The Exorcist rocked the world 50 years ago and horror has never been the same since. It shocked audiences with its unflinching portrayals of disturbing medical examinations, levels of profanity that shot right past those considered “acceptable” for Hollywood studio films, and a scene in which a twelve-year-old girl masturbates with a crucifix. It was decried by some and lauded by others. Evangelist Billy Graham famously said, “the Devil is in every frame” and urged Christians not to see the film and thereby expose themselves to such evil. The Catholic Church was mixed, condemning the film’s profanity and violence, but individuals within the church also praised its depiction of the power of good over evil. Roger Ebert loved it. Pauline Kael hated it. What matters, though, is people saw it, and they saw it in droves, making it the biggest box-office smash of the year. In 1973 and 74 it famously induced fainting,...
- 10/4/2023
- by Brian Keiper
- bloody-disgusting.com
Death and the horror genre go hand in hand. Not every scary movie features the death of a character, and horror is certainly not the only type of film in which characters die, but terrifying films deal with the business of death (i.e. the realms both near and beyond the grave). Once the cameras stop rolling and the director yells "cut," most actors walk back into the sunlight and leave the terrifying scenes they're creating behind. Every once in a while, the shadow of death seems to follow actors home, claiming them shortly after they've finished making their films. Sometimes these deaths lead to rumors of curses and jinxed productions, but they are simply one part of life's vicious circle. However, unsettling coincidences and the eerieness of seeing an actor in a role after passing on often lead to the feeling that something darker is afoot.
The following list...
The following list...
- 12/11/2022
- by Jenn Adams
- Slash Film
The recent Top 5 on our picks of the Most Extreme Films went down rather well with you, our Nerdly audience, so we thought we’d bring you another Top 5 – this time looking at the Top 5 Cursed Films… in no particular order may I add! Check out the list below and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Opera Mortem
Written and directed by English painter David Fleas, Opera Mortem was apparently filmed over almost 10 years, in super-8 mm and VHS no less, and screened only one time in the 1973 at the Nottingham’s Odeon Film Theatre. Described as weird, trippy, filled with graphic blood, sex, and black magical ritualistic symbols, Opera Mortem – and its 1973 screening – are “believed” to be cursed; with reports of fires in projection booths, people dying after seeing it, riots… you name it, Opera Mortem reportedly caused it. Undoubtedly due to all the satanic symoblism within it!
Opera Mortem
Written and directed by English painter David Fleas, Opera Mortem was apparently filmed over almost 10 years, in super-8 mm and VHS no less, and screened only one time in the 1973 at the Nottingham’s Odeon Film Theatre. Described as weird, trippy, filled with graphic blood, sex, and black magical ritualistic symbols, Opera Mortem – and its 1973 screening – are “believed” to be cursed; with reports of fires in projection booths, people dying after seeing it, riots… you name it, Opera Mortem reportedly caused it. Undoubtedly due to all the satanic symoblism within it!
- 8/12/2021
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
With Halloween right around the corner, we're counting down the days by posting five fun or freaky facts about our favorite fright flicks. Today's featured film is "The Exorcist."1. The film is considered cursed. Ellen Burstyn was permanently injured during filming, stars Jack MacGowran and Vasiliki Maliaros both died before the movie was even released and a fire destroyed most of the set. A film-goer seeing the movie also broke his jaw after fainting ... and sued Warner Bros., claiming the flick made him pass out.2. While everyone knows Regan's vomit is made from pea soup, did you know it's specifically Andersen's brand? The filmmakers reportedly tried using Campbell's but didn't like how it looked.3. The flick was the first horror movie to be nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award. It lost to "The Sting," but won Best Adapted Screenplay. Since then, "Silence of the Lambs" is the only...
- 10/22/2014
- by tooFab Staff
- TooFab
"The Exorcist," released 40 years ago this week (on December 26, 1973), is widely regarded as the scariest movie ever made, but after four decades, two sequels, two prequels, and countless spoofs, is there anything about the tale of demon-possessed Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair) and the priests who try to save her (Max von Sydow and Jason Miller) left to jolt and shock us?
Maybe there is. "Exorcist" director William Friedkin's 2013 memoir, "The Friedkin Connection," has three chapters full of dish on the making of the film, including which characters were based on famous people, how some of the famous special effects were accomplished, how he came to slap a Jesuit priest, and whether or not the production was cursed. Here are 25 things you may not know about "The Exorcist," many of them from Friedkin's recent book.
1. The real case that inspired William Peter Blatty's novel and screenplay was the 1949 exorcism of a 14-year-old boy,...
Maybe there is. "Exorcist" director William Friedkin's 2013 memoir, "The Friedkin Connection," has three chapters full of dish on the making of the film, including which characters were based on famous people, how some of the famous special effects were accomplished, how he came to slap a Jesuit priest, and whether or not the production was cursed. Here are 25 things you may not know about "The Exorcist," many of them from Friedkin's recent book.
1. The real case that inspired William Peter Blatty's novel and screenplay was the 1949 exorcism of a 14-year-old boy,...
- 12/26/2013
- by Gary Susman
- Moviefone
With Halloween right around the corner, we're counting down the days by posting five fun or freaky facts about our favorite fright flicks. Today's featured film is "The Exorcist."1. The film is considered cursed. Ellen Burstyn injured her back while being thrown around the set. Actors Jack MacGowran and Vasiliki Maliaros both died before the movie was even released and a fire destroyed most of the set. A film-goer seeing the movie also broke his jaw after fainting. He sued Warner Bros., claiming the flick made him pass out.2. While everyone knows Regan's vomit is made from pea soup, did you know it's specifically Andersen's brand? The filmmakers reportedly tried using Campbell's but didn't like how it looked. When Regan pukes on Father Karras' face, actor Jason Miller's disgust is real -- he was told the soup would land on his chest. 3. To get the actor's breaths to appear during the exorcism,...
- 10/27/2013
- by tooFab Staff
- TooFab
Ask 10 people what their favorite horror movie is, and chances are over half will say "The Exorcist." Yes, that's a completely non-scientific statement based on absolutely no solid evidence, but it's totally understandable that horror fans revere the 1973 classic.
"The Exorcist" has it all, and is genuinely scary. It has the creepy religious element, the frightening possessed child, a variety of deaths, and it features just the right amount of blood, vomit, flies, and vulgarity. Forty years later, horror filmmakers are hard-pressed to match "The Exorcist," and many see it as the gold standard.
Here are my top five reasons why "The Exorcist" is the best horror film ever made -- though I could definitely come up with more.
The Alleged "Exorcist Curse"
Nothing makes a horror movie scarier than when some of the legend/story seeps into real life. When you find out that the young actress who played...
"The Exorcist" has it all, and is genuinely scary. It has the creepy religious element, the frightening possessed child, a variety of deaths, and it features just the right amount of blood, vomit, flies, and vulgarity. Forty years later, horror filmmakers are hard-pressed to match "The Exorcist," and many see it as the gold standard.
Here are my top five reasons why "The Exorcist" is the best horror film ever made -- though I could definitely come up with more.
The Alleged "Exorcist Curse"
Nothing makes a horror movie scarier than when some of the legend/story seeps into real life. When you find out that the young actress who played...
- 10/22/2013
- by Chris Jancelewicz
- Moviefone
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