The Exorcist Cloth Patch
- The Exorcist Cloth Patch features possessed Regan, and it is one of the highest grossing R-rated films of all time
- Wear The Exorcist Cloth Patch on your jackets, clothing and hats and show love to the acclaimed horror movie classic
About the movie
From The Exorcist Cloth Patch is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin and written for the screen by William Peter Blatty, based on his 1971 novel of the same name. It stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty Winn, Jack MacGowran (in his final film role), Jason Miller and Linda Blair. It follows the demonic possession of a young girl and her mother's attempt to rescue her through an exorcismconducted by a pair of Catholic priests.
The book was a bestseller, but Blatty, who also produced, and Friedkin, his choice for director, had difficulty casting the film. Unable to hire major stars of the era, they cast relative unknowns Burstyn, Blair and Miller (author of a hit play with no film acting experience), choices vigorously opposed by Warner Brothersexecutives. Principal photography was also difficult. Friedkin insisted on realism, going to northern Iraq to film the prologue despite political instability in the region, relying on live special effects and casting real priests and medical personnel in the film. Crew also recalled that he was temperamental, often firing people without warning. A fire destroyed most of the set, some crewmembers died, and Blair and Burstyn suffered accidental long-term back injuries; he also deliberately made cast members uncomfortable, going as far as refrigerating the set where the exorcism scenes took place to temperatures well below zero so their breath would be visible. Production took twice as long as scheduled and cost almost three times the initial budget; some deaths and accidents that occurred have led to a belief that the film was cursed.
The Exorcist was released in 24 theaters in North America in late December 1973. Audiences flocked to it despite mixed reviews, waiting in long lines during winter weather, many more than once; the sold out shows were even more profitable for Warners since they had booked it into those theaters under four wall distribution rental agreements, the first time a major studio had done that. Some viewers suffered adverse physical reactions, fainting or vomiting to scenes in which the protagonist undergoes a realistic cerebral angiography and later violently masturbates with a crucifix. Heart attacks and a miscarriage were reported among viewers; a psychiatric journal published a paper on "cinematic neurosis" triggered by the film. Many children were allowed to see it, leading to charges that the MPAA ratings board had accommodated Warner Bros by giving the film an R-rating instead of the X-rating they thought it deserved, in order to ensure its commercial success. Several cities attempted to ban it outright or prevent children from attending.
The cultural conversation around the film, which also encompassed its treatment of Catholicism (and, in the years since, its apparent anti-feminism), helped it become the first horror film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture one of 10 for which it was nominated, and winning for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound. It has had several sequels, and was the highest-grossing R-rated horror film(unadjusted for inflation) until the 2017 release of It. The Exorcist has had a significant influence on popular culture and has received critical acclaim, with several publications regarding it as one of the greatest horror films ever made. In 2010, the Library of Congress selected The Exorcist to be preserved in its National Film Registry, citing it as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.
