Is Exorcist Safe?

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It was also revealed in that 3.23 Digital Bits chat with Warner Home Video execs that Exorcist director William Friedkin and cinematographer Owen Roizman are working together on the Exorcist Bluray disc, which presumably means Friedkin won't mess up like he did with that ghastly French Connection Bluray re-do (i.e., bleachy colors, grainstorms, bleeding reds).

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on March 26, 2009 at 8:37 AM

comment #1

rr3333 says ...

thanx for scaring the crap out of me wells.

The bigger news from the WB Chat is that the "Bowery Boys' are coming soon! I watched these movies as a kid on Channel 11on Sunday Mornings. Loved em.

Posted by rr3333 at March 26, 2009 9:07 AM

comment #2

actionman says ...

they're working together on this after that french connection fiasco?

Posted by actionman at March 26, 2009 9:18 AM

comment #3

arturobandini2 says ...

Goddammit, I haven't jumped like that since the opening titles for The Eye.

Posted by arturobandini2 at March 26, 2009 10:36 AM

comment #4

Rich S. says ...

The German car commercial one is better.

Posted by Rich S. at March 26, 2009 11:15 AM

comment #5

Jeffrey Wells says ...

What German car commercial one? Where's the link?

Posted by Jeffrey Wells at March 26, 2009 11:18 AM

comment #6

Ghost072 says ...

I believe this is the one Rich is referring to, but the one you posted is better, IMO. It has a Ringu quality to it and I was really hunting the screen for perceived movement which made the scare that much more effective.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IsUhugU8xo

Posted by Ghost072 at March 26, 2009 11:26 AM

comment #7

arturobandini2 says ...

Jump scares are so f'in cheap. I think this banned teaser for The Exorcist is about 100x more effective.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXlSDRKgjmQ

And a little trivia: this trailer is the only place where you can hear Lalo Schifrin's rejected score, the one that Friedkin infamously tossed into the parking lot before going with "Tubular Bells."

Posted by arturobandini2 at March 26, 2009 11:42 AM

comment #8

Rich S. says ...

That's the one, Ghost072. I've seen several of these things. There's another with security cameras at the London Dungeon that's also effective.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-e26gXsI_Ak&feature=related

But now, any time someone sends me a link to a video about "ghosts," I know what's coming. Well, except for this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo8CP9Hhb58

Posted by Rich S. at March 26, 2009 12:32 PM

comment #9

lazespud says ...

Jesus, I wish Friedken would put the French Connection, Cruising, Exorcist etc updates on hold and get the fuck to work on a Blu Ray bells and whistles version of Sorcerer. The only version out their is a horrible looking, pan and scan DVD version that came out like 11 years ago. Given the history of the film, it would certainly be ripe for a great commentary.

Posted by lazespud at March 26, 2009 12:57 PM

comment #10

Ghost072 says ...

That last one is hilarious, Rich. And damn, Arturo, that trailer is intense. And while I love Oldfield's score, Schifrin's is scarier and more unsettling, IMO. May have made the film unbearable, though.

Posted by Ghost072 at March 26, 2009 1:00 PM

comment #11

D.Z. says ...

arturo: The *good* Eye, you mean, right?

Posted by D.Z. at March 26, 2009 1:51 PM

comment #12

BurmaShave says ...

I'm a fat man Regis, my heart can't take it.

Posted by BurmaShave at March 26, 2009 2:24 PM

comment #13

Markj74 says ...

One of the greatest shock moments of all time, from Blatty's Legion/Exorcist III:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH8ynu0jRvY

Posted by Markj74 at March 26, 2009 2:30 PM

comment #14

George Prager says ...

How come there is no YouTube of the old lady crawling on the ceiling in the nursing home?

Posted by George Prager at March 26, 2009 3:04 PM

comment #15

TVMCCA says ...

arturobandini2 wrote:
And a little trivia: this trailer is the only place where you can hear Lalo Schifrin's rejected score, the one that Friedkin infamously tossed into the parking lot before going with "Tubular Bells."

Schifrin's score is impressive--and owes a big debt to Bernard Herrmann.

Posted by TVMCCA at March 26, 2009 3:20 PM

comment #16

Ghost072 says ...

God I love that Exorcist III hallway scene. Even having seen it 20 times over the years, it still scares the crap out of me every time. A perfect convergence of music cue, imagery, composition and buildup. Thanks for posting...

Posted by Ghost072 at March 26, 2009 3:27 PM

comment #17

irvingberlinalexanderputz says ...

Geez, that 'banned trailer' is irritating. The 'shock' part with the b&w faces and whatnot goes on forever. You'd think it was made this year.

Posted by irvingberlinalexanderputz at March 26, 2009 3:30 PM

comment #18

arturobandini2 says ...

If that Exorcist teaser were to play in theaters now, it would no doubt trigger epileptic seizures. I can't imagine the nightmares I would've had as a kid had I seen that strobing freakshow on the big screen. And I saw a trailer for Texas Chain Saw Massacre when I was six or seven -- right before Disney's The World's Greatest Athlete.

D.Z.: Has The Eye already been remade? The original Thai(?) version really freaked me out. When a movie breaks the unwritten pact not to play dirty during the opening titles, it's like realizing you've let a psycho handcuff you to their bed post for two hours.

Posted by arturobandini2 at March 26, 2009 4:38 PM

comment #19