The Horror and Supernatural film series The Exorcist will be returning on the big screen on 13 October 2023. People are definitely excited but many also recall the Horror that arose when the first installment was released.
The first movie from the series was The Exorcist and it debuted on the big screen on 26 December 1973. There were myriads of unfortunate incidents linked to the movie and many believed that the Exorcist curse was to be blamed for all the mishaps.
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2 members of the cast of The Exorcist died before the movie was released
In the movie The Exorcist, Linda Blair played the character of Regan, Ellen Burstyn portrayed the character of Chris, and Jason Miller was seen as Damien. Before the release of the movie two members of the star cast passed away. Jack MacGowran was Burke Dennings in the movie, died due to complications related to Influenza and he was affected by that during the London Flu Epidemic in 1973. Another member of the cast Vasiliki Maliaros who portrayed the character of Karras’s mother also died before the movie hit the big screens.
Miller was also involved in a horrible accident while filming the film. According to reports, the accident was life-threatening and the actor was severely hurt. The 64-year-old actress Blair and Max von Sydow’s close family members passed away during the filming of the movie. Many people think all these unfortunate events have nothing to do with the movie but some people still believe it was all because of the Exorcist curse.
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Freak Fire delayed the production for six weeks
The makers of the movie came across many hurdles during the making of the movie. There were so many instances where the shooting would get delayed but one day a freak fire put the hiatus on the filming for six weeks. Reportedly a bird flew to the circuit box and ignited a freak fire on the set which was Regan’s family home. A surprising fact also says that the only room which wasn’t affected by the fire was the bedroom where exorcisms would take place. After the fire broke out on the set a real priest was called to bless the set. Film Historian Sarah Crowth said during an interview,
“This set production back significantly, and led to a draining shooting period of over a year.”
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Burstyn one of the lead actresses of the film who played the character of Chris sustained a significant back injury while filming. According to reports, the actress was hurt while being lifted around on a harness. Burstyn departed the set of the film on crutches and this incident was also linked to the curse.
Source: The Sun
