The Exorcist

The Exorcist is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin, adapted by William Peter Blatty from his 1971 novel of the same name. The book, inspired by the 1949 exorcism of Roland Doe,deals with the demonic possession of a 12-year-old girl and her mother's attempts to win back her child through an exorcism conducted by two priests. The adaption is relatively faithful to the book, which itself has been commercially successful (hitting the New York Times bestseller list).

The film experienced a troubled production; even in the beginning, several prestigious film directors including Stanley Kubrick and Arthur Penn turned it down. Incidents, such as the toddler son of one of the main actors being hit by a motorbike and hospitalized, attracted claims that the set was 'cursed'. The complex special effects used as well as the nature of the film locations also presented severe challenges, such as the on-site film-making in Iraq leading to chronic illnesses among the crew as they dealt with 130 °F weather.The film's notable psychological themes include the nature of faith in the midst of doubt as well as the boundaries of maternal love as a mother has to do whatever she can to save her child. The movie features performances fromLinda Blair, Ellen Burstyn, Jason Miller, Max von Sydow, and (in voice only)Mercedes McCambridge. Director William Friedkin came on board given the acclaim of his previous film, The French Connection.

The Exorcist was released theatrically in the United States by Warner Bros. on December 26, 1973. Though booked at first in only twenty-six theaters across the U.S., it soon became a major commercial success. The film earned ten Academy Award nominations, winning two (Best Sound Mixing and Best Adapted Screenplay). It became one of the highest-grossing films of all time, grossing over $441 million worldwide in the aftermath of various re-releases, and was the first horror film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. The Exorcist is notably one of a cycle of "demonic child" films produced from the late-1960s to the mid-1970s, including Rosemary's Babyand The Omen.

The film has had a significant influence on popular culture. Later figures in horror such as Stephen King have praised the work as an influence Several publications have regarded it one of the best horror films in history.For example, it was named the scariest film of all time by Entertainment Weekly in 1999, by Movies.com in 2010, by viewers of AMC in 2006, and by the editors of Time Out in 2014. In addition, a scene from the film was ranked #3 on Bravo's The 100 Scariest Movie Moments.In 2010, theLibrary of Congress selected the film to be preserved as part of its National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant"