The Exorcist remastered and on Blu-Ray. Do you dare?

19 October 2010

Gerard Wood

The Exorcist is the only horror movie that has ever really unsettled me. I was a lot younger when I first saw it, a grainy home video long before the advent of wide screen televisions and home theatres, but the memory of unease has never left me. That was the original theatrical release of William Friedkin’s Oscar winning theological thriller about a girl’s demonic possession and the terrifying fight between good and evil to save her. Based on William Blatty’s best selling novel, The Exorcist was nominated for ten Academy Awards in 1973, picking up Best Adapted Screenplay for Blatty’s adaptation of his own novel, as well as Best Sound.

For those who haven’t exposed themselves to this unparalleled horror, The Exorcist stars Linda Blair as Regan, a young girl who starts to exhibit strange and disturbing behaviour. As a last resort, when medical science fails to find a cure or even to provide an explanation, her mother (Ellen Burstyn) calls upon a priest and psychologist, Father Karras (Jason Miller) to investigate. Karras, who is experiencing a crisis of faith, is suddenly confronted with the unimaginable evil of Regan’s possession. When Father Lankester Merrin (Max Von Sydow), a priest with a mysterious past, is called to help, a horrific battle for her soul begins.

In 2000, Friedkin released an updated version of the movie with restored footage. “After my final cut of the original The Exorcist,” Friedkin says, “I took out 12 more minutes before we actually released it in theatres. Years later, Bill Blatty asked if I’d consider reviewing some of that rejected footage (which he always felt should have remained) with an eye towards putting it into a new version. Bill gave me the best piece of material I've ever received and because of that and because the film had such a major reputation over some 25 years, I agreed to revisit all these scenes. When I saw them, I came to realise that Bill was, in fact, right. With technical advances, scenes that didn’t work then could now be fixed with CGI and there were others that I thought strengthened the spiritual aspect of the film. Warner agreed and released a whole new theatrical print in 2000 which we called the version you've never seen. And I now agree with Blatty that this is the best and most complete version.”

I suspect that few of us who have seen both versions would disagree. The restored footage is a seamless addition which improves the narrative, but it’s the enhancements to the special effects, especially the insinuated glimpses of the face of Evil, which make this version even more unsettling than the original.

There are many reasons why The Exorcist is such an effective and affecting horror movie, not least its realism as a result of Friedkin's adoption of a documentary style of filmmaking. Although Friedkin and Blatty approached the material from different perspectives (Friedkin is, or at least was, a sceptic of the super-natural, Blatty is a believer), both wanted to achieve the same goal. “When I first read the book,” Friedkin observes, “I thought it made a positive statement about religion and humanity and how they are inter-related. I approached the movie a bit differently, from a practical point of view - that of asking more questions than giving answers. But both Bill and I wanted a film that would be so realistic it was impossible not to believe it.”

Some 37 years after the original theatrical release the two Williams challenge us once again to look Evil in the face with the release on Blu-Ray of the Director’s Cut, newly remastered in 1080p from the original camera negative. I was sceptical about whether a high definition version was justified: surely there was a risk of undermining the realism through too much clarity and perfection? It doesn’t, but I’m not convinced that the vision is enhanced all that much. What is noticeably better is the sound, which is more disturbing than ever.

The Blu-Ray release includes remastered versions of both the Director’s Cut and the original Theatrical release. If you don’t already own this movie, you won’t find a better version. If you do own the DVD of the 2000 Director's Cut, the one good reason why you might want to pick up the remastered version on Blu-ray is the supplementary material. It really is very good. You'll find three new documentaries, never before seen set footage produced and photographed by cinematographer Owen Roizman, camera and makeup tests, special effects reveals, new interviews and more. A highlight of the documentary material is a revealing (though not always convincing) explanation of how Friedkin managed to film this R rated movie with a 12 year old girl in scenes that are horrific and frankly obscene. The documentaries include:

• Raising Hell: Filming the Exorcist - set footage produced and photographed by Owen Roizman, camera and makeup tests, and interviews with director William Friedkin, actress Linda Blair, author/screenwriter/producer William Peter Blatty and Owen Roizman.
• The Exorcist Locations: Georgetown Then and Now -- Featuring a tour of the iconic locations where the film was shot.
• Faces of Evil: The Different Versions of The Exorcist -- with director William Friedkin and author/screenwriter/producer William Peter Blatty discussing the different versions of the film and featuring outtakes from the film.

According to Caroline Skillen of Warner Home Video, “Laurent Bouzereau, an acclaimed documentarian, has blended this archival rare footage with updated present day interviews to create a masterpiece that will be treasured and studied for decades to come.” While it’s always wise to take what publicists have to say with a pinch of salt, it’s fair to say that the documentary material is exceptionally well made and of real interest to anyone who has been intrigued (or just plain terrified) by this movie.

You’ll also find commentaries on both versions of the film (I’ve not checked these out yet), trailers, and TV and radio spots from the film’s 2000 release, as well as handsome packaging that includes a personal letter written by Friedkin inside a 40-page Digibook featuring photos, cast bios, production notes and more. The remastered version is also available as a single disc DVD, and you can also pick it up On Demand from cable and satellite providers, and for permanent download and digital rental through iTunes.

When all is said and done, this new remastered version is highly recommended. But only if you like the bejesus scared out of you!

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