I love combing through the archives of the local newspapers to see the ads used for my favourite films as they were released in Yorkshire. If one of these films is controversial enough, it will find itself the centre of attention wherever it is released. One such film was, of course, The Exorcist. The film …
Continue reading The Exorcist Comes to Leeds. Controversy Ensues.
I had heard so much about the original of Black Christmas from 1974 by the time I finally got to see it. Its reputation as being the main film that inspired the slasher movie sub-genre pre-Halloween was well established, with horror fans salivating over it and singing its praises to the heavens. 'Let's see how …
Continue reading The Gift That Keeps On Giving- What Makes Black Christmas So Darn Scary?
William Friedkin tells a great story in his autobiography about Warner Bros' marketing department and how they wanted to market The Exorcist on it's completion. The idea they came up with was a drawing of Regan's bloodied hand holding a crucifix (referencing the infamous masturbation scene) with the tagline 'For God's sake, somebody help her!' …
I often think about my love of cinema, where it began and the influences on it, both film-based and what was going on around me. I was born in February 1975. My arrival into the world coincides with the day on which Stephen Murphy, the BBFC's secretary, first saw a new independent film called The …
There was a long standing tradition for Turkish remakes of huge Hollywood blockbusters. These remakes have miniscule budgets and are made quickly so that they can be released soon after the original. The Exorcist was remade in Turkey for a tiny proportion of the original’s budget. This means that we get hilarious special effects, truly …
Continue reading Day 31- 31 Days of Halloween- Seytan (aka Turkish Exorcist)- 1974
Meathook Cinema 