Summary
- The Exorcist director's cut features various changes and additions, including new musical cues, CGI effects, and altered dialogue, all of which enhance the film's suspense and eerie atmosphere.
- The director's cut starts with a different opening scene, focusing on the MacNeil home and a statue of the Virgin Mary, setting the tone and foreshadowing the religious challenge the family will face.
- The director's cut includes a notable addition in the form of the infamous spider walk scene, where a possessed Regan crawls down the stairs backwards, spitting blood. This scene highlights the horror and shock value of the film.
In 2000, The Exorcist director's cut made some major changes to the iconic film. A critical and commercial smash upon release, director William Friedkin's film even became the rare horror effort to do well at the Oscars, earning ten nominations and winning two awards. Ever since its 1973 release, The Exorcist has almost universally been considered one of the greatest horror films ever made, and possibly the downright scariest film to ever be released.
The Exorcist is an all-time great horror movie, so it's no surprise that Warner Bros. eventually put The Exorcist back in theaters, giving younger viewers a chance to experience the film the way it was meant to be seen. That occurred in 2000 when The Exorcist was restored and released in the new cut. Adding a full 10 minutes to the running time, that cut has since come to be known as Friedkin's extended director's cut, since he oversaw its creation. Many aspects of the film are changed and/or expanded upon in The Exorcist director's cut.
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New CGI Effects & Musical Cues
To start, there are many small alterations made throughout The Exorcist director's cut. These include new music cues and sound effects, new CGI effects, including subliminally inserted Exorcist demon faces, added or changed lines of dialogue, and more. The auditory experience is essential in a horror movie, and Friedkin's cut takes this to heart. The additional musical cues and effects amplify the movie's suspense and evoke heightened emotional responses. Though often subtle, these effects are sprinkled throughout the film to enhance the eerie atmosphere.
WHERE TO WATCH: Stream The Exorcist On Max
A Different Exorcist Opening Scene
As far as the bigger differences between the theatrical cut and The Exorcist director's cut go, the first comes in the form of a different opening, with shots of the MacNeil home in Georgetown and a statue of the Virgin Mary being shown between the Warner Bros. logo and the opening credits. The scene's alteration sets the tone of the movie differently. By focusing on the MacNeil home and the Virgin Mary, the version offers viewers an immediate connection to the family's everyday life and subtly foreshadows the religious challenge they are about to face.
Regan MacNeil Undergoing Medical Tests
At around a half hour in, an entirely new sequence sees Regan MacNeil at the doctor being tested in various ways to try and determine what's wrong with her, including several that look quite painful. The doctor later tells Chris that her daughter had said very unusual and inappropriate things during the visit, which she's quite surprised to hear. With her changed behavior now established earlier, the bit of Regan talking normally with guests at her mother's party from the theatrical cut has been removed. This scene provides a more palpable insight into her declining state.
The Exorcist Spider Walk Scene
Perhaps the biggest addition to The Exorcist director's cut is the infamous spider walk scene, in which a possessed Regan crawls down the stairs backward on her hands and spits blood toward the camera. This scene had been available as unfinished deleted material on prior home video releases, but the sequence was completed and restored using CGI for this new cut. The spider walk scene is the most discussed addition to The Exorcist director's cut, and it totally encapsulates the horror and shock value of the horror classic.
Merrin & Chris' Added Exorcist Conversation
Other added bits see Merrin ask Chris what Regan's middle name is, and the two priests talk about why exactly a demon has chosen to possess such an innocent child. By adding these seemingly simple dialogues, The Exorcist director's cut gives more depth to both Merrin's and Chris' characters. The conversation on the staircase emphasizes the personal stakes involved for everyone as well as dissects the religious undertones of the film.
Other Added Exorcist Scenes
Later on, new scenes feature Father Karras listening to a tape recording of a conversation between Regan and Chris, Sharon trying to block out Regan's demonic noises with earplugs, and Chris offering Father Merrin a cup of tea with alcohol in it that hints at his failing health. Listening to the tape recording provides a raw examination of Regan's state, while the earplugs and tea scenes serve as visual representations of how the characters deal with the escalating horror around them.
The Exorcist Ending
The other major difference comes at the end, making The Exorcist's ending much more upbeat. When Regan gives Father Karras' medal to Father Dyer, he gives it back to her, telling her to keep it. Then, a new scene sees the beginning of a friendship between Dyer and Lieutenant Kinderman, who get lunch together. That friendship would figure into the Exorcist 3 plot. The exchange of Father Karras' medal serves as a symbolic gesture, ing on the protection and strength that Karras displayed. The initiation of the friendship between Dyer and Kinderman not only provides a brighter close but also bridges the gap between the original and its sequel.
