On December 26, 1973, William Friedkin’s The Exorcist opened in theaters. Based on William Peter Blatty’s 1971 novel, the film drew on a reported 1949 exorcism involving a 13-year-old boy. Its graphic imagery and disturbing portrayal of demonic possession provoked intense audience reactions, while stories about accidents and injuries during production helped establish its reputation as one of horror cinema’s most notorious films. The film stars Linda Blair as Regan MacNeil, a