Controversial and popular from the moment it opened, The Exorcist endures as a defining classic that influenced movies afterward and still shocks and haunts today. The frightening and realistic tale of an innocent girl inhabited by a terrifying entity, her motherâs frantic resolve to save her and two priests â one doubt-ridden, the other a rock of faith â joined in battling ultimate evil always leaves viewers breathless. In the Extended Directorâs Cut, director William Friedkin and producer/screenwriter William Peter Blatty integrated over 10 minutes of footage deleted before the filmâs 1973 release. They include moments deepening the impact of a first-rate ensembleâs remarkable performances and reinforcing the filmâs grip on its audience. A phenomenon of its time and for all time, The Exorcist astonishes and unsettles like no other movie.