The Exorcist

Deliberate mistake: Det. Kinderman walks up the stairs where Burke Dennings fell to his death and looks up at Regan's window. This could not possibly be the outside of her window because when we see the room from the inside as Chris closes the window near the beginning of the movie, there's at least 6 to 8 feet between the window and corner of the house. Now when we see it as he looks up, the window is right at the corner of the house. (01:12:35)

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Deliberate mistake: Father Merrin says, "It is He who commands you", and we hear and see the ceiling crack above his head. In the next shot we see the ceiling above him and they are no cracks in it, but four shots later we see the exact same spot and now cracks appear even though we hear no more cracking over-dubs after the first one. (01:49:15)

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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.

More mistakes in The Exorcist

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.

More quotes from The Exorcist

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.

More trivia for The Exorcist

Question: Was "caption howdy" the demon? Or did Regen make him up, the way some kids do?

Answer: It was indeed Pazuzu, he wanted Regan to believe he was some friendly entity to gain her trust. Thus the Captain Howdy facade.

Answer: The implication is that Captain Howdy was the name the demon gave itself while communicating with Regen prior to its possession of her.

Phixius

More questions & answers from The Exorcist

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