Released in 1973, "The Exorists" (The Devils) was one of the most famous horror films at that time. The work earned 441 million USD and became the first horror film to be nominated for Best Drama at the Oscars.
"The Exorists" is based on the novel of the same name published in 1971, revolving around the real-life exorcism story of a boy nicknamed "Ronald Doe" in Maryland, USA in 1949. After being exorcised, the boy returned to normal life.
When filming, the boy was changed to Regan MacNeil (played by Linda Blair) - a 12-year-old girl possessed by a demon after playing mechanical football. The girl's mother - Chris McNeil (Ellen Burstyn) tried every way to save her daughter and asked for the help of the two priests.
According to the New York Times, many audiences vomited, fainted, and ran away from the theater in fear on the day of their debut. In early 1974, a security guard at Midtown East Theater said that some people had heart attacks because of the drama.
That's not everything. The scariest and most haunting thing is the mysterious deaths of the film crew members.
In 2006, actress Ellen Burstyn - playing a mother in a movie, released the autobiography "The fear of God" revealing many creepy details about the most haunting film of her career. She said there were 9 deaths related to "The Exorists".
Ellen Burstyn said that there were many scary situations on set that no one could have predicted. Director William Friedkin directed the director on set to be difficult and acted extremely often to achieve his goals.
I had a spinal injury after filming an exorcism. Although I was prepared with a cushion, when it was thrown into a wall, I felt a real pain, the actress said.
Another day, the set of "The Exorists" was burned down, but Regan's room remained intact. That is also the place where the exorcism ceremony takes place in the film.
There were nine deaths, a huge number of deaths related to the drama, Burstyn said. Some died directly, like actor Jack MacGowran, who finished filming and died.
In "The Exorists", MacGowran plays Burke Dennings - the director of the film that was killed by Regan. A month before the film was released, the actor died of the flu at the age of 54.
Burstyn continued: The supporting cameraman had a child born while filming, the child died. The man who refrigerated the set has died and the young black-skinned night watchman has also passed away.
Vasiliki Maliaros, who plays Cha Karras' (Jason Miller) mother, also passed away during film production in February 1973 at the age of 89.
Three years after the show was released, detective William F. Kinderman, played by Lee J. Cobb, passed away at the age of 64 after a heart attack.
There are also many related deaths such as: Max von Sydow (playing the role of an archaeologist and the Priest of Lankester Merrin) has an older brother who passed away in Sweden; Linda Blair's grandfather passed away while his granddaughter was participating in "The Exorists"; Mercedes McCambridge's son (the voice of the Devil Pazuzu) killed his wife and two daughters before committing suicide for being accused of cheating in November 1987...
Joe Hyams, the film's spokesperson, was shocked by the unexpected losses that surrounded him. This is not a casualty for acting or something similar. These are the people behind the camera who suddenly died, he said.
Director William Friedkin believes that the deaths related to the film crew members are just a coincidence. But many years have passed, the horror of the work and the curse surrounding it still haunted the audience and the members participating in the film crew at that time.
