Trivia and Goofs

Mercedes McCambridge had to sue Warner Brothers for credit as the voice of the demon, Pazuzu.

There are semi-subliminal single-frame shots in this film:
when the priest is dreaming of his mother coming up out of the subway, there is a single frame shot of a face (Eileen Dietz), painted black and white, grimacing. There are two other places where this image is supposedly displayed: when Regan, lying on the bed, turns to look at Father Merrin and Father Karras, and just after the head-turning scene.

Jane Fonda and Shirley MacLaine were approached to play the role of Chris MacNeil.

CAMEO: William Peter Blatty, producer of the film that Chris is acting in; he's seen talking to Burke.

The cigarette that Chris stomps out in the park is back in her hand a moment later.

The position of the planchette on the Ouija board in the scene where Regan and Chris is talking to Captain Howdy changes.

1. This flight stairs is located at Prospect Street and 36th Street NW in Georgetown.
2. There are 75 steps for this flight of stairs.
3. In reality, the stairs are not adjacent to the house but 75 feet away.
4. William Blatty used to live at 3618 Prospect St.
5. His novel, Exorcist, when first released sold 13 million in the U.S alone.
6. The green puke was made from a combination of pea soup and oatmeal.
7. Regan's pean soup vomit was supposed to hit Father Karra's in the chest instead of his face.
8. The head spins were done using a mannequin.
9. This is film banned in video form both in Finland and UK since released and until today.
10. Mercedes McCambridge who did the voice of the demon had to sue Warner Bros for credits.
11. Nothing supernatural happened while filming this movie.
12. Jason Miller (Father Karras) is 59 years old this year.
13. The story of this movie is not the true account of what happened to a boy from Mt. Rainer back in 1949 as believed otherwise by many. Blatty however did get the idea from the incident because he did interview the priest who performed the exorcism. Blatty himself confirmed this in an interview with the Washington Post. However, there are similarities in the symptoms of possession on both accounts. Read more about the true case here.

Ellen Burstyn...................................... Chris MacNeil
Max Von Sydow.................................. Father Merrin
Jason Miller....................................... Father Damien Karras
Lee J. Cobb........................................... Lt. Kinderman
Linda Blair......................................... Regan MacNeil

Kitty Winn........................................... Sharon

Jack MacGowran............................... Burke Dennings

Vasiliki Maliaros............................... Karras' Mother

Titos Vandis........................................ Karras' Uncle

Wallace Rooney.................................. Bishop

Mercedes McCambridge.................... Voice Of Pazuzu

Reverand T. Bermingham.................. University President

Reverand William O'Malley.............. Father Dyer

Best Picture
Best Actress - Ellen Burstyn
Best Supporting Actress - Linda Blair
Best Supporting Actor - Jason Miller
Best Director - William Friedkin
Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium - William Peter Blatty (winner)
Best Cinematography - Owen Roizman
Best Film Editing - Jordan Leondopoulos and Bud Smith
Best Sound - Robert Knudson and Chris Newman (winner)
Best Art Direction - Bill Malley / Set Decoration - Jerry Wunderlich

As mentioned, this movie is based on the novel with the same name by William Blatty. There are lots of stuff from the novel that was not included in the movie.

In the movie, Regan's personality started to change only during the party where she said to Father Dyer that he will die and then urinated on the carpet but in the novel she started to change the day after her birthday. Her father called her the day after her birthday and she called him a 'cocksucker' and hung up the phone (recall that her mother was cursing him for not calling Regan on her birthday). Her mother, Chris, did not know about his until Regan's father called back and told her about it. When Chris questioned Regan about the phone call she has no recollection about it at all.

When the demon (Regan) spoke to Father Karras on many occasions, it used the personality of Burke Dennings (Chris' director friend) as well as Karra's mother.

There is also a scene where Regan arched her body and started walking like a spider on her hands and feet down the stairs.

Towards the end, after Father Karras jump out the window and fell down the flight of stairs, Father Dyer came to him and heared his last confession while he is dying. It was there also where Father Dyer saw joy and a glint of triumph in Father Karras' eyes.