The Exorcist Serial Killer
In 1973, The Exorcist opened in cinemas. The highest-grossing film of its time, the horror movie was believed to be cursed and had problems from the beginning.
The set built to film the house scenes burned down when a bird flew into a fuse box, causing production issues and setting filming back significantly. Vasiliki Maliaros who starred as Father Karra’s mother and Jack MacGowran who played Burke Dennings both died as filming wrapped up, and never saw the finished movie. Jason Miller (Father Karras)’s son was almost killed when a motorcycle hit him, and Linda Blair and Ellen Burstyn received serious injuries during filming.
When asked about the movie, televangelist Billy Graham said, “There is a power of evil in the film, in the fabric of the film itself.”
At the film’s theatrical release, many people vomited in their seats, from what they were seeing on the screen. One woman broke her jaw when she passed out in fright and another woman even claimed she miscarried her baby while watching the film.
The Exorcist has always been shrouded in strange stories, many which have only helped its notoriety, but one of the film’s lesser-known misgivings was to do with one particular extra.
In 1972, Director William Friedkin visited NYUMC, now Tisch Hospital, wanting to view medical procedures he could…
