The Exorcist Iceberg Breakdown: Tier 2

Most have seen the widely successful, well known horror movie The Exorcist. This is a breakdown of Tier 2 of The Exorcist iceberg by HorrorMonster26 on reddit. The categories of this iceberg chart include general, books, trivia, other, and different versions. Each tier grows in obscurity regarding facts and knowledge about the media surrounding The Exorcist, and the stories behind it. This is an explanation of the surface level information found in tier 2.

Some sections may contain spoilers for The Exorcist: Believer, and other movies within the franchise.

At the end of this article is the Works Cited. Parentheses with a number (1) in the article correspond with the source in the Works Cited.

The following two descriptions are my explanations of watching these movie scenes.

Scary Movie 2

I'm going to seem very negative here, and I apologize for that in advance. But, I am dreading writing about this idiocracy... I'm not even going to mention the first part of this scene, which made me nearly throw up. The second part, however, is a bit more funny and tolerable. It references the head spin, which nearly scares who I believe is supposed to parody Father Merrin out of doing the exorcism. But, Father Karras' parody brings him back in with "Father, think of the child". Father Karras (Harris?) nearly gets stuck to his crucifix, which is hilarious. Harris' dialogue remains funny, while... things I don't want to describe, and aren't that funny happen between the two characters. And then... pea soup everywhere.

Exorcist III Dream Sequence Cameo

This movie follows Detective Kinderman. We see him in his bedroom, asleep. The dream starts at a train station, where the train leads to "elsewhere". We then see angels, along with several other people- doctors, patients, a pilot, musicians, and others. Amongst the angels is the cameo this refers to - Fabio, and Patrick Ewing. The dream sequence seems to be of people that passed on that Detective Kinderman knew., including a murder victim- Thomas. Patrick Ewing specifically plays a death angel, dealing tarot cards to Father Dyer- which is how Detective Kinderman learns of his death. Samuel L Jackson is also credited as being in the scene. Time then speeds up, leading to the Detective awakening from his alarm.

Inspiration

As mentioned my Tier 1 article, The Exorcist was inspired by a true story. William Peter Blatty wrote the novel in 1971, and was inspired by the story of a fourteen year old boy with the pseudonym "Roland Doe". According to Jonathan Riggs of UCLA (whom I will mention from now on as UCLA), Father William Bowdern was the exorcist of this case.

"I was the only one to whom he ever gave an interview"

-Henry Ansgar Kelly

The UCLA article and interview with Mr. Kelly states that he is a UCLA English professor, and author of the 1974 book "The Devil, Demonology, and Witchcraft". William Peter Blatty never interviewed Father Bowder, according to Henry Ansgar Kelly. The UCLA interview with Mr. Kelly also states that none of the head-turning, levitating, pea soup events (or anything in that category) actually happened, and were embellished. (1)

Pazuzu is Played by Three Actors

There are a plethora of people credited as Pazuzu, according to the Exorcist Fandom Wiki. Howver, the main three known, are Eileen Dietz, Linda Blair, and Mercedes mcCambridge. Eileen Dietz is the face of Pazuzu, Mercedes McCambridge is the voice, and Linda Blair acted as Regan- both unpossessed, and possessed by Pazuzu (2). Mercedes McCambridge, according to Film School Rejects, Ms. McCambridge picked up chain smoking, gargling raw eggs, and a setback in sobriety to achieve the deep, dark, cracking voice of Pazuzu that we all know (3). However, according to The Exorcist Wiki, Linda Blair voiced Pazuzu in certain scenes, prior to the demon's interaction with the priests- which I did not know. Ron Faber is also credited as voicing Pazuzu. (2)

Eileen Dietz, clad in black white and red makeup, is the highly recognizable face of Pazuzu. Surprisingly, according to The Exorcist Wiki, the makeup we recognize now as the red-eyed Pazuzu was one of the options for Regan's possessed look. Eileen Dietz, as stated by the Wiki, sat in the makeup chair as artists experimented with different looks for possessed Regan. (2)

The Wiki also states that Colleen Dewhurst provided dialog for the demon in Exorcist III, even though he was not seen on screen. Rupert Degas and Mary Beth hurt are credited as Pazuzu's voice in The Beginning, and Dominion. In total, a group of ten actresses and actors have portrayed Pazuzu, accorrding to The Exorcist Wiki. (2)

Litigation

For those unaware (I had to look it up) Litigation is the process of a lawsuit and court. The Exorcist seems to belong in several. Film Suits lists two cases- Warner Bros. Inc. v. Film Ventures Internationa, and ABC Interstate Theatres, Inc. v. State. In the first case, Filmsuits explains that "Beyond The Door" was thought to violate copyright laws of The Exorcist's protected content- including a crucifix utilized in the logo. Filmsuits mentions that "Beyond The Door" contains no religious imagery over the course of the film. The second case by the same name, as explained by Filmsuits, states that the movie was taken from the theatre, and the manager and projectionist were taken into custody. The movie was viewed as something that should not be shown considering the vulgarity it depicts. (4)

Variety's article states that William Friedkin and William Peter Blatty unfortunately lost their copyright battle. Warner Bros., and William Peter Blatty, shared copyright holdings to the two Exorcist versions, as mentioned by Variety's Janet Shprintz. It was found that William Friedkin had no standing in the case. Warner Bros were given the ability to create an Exorcist remake by William Peter Blatty himself, as stated by Variety (5).

The Conjuring 3 Exorcist Reference

Thee Conjuring 3 is based off of "The Devil Made Me Do It" case, which is when real-life Arne Johnson claims to have been possessed by the devil when he committed murder. In an article by CBR's Keegan Prosser, it is mentioned that Director Michael Chaves was thinking about The Exorcist a lot. The exorcism scene in particular inspired him (6). Many may remember when Father Mirren stood at the front of the MacNeils' house in The Exorcist, whilst the familiar song played.

According to another article by CBR's Joshua Paige, Owne Roizman (cinematographer, The Exorcist) paid homage to René Magritte's painting L’empire des lumières - seen above. Michael Chavez, heavily inspired by this scene from The Exorcist, created a similar scene outside of David Glatzel's home during his possession in the movie. A man is standing there, suit-clad and hatted in a fedora. He carries a briefcase, heavily resembling Father Mirren. This happens before Ed and Lorraine Warren show up at the house, as stated by CBR's article. (7)

Scary Maze Game

I have to be honest, I am surprised this game still runs across the internet- considering the fall of Flash. According to Horror Games Wiki, Jeremy Winterrowd published and developed this game. It was just called "The Maze", and hosted four levels. October 2004 saw the debut of this game, as stated by the Wiki. However, there was a twist. This was (and is) no normal maze. If one would make a mistake and touch the wall, they would revert to the menu. However, nobody was safe in this game. There is a scheduled time, mentioned by Horror Games Wiki, that the game is set to jumpscare players. What does this have to do with The Exorcist? Well, it is a photo of possessed Regan that pops up, collaborating with screaming sound effects to jumpscare the player. Then, the levels continue as normal. (8)

Try it out here!

The Demon in the Mattress

Courage the Cowardly Dog!

According to The CtCD Wiki, Episode 4 of Season 1, which aired on December 3, 1999 - follows the plot of Muriel purchasing a new mattress. It shows up by delivery truck, and houses a demon - to the lack of everyone's knowledge. Muriel then becomes possessed, and performs homages to The Exorcist by spinning her head, and vomiting. Courage ends up exorcising the demon, which then possesses Eustace, according to the Wiki. Everything then ends up as normal, except for Eustace being removed with the mattress by the same delivery truck. (9)

Treehouse of Horror XXVIII

An episode of The Simpsons, which, according to IMDB, includes a possession of Maggie, the Simpsons in a different dimension, and cannibalism (10). The Simpsons Wiki goes into further detail, explaining that this is the 28th Halloween special (hence the roman numerals). Four different episodes or segments (I couldn't tell which) include The Sweets Hereafter, The Exor-sis, Coralisa, and MMM... Homer. The one inspired by The Exorcist is Exor-sis. Maggie is the victim of possession in this. Similar to the Courage the Cowardly Dog, the item contianing the demon is ordered and mailed to the family, as stated by The Simpsons Wiki. Pazuzu is featured, and is the demon that possessed the item purchased by Homer through Amazon. Homer transfers his possession to Maggie. It is then that Maggie is exorcised. (11)

However, that is not the only Exorcist-related episode here. William Friedkin himself voiced Dr. Kenneth Humphries in the "MMM... Homer" segement , as stated by The Simpsons Wiki (11).

SNL

According to Best Classic Bands, Richard Pryor and Laraine Newman starred in a parody skit of The Exorcist on Saturday Night Live. The episode aired December 13, 1975. They called the skit "The Exorcist 2." A well-known quote from The Exorcist was even parodied in a hilarious way, with Laraine stating "your mother sews socks that smell", according to BCB. (12)

VR

The Exorcist: Legion VR, was developed by Wolf & Wood Interactive Ltd. It was published by LegionVR, LLC, Fun Train- according to popular game store Steam. The site explains that it is available on Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive. Existing as a single player game, the M-for-Mature rated game contains four chapters, according to Steam. They are as follows: Chapter 1, First Rites, Chapter 2: Exorcist: Idle Hands, Chapter 3: Skin Deep, Chapter 4: Samaritan, and Chapter 5: The Tomb. All titles have religious references, like idle hands being the devil's playthings, or the empty tomb of christ. Reviews on Steam from Kotaku, UploadVr, and GameCrate all explain the game as horrifying, and recommend it with positivity. (13)

Universal Horror Unleashed

Universal Horror Unleashed is a coagulation of four haunted houses in Las Vegas that is heavily influenced by and pays homage to the horror of Universal Studios. Their haunted house of The Exorcist is based on Believer. Here is what they say about the house:

"Step inside Blumhouse’s The Exorcist: Believer, where terror takes hold and never lets go. Follow the living story of two girls overtaken by an ancient evil, their screams echoing through a maze of twisted torment. Try to escape before the ancient entity claims you as its own."

-Universal Horror Unleashed

The house lies within zone 2 of AREA15 if you would like to experience the horrors that await. (14)

The Exorcist - Director's Cut

IMDB has a page dedicated to alternate versions of The Exorcist. According to the article William Friedkin edited the original CBS broadcast himself. Instead of Pazuzu's statue, he filmed an effigy of Mary crying blood. Censoring lines as well, even though- unfortunately- the f slur was still used, Father Karras was told his mother rots in hell, and to shut his face- as stated by IMDB. These were voiced by William Friedkin. Apparent profanities were also replaced by Ellen Burstyn, and Regan's obscene speech was omitted. Other details were edited though to remove most obscenities, according to IMDB. However, as the times have changed, this cleansed version is barely aired on television. (15)

The Exorcist 3 Director's Cut

Movie Censorship's article by Eiskaltes Grab cites 27 differences betwee the Theatrical Version and Director's Cut of The Exorcist III. The article states that this movie happens fifteen years after Pazuzu possesses Regan MacNeil. William Peter Blatty released this director's cut in October of 2016. (16)

Blueprint Review's Zoe Gammon states that The Exorcist 3 came from Legion, which is William Friedkin's sequel to the Exorcist novel. It is said that William Peter Blatty was not as proud of the theatrical version of the third movie, and did not want to release it. Most differences are subtle, however, the big difference lies in an exorcism, or lack thereof. Twenty five years after the release of the theatrical cut, the movie finally included an exorcism, according to Gammon. Movie Censorship also states that the theatrical release was asked for by the studio, and did not live up to Blatty's standards. (17)

HorrorMonster26. “The Exorcist Iceberg.” Reddit R/IcebergCharts, Reddit, July 2025, www.reddit.com/r/IcebergCharts/comments/1m0fr28/the_exorcist_iceberg/#lightbo

Trivia

1. Riggs, Jonathan, and Henry Ansgar Kelly. “The Real Story behind ‘the Exorcist’: A Q&A with Henry Ansgar Kelly.” UCLA College, Alvaro Castillo https://www.college.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Uxd_Blk_College-e1557344896161.png, 19 Oct. 2023, www.college.ucla.edu/2023/10/19/humanities-english-exorcism-henry-ansgar-kelly-2023.

2. Contributors to The Exorcist Wiki. “Pazuzu.” The Exorcist Wiki, Fandom, Inc., exorcist.fandom.com/wiki/Pazuzu. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.

3. Shields, Meg. “One Hell of a Performance: How Mercedes McCambridge Gave a Demon a Voice.” Film School Rejects, 18 June 2020, filmschoolrejects.com/mercedes-mccambridge-the-exorcist/.

4. FilmSuits. “The Exorcist (1973).” The Exorcist, Filmsuits, filmsuits.com/the-exorcist/. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.

5. Shprintz, Janet. “‘exorcist’ Copyright Lawsuit’s Hurled Out.” Variety, Variety, 5 Dec. 2002, variety.com/2002/biz/markets-festivals/exorcist-copyright-lawsuit-s-hurled-out-1117876947/.

Other

6. Prosser, Keegan. “Conjuring 3 Pays an ‘unsettling’ Homage to the Exorcist.” CBR, 23 Apr. 2021, www.cbr.com/conjuring-3-homage-exorcist/.

7. Paige, Joshua. “The Conjuring 3 Recreates the Exorcist’s Most Iconic Shot.” CBR, 6 June 2021, www.cbr.com/conjuring-3-exorcist-iconic-moment/.

8. Contributors to Horror Games Wiki. “The Maze.” Horror Games Wiki, Fandom, Inc., horror-games.fandom.com/wiki/The_Maze. Accessed 23 Aug. 2025.

9. Contributors to Courage the Cowardly Dog Wiki. “The Demon in the Mattress.” Courage the Cowardly Dog, Fandom, Inc., courage.fandom.com/wiki/The_Demon_in_the_Mattress. Accessed 23 Aug. 2025.

10. “The Simpsons" Treehouse of Horror XXVIII.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 22 Oct. 2017, www.imdb.com/title/tt6890620/.

11. Contributors to Simpsons Wiki. “Treehouse of Horror XXVIII.” Simpsons Wiki, Fandom, Inc., simpsons.fandom.com/wiki/Treehouse_of_Horror_XXVIII. Accessed 25 Aug. 2025.

12. Best Classic Bands Staff. “SNL’s ‘exorcist’ Parody with Richard Pryor.” Best Classic Bands, 13 Dec. 2024, bestclassicbands.com/snl-exorcist-parody-richard-pryor-1-15-1777/.

13. “The Exorcist: Legion VR - Chapter 1: First Rites on Steam.” Welcome to Steam, 22 Nov. 2017, store.steampowered.com/app/708580/The_Exorcist_Legion_VR__Chapter_1_First_Rites/.

14. Universal Horrors Unleashed. “Blumhouse’s The Exorcist: Believer.” Universal Las Vegas, www.universalhorrorunleashed.com/en/us/haunted-houses/the-exorcist. Accessed 25 Aug. 2025.

Different Versions

15. “The Exorcist: Alternate Versions.” IMDb, IMDb.com, www.imdb.com/title/tt0070047/alternateversions/. Accessed 25 Aug. 2025.

16. Grab, Eiskaltes. “Exorcist III, the (Comparison: Theatrical Version - Director’s Cut).” Translated by Tony Montana, Movie Censorship, www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=695685&Page=2. Accessed 25 Aug. 2025.

17. Gammon, Zoe. “The Exorcist III: Legion - Blueprint: Review.” Blueprint, 29 Dec. 2019, blueprintreview.co.uk/2019/12/the-exorcist-iii-legion/.