.

The Exorcist spider walk scene, initially deleted from the film's release, was restored later, delighting fans who consider it a favorite sequence. Director William Friedkin felt the scene was a big special effect too early in the story, but later reinserted the scene using CGI to erase wires.

Did you know that author William Peter Blatty's novel The Exorcist was inspired by the actual 1949 exorcism of a young boy from Cottage City, Maryland, and the horrifying 1634 Loudun exorcisms? The story goes that Blatty heard about the Maryland case while he was a student at Georgetown University.

(My rating) Rated R For disturbing bloody violent images and terror throughout, strong language including slurs and sexual references, graphic nudity, and brief drinking - all involving a child.

When "The Exorcist" was released in 1973, Linda Blair was just 14 years old. Though the film generated a considerable amount of controversy, the young actress blew audiences away with her haunting performance as possessed preteen Regan MacNeil.

What happened on the set of The Exorcist 1973? ›

Just as the cast and crew began to prep for production, a fire broke out on the set of the MacNeil home. It's claimed that the only room that survived the disaster was Regan's bedroom, as told in the documentary Fear of God: 25 Years of The Exorcist. All told, it took six weeks to rebuild the set.

Rotten score. Fresh audience score. Sister Ann (Jacqueline Byers) believes she is answering a calling to be the first female exorcist... but who, or what, called her?

His favorite movies were The Exorcist (1973), Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) and The Exorcist III (1990). One of his surviving victims recounts seeing him watch one of the films repeatedly, in a trance-like state. A resident in Dahmer's hometown was happy that he was killed.

Your mind may take a detour back to the infamous cross scene in the original, where Regan stabs herself in the crotch multiple times with a crucifix while grunting and flinging F-bombs. Burstyn, who played her mom, was in that scene too.

The Exorcist had a serial killer involved in the first film. Paul Bateson later inspired William Friedkin to make the controversial film, Cruising. The Exorcist Overcame Bateson's Drama to Produce Many Sequels As It Approaches Its 50th Anniversary.

Summary. Classic horror movies like The Exorcist still hold up today because they root their horror in themes that resonate regardless of person, culture, or decade. The extreme audience reactions to The Exorcist in 1973, including fainting, vomiting, and passing out, prove its ability to truly frighten viewers.

The Exorcist Was So Scary in 1973 It Made Moviegoers Faint, Vomit, and Cry. "All my friends told me not to go, but I just had to see what it was like," a student said after leaving the movie early.