Just in time for the eerie season’s lingering chill, The Exorcist returns to the big screen at the Cameo Art House Theatre. Often hailed as one of the scariest films ever made, William Friedkin’s 1973 masterpiece remains as unnerving and powerful today as it was over fifty years ago. Now, audiences in downtown Fayetteville will get to experience it once more as part of the Cameo’s Fourth Friday Fright Night series.
A nightmare that changed cinema
When The Exorcist premiered in 1973, it didn’t just scare audiences; it shocked them. Reports from the time described moviegoers fainting, screaming and even fleeing the theater. Police were called to control crowds. Churches condemned it, and lines still wrapped around blocks. The film became more than a movie; it was a cultural event that blurred the line between entertainment and trauma.
Directed by William Friedkin and written by William Peter Blatty (based on his own best-selling novel), The Exorcist tells the story of 12-year-old Regan MacNeil, a sweet Georgetown girl who suddenly begins exhibiting terrifying and inexplicable behavior. Her mother, played with desperate realism by Ellen Burstyn, seeks medical and psychological help. She tries everything until her last resort arrives, the Church. Enter Father Karras (Jason Miller), a young priest struggling with his faith and Father Merrin (Max von Sydow), an older exorcist who’s faced this evil before. What follows is one of the most harrowing confrontations ever depicted on film: the battle for a child’s soul.
The power of cinema and the devil’s details
What made The Exorcist different wasn’t just the subject matter; it was how seriously it treated it. Friedkin, fresh off the Oscar-winning The French Connection, approached the supernatural story with a documentary-like realism. He insisted on shooting on location, using cold breath effects, hidden sound cues and even extreme methods to elicit genuine reactions from his actors. The result was a film that felt disturbingly real, grounding the unholy in the ordinary. The ordinary home became a battleground between heaven and hell.
Blatty, whose novel was inspired by a 1949 case of alleged demonic possession in St. Louis, wanted to explore the question of faith in a skeptical age. The movie, for all its spinning heads and projectile vomit, is at its core about belief; both the loss and rediscovery of it. Father Karras, tormented by doubt and guilt, finds redemption not through theology, but through sacrifice. It’s a horror film that moves beyond fear into something deeply human.
Why The Exorcist still matters
In an era when horror films are often saturated with digital effects and quick scares, The Exorcist endures because it lingers. Its fear is psychological, spiritual and deeply personal. The film also broke barriers in Hollywood. It became the first horror film nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards and earned ten nominations in total, winning two with Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound. Its success paved the way for a new era of “serious horror,” leading to films like The Omen, Alien and Hereditary.
And even fifty years later, The Exorcist continues to provoke discussion. Is it a story of possession or psychological collapse? A tale of faith rediscovered or the cruelty of the unknown?
Of course, part of The Exorcist’s mythology comes from its reputation as a “cursed” production. Fires destroyed sets, actors were injured and eerie coincidences haunted the cast and crew. Nine people associated with the film died during or soon after production. Whether one believes in curses or not, the stories have added to the film’s aura.
Even today, Friedkin’s direction feels dangerous, unflinching and completely committed. The crucifix scene, the levitation, the demonic voice (created by actress Mercedes McCambridge through whiskey and cigarettes). And yet, through all the sensationalism, there’s still heart, faith and sacrifice at the center of it all.
Fourth Friday Fright Night: where horror lives again?
The Cameo Art House Theatre has made a name for itself as Fayetteville’s home for great films—both new independent releases and classic revivals. Its Fourth Friday Fright Night series has become a beloved local tradition, giving moviegoers the rare opportunity to see the horror greats on the big screen. From Halloween to Psycho and The Shining, each screening is a celebration of cinema’s darker side. On Friday, Nov. 22, at 9:30 p.m., The Exorcist will take over the Cameo’s main auditorium. Patrons are encouraged to come early, grab popcorn and a soda or beer. Tickets and info can be found at www.cameoarthouse.com.