Welcome to our archive dedicated to one of cinema's most iconic and culturally significant films: "The Exorcist." Released in 1973, William Friedkin's masterpiece not only redefined the horror genre but left an unforgettable mark on cinema history. Its chilling tale of demonic possession captivated audiences worldwide, sparking debates on faith, fear, and the supernatural. "The Exorcist" pushed the boundaries of filmmaking with its groundbreaking special effects and intense storytelling. Its impact on cinema is undeniable, influencing countless filmmakers and setting a standard for horror films. Join us as we delve behind the scenes to uncover the secrets and stories contributing to its enduring legacy.

Book versus Movie

Book versus Movie

William Peter Blatty's novel "The Exorcist" has notable thematic and character differences from its cinematic adaptation.

  • Regan's behavior is depicted with heightened sexual undertones, evident in her experiencing an orgasm and the malevolent entity, Pazuzu, sexualizing her body.

  • Damien exhibits beliefs in extrasensory perception (ESP) and poltergeists, contributing to a deeper exploration of the supernatural elements in the narrative.

  • Chris, Regan's mother, is portrayed with additional depth through a subplot in which she is offered a directing position. This subplot emphasizes her ambitions beyond her daughter's affliction.

  • Additionally, Chris grapples with existential fears, contemplating mortality and viewing fame as a form of an enduring legacy.

  • The bond between Father Dyer and Damien is further emphasized through additional scenes, highlighting their close relationship and mutual trust.

  • Merrin, the experienced exorcist, reveals a personal struggle with an inability to love his neighbor, which led to his missionary work in Africa.

  • Elvira, who is Karl and Willie's estranged daughter, is a character that appears only in the novel and not in the film. Due to her lifestyle choices, Willie considers her deceased.

  • Jamie, Chris's oldest child who had passed away, was not mentioned in the film. This resulted in Chris's reduced trust in medical professionals.

  • In contrast to the cinematic adaptation, Damien refrains from engaging in a physical altercation with Regan after the book. Instead, the story transitions directly into the pivotal moment where Damien pleads with the possessing entity, "Take me, come into me."

  • During a montage sequence set in Washington D.C., Regan asks Chris about the afterlife, contributing to relational tension. Interestingly, this scene was initially conceptualized and filmed for the movie adaptation but omitted due to audio loss.

  • Mary Jo Perrin assumes a role exclusive to the book, serving as a psychic medium. She explains the ominous nature of Ouija boards and gifts Chris with a book on witchcraft.

  • Throughout most of the narrative, Kinderman suspects Karl is responsible for Burke Dennings's demise.

The 25th Anniversary DVD Release

In 1998, a commemorative 25th-anniversary special edition box set was launched on VHS and DVD formats. This release included the original ending as an exclusive special feature. William Peter Blatty, the author and screenwriter, expressed satisfaction with restoring this scene, affirming that it aligns with his vision of presenting the film. He asserted that this inclusion reinstated the film to its intended form, stating it is "the way it ought to be seen." (Wikipedia)


  • The film presents a slightly altered opening, giving viewers a glimpse into the MacNeil family's residence in Georgetown before transitioning to the opening titles.

  • A new scene unfolds at the hospital, where Regan undergoes diagnostic procedures to address her "unusual" behavior. During this encounter, the doctor relays to Chris MacNeil that Regan uttered the unsettling phrase, "keep his hands away from her." This scene contextualizes Regan's earlier peculiar actions and explains the subsequent dialogue between Chris and Regan, wherein Chris reassures her, "It's just like the doctor said, it's just nerves. You just take your pills and you'll be fine."

  • The party scene is altered by excluding the shot of Regan laughing with the guests. This omission is evidently due to her "unusual" behavior depicted in the preceding scene.

  • In the subsequent scene where Chris returns home and experiences a power outage, new digital effects significantly enhance the scene. These effects introduce satanic imagery and faces alongside sound effects and music.

  • The iconic "spider-walk" sequence is reinstated with digital modifications from its original rendition. Notable enhancements include the removal of crude wires previously visible in the scene, an accelerated descent down the stairs by Regan, and the portrayal of her mouth filled with blood. The sequence concludes with a transition to black, leading into the subsequent scene.

  • Before Regan grabs the psychiatrist, a digital effect depicting her visage morphing into that of the devil, recurrently glimpsed in subliminal cuts throughout the film, is introduced. Additionally, a new growling sound effect accompanies this transformation.

  • After Father Karras departs for the night, a newly integrated scene depicts him analyzing a tape capturing Regan's attempt to communicate with her father. This scene is seamlessly linked to Father Karras's attendance at the mass through the introduction of a new musical cue.

  • Additional scenes have been included to augment the narrative: one featuring Sharon attempting to block out the unsettling sounds of demonic groans and another brief encounter between Chris MacNeil and Father Merrin. The latter scene subtly hints at Father Merrin's vulnerabilities and weaknesses.

  • A newly introduced musical cue accompanies the scene featuring Father Karras and Father Merrin ascending the stairs to commence the exorcism ritual. Preceding their entry into the room, a brief interlude has been inserted wherein Father Damien queries Chris MacNeil regarding Regan's middle name. To which she responds, "Theresa," prompting Father Damien's remark, "What a lovely name!"

  • The restoration includes a scene featuring Father Karras and Father Merrin conversing on the stairs, a segment previously included in the 25th Anniversary DVD release.

  • During the pivotal moment when Father Karras gazes up at the window while under possession, a digital effect depicting Karras' mother's visage has been integrated. This sequence also incorporates the "subtle morph effect" featured in the 25th anniversary edition DVD.

  • Upon Chris MacNeil's gesture of presenting Father Karras' medal to Father Dyer, a modification occurs, and Father Dyer returns the medal, expressing his belief that Chris should retain it. Additionally, a newly added brief scene captures Regan smiling and waving at Father Dyer as they depart, with Father Dyer reciprocating the gesture.

  • The original conclusion featuring Father Dyer and Lieutenant Kinderman has been reinstated. The scene concludes with the resonant 'tubular bells' musical cue as they walk away, preceding Lieutenant Kinderman's unfinished quote from "Casablanca," "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
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How It Works

This story is made up of a bunch of individual divs, with the "id" attribute used to let hyperlinks jump to specific sections.

You can actually see these ids in the address bar of your browser. Right now, for example, you should see the URL ends in '#3', because '3' is the id of this particular section.

By putting each 'page' of the story in a div of fixed size, and putting all the pages in a div that only shows one fixed-size section at a time, we can create the illusion of changing the content on the page, and traverse the pages via hyperlinks.

(You can achieve a similar effect by putting a metric crapton of <br> tags between page sections and putting all that in a fixed-size box that hides overflow, but this system looks a little more elegant.)

If you'd like to know more about the code, continue to page 4. Otherwise, check out the example, "The Tunnel and the Tomb", starting on page 6. (Minor heads-up for, uh, near-drowning and a fair number of bad endings.)

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The Code

The code used to build this page is very simple. (Well, this page also uses a teeny tiny bit of my site skin for this sections' font and the page's overall background, but otherwise it's all just one tiny file.)

The class story-container is used to create the 'window' that the whole story is viewed through -- you'll see it as the black-outlined box this text appears in. It uses overflow: hidden to conceal any pages other than the one currently scrolled to.

The class page contains the contents of the page itself. It has the exact same height and width as story-container, to ensure that the whole page and only the current page is visible inside the box. It also uses overflow: auto to allow the individual page to scroll if there's too much text to fit inside the story box. (This ideally should not happen, though.)

The class page-number is pretty self-explanatory. It uses position: absolute to appear in a consistent position at the top of the page (page uses position: relative to keep it inside the page boundaries.)

The class page-content contains the body text of the page itself, such as the paragraph you're reading right now.

You can check out some more code on page 5, or hop over to the example minigame on page 6.