The Fear of God: 25 Years of 'The Exorcist'

'Fear of God' is a brilliant documentary. It was wonderful to see such a broad sweep of cast and crew contribute their insights on this infamous film, and it is a MUST for fans of The Exorcist. Brilliantly edited, it was at times funny at others quite shocking (when it originally aired on British TV, it was the first time footage such as the Spider Walk had been seen in 25 years.)

I count myself lucky to have seen all 3 edits of the documentary. The first, the British TV showing, was the best of the three, and with an excellent, if somewhat odd contribution from Mercedes McCambridge. Ironically, she was cut out of the other 2 versions, rather as she was cut out of the actual film credits. The second version I saw was on the VHS release - which had been expanded in parts - but the third, on the DVD, was ultimately the worst cut of a what was still a good documentary. I don't understand why writer Mark Kermode was cut out and imagine he was quite insulted - especially after reading his well researched book to accompany the programme. His absence makes the DVD version seem more disjointed, though some interviews in it are extended.

All in all, an excellent watch for any film fan - and funny to see the difference between pragmatic commentators like von Sydow and Friedkin as opposed to McCambridge and Burstyn - who still seem a little shaken by the whole experience!

10/10

I saw this documentary when it was first broadcast in the UK and was waiting with baited breath for the DVD release of "The Exorcist" with the knowledge that it was to be included as an extra feature.

Unfortunately the version included on the DVD is edited so that it no longer includes the presenter Mark Kermode or the contributions of Mercedes McCambridge. I don't see any reason why these sections were not included, in the case of Mark Kermode I feel his presence was necessary as he led the viewer through the massive back story much better than in the DVD version of the Documentary where sections seem far to patched together.

I still believe that the DVD version of the Documentary is one of the best ever but it was MUCH better when it was first broadcast.

If you liked "The Exorcist", you must see this documentary. I would probably say that "Fear of God" is scarier than the movie. The way that the film was produced, the deaths during the production, the spider scene (cut of the original version) and how William Friedkin made the movie, all these facts make this documentary one of the best ever made. The interviews with the cast are scarier. In this documentary we can see that the director was going crazy - we can see that because he used fire guns to make the perfect scene! And we can also see how the hell one man made a innocent girl (Linda Blair) turn into the devil with some make-up. Congratulations to all the crew and the cast: you just have made one of the best movies I ever seen, and one of the best documentaries ever made by a human being.

No pun intended - not sure Exorcists are on the quick dial or whatever it is called in your phone. There is a word for it, which I cannot remember now. But you get it. And I assume you get the joke too. Exorcist is now 50 years old - and the movie has not lost any of its touch. It actually is as impactful as it was when it was released.

But this is about the making of the movie and not the movie itself. You will be able to see behind the scenes stuff. And you will hear a lot of stuff. Some of it will or can be cringe. If you are too sensitive ... well you may have issues with the director. The way he got some of the acting ... especially from a kid .. also how he dealt with his other actors too. Safety and health? I am not sure with so much control on film sets today they could have gotten away with some of the stuff .. but you have to hear and see it to believe it - won't have the same impact if I just wrote it here.

The movie is really good - we knew that. The documentary is equally great - by just opening and revealing so much about the making of. A great bonus on the disc, though as I understand that bonus is also available in the cloud or wherever Warner will have it saved. If you liked the movie, this is a must watch .. and the review is up next ... Review number 10...666 (that's ten thousand, since review 666 was a long time ago ... but I had to go for that number ... you understand that right?) ...

It kills me to know what these actors had to put up with. And the excellent special effects. So, people, it wasn't strings that held the bed, it was a machine to those who think it's cheesy. It's disturbing, it's freighting, and just fantastic. The Exorcist, it's more then a scary movie, it's a master piece of history. And anyone who says it's funny or boring, look at again and not as the scariest movie of all time. Just think for a few minutes after the movie. Because you know for a fact that other horror movies have copied so badly off of this film. And it would not be named #1 scariest movie of all time for nothing. And if you watch this making of the exorcist, you'll relize that you were very harsh on the film.

10/10