Director Watch Podcast Ep. 29 – ‘The Exorcist’ (William Friedkin, 1973)

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema’s greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you’ve got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 29 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined film critic Jesse Nussman to discuss the latest film in their William Friedkin series, The Exorcist (1973).

How does a director follow up his Oscar winning effort that landed him the prize for Best Director? That’s simple, he goes on to make one of the greatest, most influential horror films of all time, and in the process, makes the film we would all remember him by. Friedkin’s The Exorcist, which follows the demonic possession of a young girl and her mother's attempt to rescue her through an exorcism by two Catholic priests, was one of the biggest films of the 1970s. Controversial upon release, it’s staying power in the mind of cinephiles is in large part to creating the template for every exorcist/possession/horror film to come along after it, as well as being notoriously known for its rocky behind the scene’s production. But through all the good and the bad, Friedkin, alongside screenwriter and author of the original novel William Peter Blatty, made a flat out masterpiece. Ryan, Jay, and Jesse break down their love for The Exorcist by talking about the ambiguous opening to the film, their favorite scene, Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair’s performances, the film’s iconic score, the god awful sequels in this franchise, and ponder how long they would last in a room where an exorcism was being performed.

You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more.

This podcast runs 2h03m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series covering the films of William Friedkin with a review of his next film, Sorcerer. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let’s get into it.

Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and “B-3” from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).