The Exorcist (1973) | Ep. 83 - Part 1

The set burned to the ground overnight. Regan's bedroom came out of it without a mark. Luke, Matt, and Westy begin the story of the film that dragged horror out of the drive-in and all the way to the Academy Awards. In Part 1 we cover the prologue shot in 130-degree heat in northern Iraq, the casting of Burstyn, Blair and Jason Miller, and William Friedkin's methods for getting a performance, which ran from firing guns on set to hiding rotting meat around it. Standard directing. Merrin hasn't arrived and nobody has been down those steps yet. Part 2 goes upstairs: the crew, the exorcism, the ending, the legacy. Out now. Connect with ATRM: To join our fantastic community of film fans, support what we do, access our archive, listen to exclusive episodes, and a whole lot more, become an ATRM patron: ⁠⁠⁠Join the ATRM Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ We're available on any podcast platform: Listen on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Listen on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to our channel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We're across all major social channels too: Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ATRightMovies⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@allthe_rightmovies ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join our movie group⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bluesky: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@alltherightmovies.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@alltherightmovies⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠alltherightmovies.com