Inside the Exorcist

The story of The Exorcist is rooted in horrifying facts. Robbie is a young boy living in suburban Washington DC and he has been possessed by...something. Young Linda Blair loves horses, young William Friedkin loves scaring people, and young William Peter Blatty hears the story of the haunted boy in his religion class at Georgetown. It was so shocking, he would never forget it. One day, he will write it down.

Priests try - and fail - to exorcise the haunted boy’s demons. Meanwhile, William Friedkin witnesses a life-changing execution and insults a Hollywood icon. He loses a job but impresses writer William Peter Blatty, who’s working on a story that is his next best alternative to unemployment. Friedkin finishes the movie The French Connection as Blatty prepares the book that will soon become a number one bestseller.

The haunted boy is freed from the demon...or is he? William Friedkin’s The French Connection is a stunning success, but will his broken down Rolls Royce make it to the Oscar ceremony? Later, Friedkin opens a packaged tossed into a suitcase and spends all night reading what’s inside: William Peter Blatty’s book The Exorcist. He is stunned. Blatty wants Friedkin to direct. All the pieces are in place for the most controversial movie of their careers and one of the most horrifying films of all time.

The room where the haunted boy was released was haunted ever more. No one would enter that place again. Meanwhile, the impossible task of casting The Exorcist. The actors who said yes, no, and “hell no.” Friedkin’s remarkable interview with Linda Blair after more than 1,000 girls had auditioned and failed. Shooting begins, tragedies overwhelm a cursed set. A Manhattan barfly gets his shot at fame. It’s all leading up to the exorcism sequence, a story of damnation and pea soup and a demon’s voice summoned from a lifetime of alcohol, tobacco, and bronchitis.

Friedkin wants to shoot the opening sequence of The Exorcist in Iraq, but first he has to teach the Iraqis how to make fake blood. And where’s the demon statue? Not in Iraq - on a tarmac in Australia, unfortunately. Legendary makeup artist Dick Smith spends two hours a day with Linda Blair, most of it watching The Flying Nun on TV. The exorcism scene takes place in a refrigerated room, making everyone sick. Max Von Sydow faces a crisis of faith and can’t bear to hear young Linda Blair curse. Pea Soup is vomited and heads spin 360 degrees. Famed composer Bernard Hermann calls Friedkin’s movie “dreck.” The voice of the demon, who spent years battling her own demons, will drink and smoke and eat raw eggs while bound to a chair. But when this movie comes out, will anybody see it?

The Exorcist opens - with no credit for the voice of the demon, Mercedes McCambridge - and she’s furious. Audiences break down the doors to see the movie. Hysteria ensues: Vomiting, fainting, heart attacks, and more. The prominent critics...hated it. Rev. Billy Graham said “the devil is in every frame of that film.” Pressure was building to stiff the movie at awards time, despite its popularity. Linda Blair was shattered. But despite the lack of industry support, William Friedkin was now wildly famous and could do anything. Or could he?

Too much success too young - William Friedkin is warned by legendary auteur Orson Welles. Friedkin’s production company passes on a little movie called Star Wars so he can make his passion project which is eclipsed by its shadow. The film industry turns its back on him, but his love story teaches him a valuable lesson. Meanwhile, Jason Miller dies, William Peter Blatty’s son speaks to him after death, and Linda Blair battles obstacles to save the lives of sheltered dogs. This, as the demon comes home to Iraq, and we answer the question: Whatever happened to the haunted boy?

Why The Exorcist? Why tell the story of the film and its makers in podcast form? And why choose a fresh audio graphic-novel storytelling approach? Those are just a few of the questions answered in this “behind the scenes” look at the making of one of the hottest podcasts of the year. Series creator and narrator Mark Ramsey talks with the show’s amazing sound designer Jeff Schmidt. Don’t miss the discussion about the secret “Easter egg” hidden in the audio that was only recently discovered by a Russian fan, or the inspiration for the chilling ending (hint: It is a movie, but it’s not The Exorcist).

In this bonus episode, series creator Mark Ramsey talks with producer and writer Jeffrey Reddick, who is best known as the creator of the Final Destination movie franchise. What is the legacy of The Exorcist? How is it shaping today’s horror films? What makes the movie - even today - so powerful?