Search - The Exorcist [25th Anniversary Box] on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Graphic Violence, Strong Sexual Content, Not For Children, Adult Language Movie Release: 1973 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, French SwapaDVD Credits: 2 Number of Discs: 2 Run Time: 2 hrs 2 mins Studio: Warner Brothers Members Wishing: 2 Genres: Horror, Supernatural Horror, Religious Drama See Also: The Exorcist, The Exorcist [25th Anniversary Edition], The Exorcist: The Version You've Never Seen, The Exorcist [Signed Limited Edition Box], The Exorcist, The Exorcist: The Version You've Never Seen

Novelist William Peter Blatty based his best-seller on the last known Catholic-sanctioned exorcism in the United States. Blatty transformed the little boy in the 1949 incident into a little girl named Regan, played by 14-year-old Linda Blair. Suddenly prone to fits and bizarre behavior, Regan proves quite a handful for her actress-mother, Chris MacNeil (played by Ellen Burstyn, although Blatty reportedly based the character on his next-door neighbor Shirley MacLaine). When Regan gets completely out of hand, Chris calls in young priest Father Karras (Jason Miller), who becomes convinced that the girl is possessed by the Devil and that they must call in an exorcist: namely, Father Merrin (Max von Sydow). His foe proves to be no run-of-the-mill demon, and both the priest and the girl suffer numerous horrors during their struggles. The Exorcist received a theatrical rerelease in 2000, in a special edition that added 11 minutes of footage trimmed from the film's original release and digitally enhanced Chris Newman's Oscar-winning sound work. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Ellen Burstyn - Chris MacNeil
Linda Blair - Regan MacNeil
Max von Sydow - Father Merrin
Jason Miller - Father Damien Karras
Kitty Winn - Sharon

William Friedkin's horror masterpiece The Exorcist gets Warner Bros. special treatment in their long line of Special Edition DVD box sets. Inside you'll find the 1.85:1 widescreen =25th Anniversary Edition DVD, which includes everything from the highly lauded BBC documentary The Fear of God: The Making of the Exorcist to the intense commentary track with Friedkin and author William Peter Blatty. Storyboards, sketches, interviews, and special sound effects tests also await you the further you dig into the disc, with eight trailers and six TV spots thrown in for good measure. With a crisp and effective Dolby Digital 5.1 mix behind this sucker, the DVD is the best presentation so far of the original cut of the film (although it should be noted that the theatrically re-released =The Exorcist: Version You've Never Seen DVD also exists, boasting a more advanced sound mix and extra scenes). With the disc out of the way, the rest of the box set takes over, with the inclusion of the restored and remastered Exorcist: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack CD, most notable for the three tracks from Lalo Schifrin's unnerving original score (which the director hated and eventually scrapped). You'll also find the over-sized soft cover book -The Exorcist: The Making of a Classic Motion Picture, along with a limited edition film cell and eight collectable lobby cards. If you're a fan of the film and don't already own the soundtrack and the original film on DVD, then this box might be worth checking out. As it is, the rest of the schwag inside is nice, but will probably only cater to the hardened collector that still woe the death of laserdiscs. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide