The Exorcist, directed by William Friedkin is considered one of the scariest horror films ever made. The film is based on a 1971 horror novel written by American writer William Peter Blatty which tells the story of a young girl getting possessed by the devil and the efforts made by her parents to get rid of it. Some of the disturbing and scary imagery from the film has seeped into people’s imaginations and the overall zeitgeist of cinema in general. The film has had a huge impact in revolutionizing the horror genre and has inspired many filmmakers who have tried to explore exciting possibilities in the same genre.
The film is also famously known for its behind-the-scenes rumors of the set being haunted. Many suspicious and disturbing incidents occurred during the making of the film that puzzled the crew of the film. These unexplained events are also what really made the film more relevant and terrifying to date.
William Friedkin Details Strange Incidents While Making The Exorcist
Director William Friedkin directed The Exorcist in 1973 based on the popular horror novel of the same name. In an interview, he talked about the making of the film and how he wanted to bring an authentic and practical approach to horror and fear during the film. He also revealed strange occurrences and incidents that happened during filming saying, (via YouTube)
“I’ve heard all these stories about the supernatural hovering around the set, and I must say that I never felt that. We had a lot of unusual occurrences. Our set burned down one day, a Sunday morning with no one in the building a fire broke out that completely destroyed the set which was the interior of a two-story house. The whole thing burned down for no reason. Periodically the sprinkler system in the studio where we were filming would erupt and flood the entire set. Since the sound stage was located in a section of New York known as Hell’s Kitchen, I suppose we could have expected something like that but I don’t attribute it to the supernatural”
Even though Friedkin is not attributing these strange occurrences to the supernatural, it is extremely weird and terrifying to hear all these incidents that happened for no reason, similar to how they would have played out in a horror flick. Hence it is understandable why people continue to believe that the set of The Exorcist was cursed and haunted.
There were Other Unexplainable Occurrences Related to the Film
In addition to the fire, many other weird and terrifying unexplained occurrences add to the discourse of the production of The Exorcist being a cursed one. As laid out by MovieWeb, many people linked to the movie passed away soon after wrapping the shoot for the film including actors Jack MacGowran and Vasiliki Maliaros. The young actress who played the possessed girl Linda Blair was attacked by various individuals who accused her of promoting Satan through the film.
A screening in Rome turned more eerie when the cross of one of the two ancient churches between which the theatre was located, got struck by lightning and fell to the ground. Cast members of the film also suffered several injuries throughout the film’s production. Although unexplainable and scary, It indeed sounds like something was happening during the making of the film and also in its aftermath.
Also read: ‘The Exorcist’ Director William Friedkin, Oscar Winner, Passes Away at 87
