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Features: DVD
Here it is. The scream of the crop. The fear is here. And so is the hope. Because at their center are intrepid souls who dare to look evil in the eye and vanquish it. From The Exorcist (presented in its Original Theatrical Version and the 2000 Version You've Never Seen) to the shocks and surprise of Exorcist II: The Heretic and The Exorcist III to the two versions (by two different directors) of Dominion/The Beginning, this DVD set comprises the scariest and most fascinating collection of movies in modern horror. Format: DVD MOVIE
"[Dominion] It's a good, thoughtful horror picture..." David Edelstein, Slate
"[Begining] Here's a popcorn movie with soul..." Gregory Weinkauf, Dallas Observer
"[1] Classically scary." Lawrence Toppman, Charlotte Observer
"[1] The scariest movie I have ever seen." Willie Waffle, WaffleMovies.com
Editor's Note
Arguably the scariest motion picture ever made, William Friedkin's THE EXORCIST was unleashed on an unsuspecting American public in 1973. The film quickly became a nationwide sensation, leading to religious boycotts, fainting, and a huge box office return. Oscar nominee Linda Blair beat out hundreds of other child actors to land the role of Regan MacNeil, a 12-year-old who is possessed by the devil. After exhausting all other practical options, Regan's mother, Chris (Ellen Burstyn), acknowledges the supernatural nature of her daughter's condition and recruits Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller) to stage an exorcism. Aided by the mysterious Jesuit exorcist Father Merrin (Max von Sydow), Father Damien must confront not only the supernatural phenomena in front of him, but also his own inadequate faith and displaced guilt over his mother's recent death.Friedkin brings William Peter Blatty's Oscar-winning script to shocking life by establishing a realistic, everyday tone before allowing the terror to creep in. The performances of Burstyn and Miller further help to ground the supernatural events. Like THE GODFATHER before it and JAWS shortly after, the breakout success of THE EXORCIST helped to transform Hollywood into the blockbuster behemoth of American culture.
Plot Summary
This is the movie that you can't stand to watch and yet can't turn away from. THE EXORCIST is a horrifying, riveting film based on William Peter Blatty's best-seller (he also wrote the screenplay). In the ultimate transformation plot, a 12-year-old girl (Linda Blair) becomes possessed by the devil. Soon the once-sweet child beomes a murderous, vomit-spewing, bed-twirling hellhound. A dedicated but naive priest attempts to exorcise Satan from Regan's body--and in the process is forced to confront personal demons of his own. The theatrical release led to outrage, fainting, nausea--and huge box-office receipts. The result was two cash-in sequels, the second directed by Blatty.
| Features | [1, 2] Dubbed: French | | [1, Beginning, Dominion] Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | [1] 3 Trailers | | [1] 6 TV Spots | | [1] Audio: French Dolby Digital Mono | | [1] Featurette: Fear Of God | | [1] New Interviews | | [1] Separate Audio Commentaries By Friedkin & Blatty | | [2, 3] Original Theatrical Trailer | | [2] Alternate Opening Sequence | | [2] Audio: English, French Dolby Digital Mono | | [2] Subtitles: Indonesian, English, French, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai | | [All] Interactive Menus | | [All] Scene Selection | | [Beginning, Dominion] Subtitles: English, French, Spanish |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Warner |
| Release Date: 10/10/2006 |
| Original Release Date: 1973 | | Catalog ID: 83834 | | UPC: 00012569838345 | | Number of Discs: 6 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Widescreen 2.35:1/1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Winner (1974) | | | Oscar, Robert Knudson, et. al., [Exorcist] Best Sound | | | Oscar, William Peter Blatty, [Exorcist] Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium | |
Nominee (1974) | | | Oscar, Jason Miller, [Exorcist] Best Actor in a Supporting Role | | | Oscar, Ellen Burstyn, [Exorcist] Best Actress in a Leading Role | | | Oscar, Linda Blair, [Exorcist] Best Actress in a Supporting Role | | | Oscar, William Friedkin, [Exorcist] Best Director |
| Memorable Quotes| "What an excellent day for an exorcism."----Regan (Linda Blair) to Father Karras (Jason Miller) | | "Why you do this to me, Damie?"----Regan (as Father Karras's mother) to Father Karras |
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| | Professional Reviews | Entertainment Weekly
"...The first modern, F/X-heavy shriek-o-rama....[Miller and Burstyn] give harrowing, nuanced performances....Strikingly new amid [its era]..." 08/21/1998 pp.129-30USA Today
"...The EXORCIST is still one of the scariest and most adult horror movies ever..." 10/27/2000 p.12E Sight and Sound
"...At once a religious parable, a study of tortured adolescence and a warped satire about a single-parent family, it hasn't dated in the slightest..." 01/01/2002 p.59 DVD Authority 7 of 10
[2] It has been four years since Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair) was possessed by the demon Pasuzu, leading to a horrific ordeal for all involved. But now Father Merrin (Max von Sydow) has passed on and Father Lamont (Richard Burton) has been called in by the Vatican, to uncover the truth behind Regan's demonic possession. His trek takes him into Africa, where he finds that the demon Kokumo has taken over someone, but since Merrin had defeated the demon before, Lamont is able to speak with the presence.
eFilmCritic.com 8 of 10
[3] I don't think many people have seen this film, and I think even fewer realize that it was written and directed by William Peter Blatty, author of the original Exorcist. So, while it's not quite as chilling as the first story, It is at least a quality sequel and not some crappy knockoff by a third party made solely for the $$$ - Brian McKay
BBC Film Review 6 of 10
[Begining] You didn't need supernatural powers to predict that Exorcist - The Beginning would horrify for all the wrong reasons. A prequel/sequel to the 70s shocker, it tells how the original's devil-battling priest (Max Von Sydow then; Stellan Skarsgard now) first grappled with demon-beast Pazuzu. The place? Africa. The era? The 40s. The result? Largely tedium; a botch job of mistimed scare scenes, bland characters and computer-generated hyenas - alieviated only by Skarsgard, who delivers a performance much better than the material deserves. - Nev Pierce
Washington Post 8 of 10
[3] For those of you who stay up nights listening to the house settle, William Peter Blatty scares up more horrific doings in The Exorcist III, the "official sequel" to the 1973 tale of demonic possession. As writer and director, Blatty prefers creaks, whispers and shadowed corridors to spinning heads and projectile vomiting. His style is spookily descriptive and his story slowly engrossing, but he hasn't created a hair-raising masterpiece here. - Rita Kempley
Chicago Sun-Times 9 of 10
[1] The film is a triumph of special effects. Never for a moment--not when the little girl is possessed by the most disgusting of spirits, not when the bed is banging and the furniture flying and the vomit is welling out--are we less than convinced. The film contains brutal shocks, almost indescribable obscenities. That it received an R rating and not the X is stupefying. - Roger Ebert
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