By Simon Thompson
If horror movies were like the military, then William Friedkin’s adaptation of William Peter Blatty’s novel The Exorcist would have more medals than a North Korean general during a game of laser tag. It’s a movie so esteemed and influential, because not only has it influenced the horror genre but cinema itself due to its willingness to present what was at the time such a taboo subject in demonic possession, have said demonic possession take place within a twelve year old child, and also through its ground-breaking practical effects, make-up, and sound design punctuated by Mike Oldfield’s haunting track Tubular Bells ( which I’m listening to right now as I write).
When it comes to a movie as influential as The Exorcist the behind the scenes stories have taken on a kind of mythology of their own as Robin Bextor’s documentary The Exorcist Untold seeks to explore. Rather than simply focusing upon just the making of the movie itself, Bextor’s documentary mixes archival footage of audience and critics’ reactions from the time of the film’s release in 1973, discussion by a series of well-informed film historians and friends of Blatty/Friedkin, and also has looks at the film’s place in pop culture, and the fascinating personal histories of both the author of the original novel William Peter Blatty and the movie’s director William Friedkin as well as the ups and downs of their friendship before their deaths (in 2015 and 2023 respectively).
What really makes this documentary work, however ,is the manner in which Bextor frames The Exorcist within the cultural and cinematic landscape of 1970s America and the New Hollywood era of filmmaking, when thanks to the collapse of censorship codes and the old studio system ambitious, young, and European in temperament American filmmakers were in control and free to make the movies that they wanted, a group of which Friedkin was one of the most prominent and outspoken members.
Overall, The Exorcist Untold is a well presented and fascinating documentary which manages to bring a new spin to a widely covered subject. Through careful research, Bextor’s documentary presents a fascinating movie and period of American cinema in an engaging and informative way underpinned with a sense of longing for a style and approach to filmmaking sadly lost. While I probably wouldn’t recommend The Exorcist Untold to anybody that hasn’t seen The Exorcist itself, for fans of The Exorcist and the mythology around it this is a worthy addition to the numerous excellent documentaries about the horror classic.
The Exorcist Untold is available now on DVD.
Bloody Flicks 