Warner Bros. Pictures
As part of the year-long centennial celebration for the 100th anniversary of Warner Bros. Studio, the iconic supernatural film The Exorcist, from Academy Award-winning director William Friedkin, is available on 4K Ultra HD Disc and Digital for the first time.
The Ultra HD Blu-ray Discs include both the 1973 theatrical version of the film and the 2000 Extended Director’s Cut of the film which features eleven additional minutes of footage not seen in theaters.
Directed by Friedkin from a screenplay by Academy Award winner William Peter Blatty, the film is based on Blatty’s 1971 novel of the same name. The Exorcist stars Academy Award winner Ellen Burstyn, Academy Award nominee Max von Sydow, Academy Award nominee Lee J. Cobb, Kitty Winn, Jack MacGowan, Academy Award nominee Jason Miller, and Academy Award nominee Linda Blair.
Widely regarded as a supernatural masterpiece, the film was nominated for 10 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director as well as acting nominations for Burstyn, Miller and Blair. The film won two Academy Awards, including Best Adapted Screenplay for Blatty.
In 2010, the United States Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry for being ‘culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.’
The Exorcist includes an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc with the theatrical version of the feature film in 4K with HDR, an Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc with the Extended Director’s Cut of the film in 4K with HDR, and a Digital download of both versions of the film.
REVIEW
The Exorcist tells the now-famous story of a girl’s demonic possession, and a gripping fight between good and evil. Linda Blair, in a breakout role, plays Regan, a young girl who starts to exhibit strange, arcane behavior. Her mother (Burstyn) calls upon a priest, Father Karras (Miller), to investigate. But Karras, who has a spiritual crisis of his own, is suddenly confronted with the unimaginable evil of Regan’s possession. Father Lankester Merrin (Von Sydow), an archeologist-priest, is called to help, and a horrific battle for her soul begins.
There’s not much more to say about a film celebrating its 50th anniversary this year that hasn’t already been said. It’s a gripping nail-biter of suspense and pure horror that’s even more horrific because it’s based on a true story. The film is filled with outstanding performances from a cast of actors not normally associated with the horror genre, and it really succeeds because of Linda Blair’s performance, making Regan’s plight all the more believable … which is why audiences were so unnerved by the film upon it’s initial release. It’s a film that deserves the title of a classic.
VIDEO
I’ve read that The Exorcist has had a history of questionable video transfers over the years, notably the alterations to the color in some scenes. Not having a side-by-side comparison with the original 1973 presentation, I can’t really comment on any of that as far as the 4K presentation is concerned. What I can say is that both versions of the film look spectacular, probably better than they ever have and I think the Director’s Cut might look even a hair clearer than the Theatrical Cut. I saw no issues with the darker scenes, the brighter scenes were not blown out, details were present as was a fine grain that retained a film-like quality. The discs are encoded with HDR while the Digital versions are in Dolby Vision, and both look great but the physical discs always have an edge over digital since you don’t have to rely on your internet speed to determine the quality of your picture.
AUDIO
The disc with the Theatrical Version contains both the original DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mono track and the Dolby Atmos remix, while the Director’s Cut only includes the Atmos track. Both sound spectacular, with the Atmos track being built from the original audio tracks to give your surrounds a workout with some nice additional effects from the height speakers. All-in-all, a great audio presentation.
SPECIAL FEATURES
The Exorcist 4K package does come with a plethora of extras, although they are all from the previously released versions, notably the previous Blu-ray releases (which William Friedkin mentions in one of the extras, praising the video quality … oh if he’d only lived to see it in 4K). There is a catch — the discs themselves only include the audio commentary tracks. If you want all of the bonus material you’ll have to redeem the Digital Code that comes with the package.
The Exorcist Ultra HD Blu-ray disc (theatrical version) contains the following previously released special features:
- Introduction by William Friedkin
- Commentary by William Friedkin
- Commentary by William Peter Blatty with Special Sound Effects
The Exorcist Digital release (theatrical version) the following previously released special features:
- Commentary by William Friedkin
- Commentary by William Peter Blatty with Special Sound Effects Tests
- Introduction by William Friedkin
- “The Fear of God: 25 Years of the Exorcist”
- Original Ending
- William Peter Blatty Interviews
- “The Original Cut”
- “Stairway to Heaven”
- “The Final Reckoning”
- “Sketches & Storyboards”
- TV Spots
- “Beyond Comprehension”
- “You Too Can See the Exorcist”
- “Between Science & Superstition”
- “The Movie You’ve Been Waiting For”
- “Nobody Expected It”
- “Life Had Been Good”
- Trailers
- “Nobody Expected It”
- “Beyond Comprehension”
- “Flash Image”
The Exorcist Extended Director’s Cut Ultra HD Blu-ray disc contains the following previously released special features:
- Commentary by William Friedkin
The Exorcist Extended Director’s Cut Digital release contains the following previously released special features:
- Commentary by William Friedkin
- “Beyond Comprehension: William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist”
- “Talk of the Devil”
- “Raising Hell: Filming The Exorcist”
- “The Exorcist Locations: Georgetown Then and Now”
- “Faces of Evil: The Different Versions of The Exorcist”
- Radio Spots
- “The Devil Himself”
- “Our Deepest Fears”
- TV Spots
- “Most Electrifying”
- “Scariest Ever”
- “Returns”
- “Never Seen”
- Trailers
- “The Version You’ve Never Seen”
- “Our Deepest Fears”
OVERVIEW
If you’re a fan of The Exorcist you probably already have the Blu-ray in your collection, but you can’t go wrong with the new 4K upgrade (that actually does correct some of the color timing issues to a point that are more prevalent in the Blu-ray) that greatly increases the detail and the audio experience for your home theater. If you’re a newbie to the film, there’s no better way to see it than in this version. Whichever camp you’re in, it’s a win all around.Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment generously provided Hotchka with the 4K package for reviewing purposes.
The Exorcist Theatrical Version has a running time of 2 hours 2 minutes. The Exorcist Extended Director’s Cut has a running time of 2 hours 12 minutes. Both versions are rated R for strong language and disturbing images.
Warner Bros. Pictures
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