Throwing Up and Fleeing the Movies - The William Friedkin Movie That Terrified the World

The Exorcist is an iconic horror film, admired by critics and fans half a century later - even if not everyone was not a fan at the time, and many tried to have it forbidden

A scene from The Exorcist (

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In the dark, as the horrifying scenes on the big screen shimmered in their faces, audience members moaned and screamed.

One was sick and several passed out, including a woman who lay motionless on the ground for over a minute as her friend frantically tried to revive her. Others spring from the cinema, white as sheets. It's safe to say that the first broadcast of The Exorcist in the UK in February 1974 had an impact.

Directed by William Friedkin, who died Monday at the age of 87, it's an iconic horror film, admired by critics and fans half a century later. Although not everyone was a fan at the time. Bobbi Mitchell, 23, who attended the private screening, said afterwards: "It was absolutely disgusting - the most sickening movie I have ever seen."

Patt Rock, also 23, was outraged. She said: "I found it repugnant. I think it should be banned as it could be mentally disturbing. Oscar Baker, director of the west London cinema where the preview took place, said : "At one point, the living room felt like an emergency room."

Terrified moviegoers react to The Exorcist

The Exorcist, starring Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow and Jason Miller, is about a girl called Regan, played by Linda Blair, who is possessed by a demon. His mother calls on two Catholic priests to perform an exorcism. It features nightmarish scenes such as Regan's head spinning 360 degrees.

Even before the film was officially released in UK cinemas, many tried to get it banned. British clergymen, including Canon John S Pearce-Higgins, investigated the impact of The Exorcist in the United States before he arrived here.