Friedkin never minces words. And we love him for that.
It has long been believed, or at least reported, that the sets of some of our favorite horror movies were haunted. Films like The Omen and Poltergeist both have alleged curses attached to them, and so too does The Exorcist. But is there really anything to the alleged stories, or were the “curses” merely conjured up by journalists looking to sell papers and encourage clicks?
According to director William Friedkin, The Exorcist curse is total bollocks.
Movie website JoBlo posted an article over the weekend about ten film productions that were allegedly cursed, and naturally, The Exorcist found itself in the top slot. Alex Maidy wrote:
Before audiences began vomiting and blacking out during screenings of William Friedkin’s film, the production itself was beset by numerous bizarre occurrences. From the death of a nightwatchman and a special effects worker to film crew suffering from dysentery and sunstroke, everything that could have gone wrong did on the set of the film. Ellen Burstyn injured her back and was bedridden, actor Jack McGowran died suddenly a week after wrapping the film, and the set burned down at one point and the film back six weeks. Eventually, Friedkin had an actual exorcism performed on the production and once that happened, no further disturbances were recorded. Now that is a curse.
Related: Fan-Made ‘The Exorcist’ Poster (seen above) Is Genuinely Terrifying
So is any of this true? Over on Twitter, @WilliamFriedkin just hammered the final nail in the coffin of this one. He bluntly called the alleged curse, “quite simply a load of crap.”
We figured as much!
