The Exorcist (1973)
The movie: ‘The Exorcist’ is quite possibly the scariest movie ever made. Controversial and truly harrowing; its release roused audiences back in the 70s by questioning the existence of god and offering Satan the squatting rights to the body of a 12-year-old girl.
The reality: The film took its inspiration from the last known Catholic-sanctioned exorcism in the United States, where priests attended to a 13-year-old boy after his parents complained about his aggressive behaviour. The facts are a little murky, so whilst there may be some truth to reports that the boy spoke in a demonic accent and moved objects with his mind; he almost definitely didn’t spin his head entirely round, levitate or talk gobbledygook.
Even spookier however is the so-called ‘Exorcist’ curse, which afflicted the film’s crew. Depending on who you ask, between four and nine people involved with the movie died either in production or shortly after; whilst filming was repeatedly delayed by a spate of mysterious fires and serious on-set accidents.
The movie: ‘The Exorcist’ is quite possibly the scariest movie ever made. Controversial and truly harrowing; its release roused audiences back in the 70s by questioning the existence of god and offering Satan the squatting rights to the body of a 12-year-old girl.
The reality: The film took its inspiration from the last known Catholic-sanctioned exorcism in the United States, where priests attended to a 13-year-old boy after his parents complained about his aggressive behaviour. The facts are a little murky, so whilst there may be some truth to reports that the boy spoke in a demonic accent and moved objects with his mind; he almost definitely didn’t spin his head entirely round, levitate or talk gobbledygook.
Even spookier however is the so-called ‘Exorcist’ curse, which afflicted the film’s crew. Depending on who you ask, between four and nine people involved with the movie died either in production or shortly after; whilst filming was repeatedly delayed by a spate of mysterious fires and serious on-set accidents.
