The Exorcist Was A Battle Between The Writer and Director | What's The Difference?

Before slashers properly took off with Michael Meyers, or the first xenomorph burst onto the scene or Jaws made it unsafe to go in the water, the 70s gave us a truly iconic horror film with The Exorcist. Written by William Peter Blatty, adapted from his own novel, and directed by William Friedkin, the film about a young girl possessed by a demon had audiences swooning and tossing up their pea soup. But the story of The Exorcist’s journey to the screen is one of a push and pull between Blatty and Friedkin. How happy could the ending have been? How subtle could the motives of the demon have been? And just how wildly different could the director’s cut be with only 11 additional minutes added? While we’re at it, the power of Christ compels us to also ask… What’s the Difference?