The Exorcist (The Version You've Never Seen)

Horror

Ellen Burstyn	Chris MacNeil
Max von Sydow	Father Merrin
Linda Blair	Regan MacNeil
Jack MacGowran	Burke Dennings
Jason Miller	Father Damien Karras
Kitty Winn	Sharon Spencer
Lee J. Cobb	Lieutenant Kinderman
Ron Faber	Chuck, Assistant Director
Barton Heyman	Dr. Klein
Vasiliki Maliaros	Karras' Mother
Peter Masterson	Barringer
Donna Mitchell	Mary Jo Perrin
Reverend William O'Malley	Father Dyer
Gina Petrushka	Willi
Wallace Rooney	Bishop Michael

Director	William Friedkin
Producer	William Peter Blatty; Noel Marshall
Writer	William Peter Blatty
Cinematography	Owen Roizman

Director William Friedkin was a hot ticket in Hollywood after the success of The French Connection, and he turned heads (in more ways than one) when he decided to make The Exorcist as his follow-up film. Adapted by William Peter Blatty from his controversial bestseller, this shocking 1973 thriller set an intense and often-copied milestone for screen terror with its unflinching depiction of a young girl (Linda Blair) who is possessed by an evil spirit. Jason Miller and Max von Sydow are perfectly cast as the priests who risk their sanity and their lives to administer the rites of demonic exorcism, and Ellen Burstyn plays Blair's mother, who can only stand by in horror as her daughter's body is wracked by satanic disfiguration. One of the most frightening films ever made, The Exorcist was mysteriously plagued by troubles during production, and the years have not diminished its capacity to disturb even the most stoical viewers. The film is presented in letterbox format on digital video disc, with a soundtrack that's guaranteed to curdle your blood. Don't say you weren't warned! --Jeff Shannon