How The Exorcist Became The Most Respected Horror Movie Of All Time (And A Box Office Smash Hit)

(Welcome to Tales from the Box Office, our column that examines box office miracles, disasters, and everything in between, as well as what we can learn from them.)

"I love horror movies because people who make horror movies are still ostracized a bit in Hollywood. Like, we're thought of as lesser." This was said by ridiculously successful filmmaker Jason Blum, the head of Blumhouse Productions, earlier this year to IGN. The man, largely through low-budget horror movies, has amassed mega-franchises and more than $5 billion at the box office, including the Oscar-winning "Get Out." Yet, in the year 2023, even he feels that horror is still viewed as inferior in the business. Just imagine how it looked 50 years ago. That's what director William Friedkin was facing when he made "The Exorcist."

Friedkin, who passed away earlier this week at 87, was at the helm of what remains arguably the most beloved and — more importantly — respected horror movie ever made. But it was a film that Warner Bros. had little to no faith in, had very few big-name stars, and was beset by costly issues the whole way through, all at a time when the horror genre received little respect from the industry at large. Friedkin, through a remarkable achievement in filmmaking, helped turn the tide.

In this week's edition of Tales From the Box Office, in honor of the late, great William Friedkin, we're looking back at "The Exorcist," how it came to be, how the budget inflated well beyond what the studio planned, what happened when it slowly rolled out in theaters in late 1973, how it made history at the Academy Awards, and what lessons we can learn from it 50 years later. Let's dig in, shall we?

Warner Bros., understandably, wanted some big stars in key roles. The movie that we ended up with, however, did not contain any big names to speak of. In his autobiography, "The Friedkin Connection," the filmmaker dove into the casting process, explaining that Audrey Hepburn, Anne Bancroft, and Jane Fonda were being thought of to play Chris MacNeil, the head of the family. Hepburn was offered the role but was only willing to film in Rome. That was a no-go.

The much lesser-known Ellen Burstyn reached out to William Friedkin about the character. "I'm destined to play that part," she said to Friedkin. "I know in my heart that role is mine." Turns out, Burstyn was right, even if the former head of Warner Bros. Ted Ashley wasn't having it — at least at first. As Friedkin recounted:

"'No way!' Ted Ashley shouted from behind his desk. 'I'm not giving the lead in this picture to a woman who's never played a lead in anything!' He was furious. 'Ellen Burstyn will play this part over my dead body.'"

Burstyn got the part, and Ashley lived on. Unconventional casting decisions were made along the way, such as playwright Jason Miller playing Father Karras. Other key roles were filled out by sturdy actors, such as Max von Sydow as Father Merrin. But the biggest casting of all came down to finding a young girl capable of playing Regan, the possessed child at the center of the film.

Hundreds of young girls were considered for the part. A young Jamie Lee Curtis was asked to audition, but her mother, Janet Leigh of "Psycho" fame, said no. Then, Linda Blair walked into Friedkin's office. "She was smart but not precocious. Cute but not beautiful. A normal, happy 12-year-old girl," the filmmaker remembered in his book.

"The Exorcist" went substantially over budget by $2.5 million, with the final cost coming in at $12 million. Accounting for inflation, that would be an $82 million budget — give or take — in today's money. In fairness, much of this was out of William Friedkin's control. Much has been made of the alleged curse that surrounded the film, and that supposed curse was expensive.

A shocking number of things went wrong during production, including the MacNeil house set burning down, which caused a several-week delay. Various tragedies also struck the cast and crew during filming, with actors Jack MacGowran and Vasiliki Maliaros passing away shortly after filming wrapped. Various members of the cast, including Max von Sydow, also lost members of their family during production.

Additionally, Jason Miller's son was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident, though he fortunately pulled through in the end. Meanwhile, Linda Blair and Ellen Burstyn both suffered serious back injuries on set. And this is to say nothing of Paul Bateson, who has a small role in the film and was later convicted of murder. All big issues, all pricey issues. That said, Warner Bros. used this all to their advantage in marketing the movie, with the studio spreading rumors of the curse in the lead-up to the release. They also leaned hard on strong audience reactions to the movie. As film historian Sarah Crowther explained in a 2018 article from iNews:

"Column inches and television news screens were filled with stories of audience members fainting and vomiting, and walking out in large numbers at early screenings."

Strong reactions from audience members were just part of it. Naturally, there was a fair amount of outrage from religious groups as well. In the end, none of that mattered — the movie that resulted from all of this chaos was too great to be ignored.

Even though anyone who had a profit participation deal might care to disagree, the most important thing that "The Exorcist" did was finally give the horror genre respect in the mainstream. Yes, many critics of the day embraced William Friedkin's undeniably brilliant interpretation of Blatty's novel, but the bigger moment for the film came at the Academy Awards.

The movie would go on to land an impressive eight Oscar nominations including Best Supporting Actor (Jason Miller), Best Actress (Ellen Burstyn), Best Supporting Actress (Linda Blair), Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Director (Friedkin), and, most importantly, Best Picture. It was the first time a horror film had ever been nominated in the category, and it was a huge deal to see a genre film nominated alongside the likes of "The Sting," "American Graffiti," and "Cries and Whispers."

"The Sting" would go on to win Best Picture (a tough movie to argue against, admittedly) but "The Exorcist" was not shut out, taking home Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound. It took far too long, but horror finally got the respect it so sorely deserved from Hollywood and moviegoers alike, even if that respect was, in some ways, fleeting. Case in point: Only five other horror movies have ever been nominated for Best Picture since, including "Jaws," "The Silence of the Lambs," "The Sixth Sense," "Black Swan," and "Get Out." Only one of those took home the big prize, with "Silence of the Lambs" going the distance.

To this day, deserving horror movies are shunned by awards voters. Even this year saw worthy qualifiers such as Jordan Peele's "NOPE," Ti West's "Pearl," and Mark Mylod's "The Menu" shut out. It's a shame but at least on occasion, a horror film can break through the noise. That wasn't possible before December 1973. And we have Friedkin to thank.