The Fear of God: The Making of the Exorcist (1998)

Country of Origin: UK
Date(s) of Broadcast: 1998
Number of Seasons: n/a
Total Number of Episodes: 1
Average Episode Running Times: 52 mins (UK DVD) 74 mins (UK TV / UK video / US DVD)
Format: colour
Sound:

PRODUCTION
Production Company: BBC
Producer: Nick Freand Jones
Associate Producer: Mark Kermode

PHOTOGRAPHY
Camera Operators: Mark Molesworth, Guy Littlemore, Tony Bragg

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: Jan Deas

SOUND
Sound: Jason Blackburn, John Biddlecombe
Dubbing Mixer: Luis Provin

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Bob Cummins

MISCELLANEOUS
Researchers: Andrew Abbott, Russell Leven
Production Assistant: Julia Horstmann

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks To: William Peter Blatty; William Friedkin; Lynda Gordon; Nicki Martin; Michele Colyer; The Getty Center, Los Angeles; The Museum of the Moving Image, New York; The British Film Institute; Washington Post; Warner Bros.

CAST
Linda Blair (herself)
William Peter Blatty (himself)
Ellen Burstyn (herself)
William Friedkin (himself)
Jason Miller (himself)
Christopher Newman (himself)
Max von Sydow (himself)
Father Tom Bermingham (himself)
Mark Kermode (presenter / man walking streets (uncredited))

PLOT SUMMARY

A retrospective look at the making of The Exorcist (1973), with plenty of interviews with the prime movers, clips from the film and rarely seen behind the scenes footage.

An outstanding documentary that shows just how such retrospective studies should be done. The version to see is the original UK TV edit, which features contributions from writer Mark Kermode (cut from the UK DVD version) and the voice of Pazuzu herself, Mercedes McCambridge, who was cut from other versions of the film. Fans of the film will lap up the behind the scenes stories and the tantalisingly brief clips from rehearsals, including a proper look at stand-in Eileen Dietz. All in all an excellent piece for an important if over-rated film.

UK
Television Distributor: BBC
Video Distributor: Warner Home Video
DVD Distributor: Warner Home Video (Z1 16176)

USA
DVD Distributor: Warner Home Video

LINKS

INCLUDES FOOTAGE FROM
The Exorcist (1973)

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

documentary, film history, film making