Visible crew/equipment: Near the beginning of the movie, the old priest is in Northern Iraq and you can see the shadow of a microphone on his hat.
The Exorcist (1973)
Directed by: William Friedkin
Starring: Max von Sydow, Ellen Burstyn, Lee J. Cobb, Linda Blair, Jason Miller
Continuity mistake: When Chris is taking a walk with the priest Damien, she throws her cigarette to the ground, but in the next shot it's back in her hand again.
Continuity mistake: The Psychiatrist that hypnotizes Regan is wearing a tie that in the close-ups, is retied differently as the scene progresses. (01:02:05)
Trivia: In the scene where Regan's mother is supernaturally blasted away from the bedside, she is being yanked by the crew by a length of rope. After dozens of takes director William Friedkin was still unhappy with the look of the shot and ordered the crew to haul her more fiercely. The scream in the shot that made the cut was of genuine pain and required no dubbing for effect.
Trivia: The vomit that Linda Blair spewed was actually split-pea soup. Specifically, the effects crew decided to use Anderson's split-pea soup because Campbell's split-pea soup wasn't green enough.
Trivia: William Friedkin's first choice for the role of Chris MacNeil was Audrey Hepburn, but she would only take the role if filming would take place in Rome. Anne Bancroft was another considered actress, but once it was known that she was pregnant, she was dropped.
Regan MacNeil: You're going to die up there.
Demon: What an excellent day for an exorcism.
Father Damien Karras: You would like that?
Demon: Intensely.
Father Damien Karras: But wouldn't that drive you out of Regan?
Demon: It would bring us together.
Father Damien Karras: You and Regan?
Demon: You and us.
Demon: I'm not Regan.
Father Damien Karras: Well, then let's introduce ourselves. I'm Damien Karras.
Demon: And I'm the Devil. Now kindly undo these straps.
Father Damien Karras: If you're the Devil, why not make the straps disappear?
Demon: That's much too vulgar a display of power, Karras.
Question: What is Chris McNeal's assistant listening to on the radio when Father Merrit arrives?
Question: Was "caption howdy" the demon? Or did Regen make him up, the way some kids do?
Question: What was the significance of the father being an absentee dad? Did that make Reagan more vulnerable to being possessed?
Answer: The demon wants everyone to lose hope for the girl and give up on her. Her father, having already flown the coop, just makes this goal that much easier.
Answer: It's possible it made her more vulnerable, but the mother, being a big movie star with an adolescent child would probably be divorced at this stage. It was more likely a literary choice by the author. Fewer characters make for a less complicated plot and eliminates the need to add an additional character who may not serve the story in a meaningful way.
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Answer: When it cuts to Chris MacNeil's PA, Sharon, listening to the radio it's only for about 20 seconds, and all we hear is a voice which presumably belongs to a random radio host or guest who is in the midst of offering motivational advice. This short scene serves to show Sharon's tension with what's going on in the house.
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