William Friedkin, ‘The Exorcist’ director, dead at 87
After bringing horror to movie fans around the world, director William Friedkin has passed away at the age of 87.
Friedkin was best known for being the director of 1973’s The Exorcist, which became an emblematic film in the horror genre. Before his work on the classic movie, Friedkin was also known for intense dramas such as the noir action film, The French Connection, for which he won an Academy Award for ‘Best Director’ as the movie cleared up at the 1972 event.
When talking about making the movie, Friedkin talked about identifying with the original novel by William Petet Blatty, explaining (via The Hollywood Reporter), “[It] was a unique and original story. I didn’t see it as a horror film; quite the opposite, I read it as transcendent, as Blatty had intended”.
The film’s production also resorted to extreme measures, including a moment when Friedkin got into a physical altercation with an actor who wasn’t sure of the direction behind a certain scene. Regardless of the means of getting the shot, The Exorcist was greeted with one of the best receptions in the history of the horror genre, becoming one of the biggest box office successes of all time.
Outside of intense horror and action, Friedkin also worked on different genres when cutting his teeth, including the comedy The Boys in the Band and the adaptation of Harold Pinter’s The Birthday Party. After his turn into horror, Friedkin also lent his talents to films such as 1985’s To Live and Die in LA and The Guardian.
Even after years of making films, Friedkin still possessed the same fire for filmmaking that he had at the beginning, recalling in his autobiography, “I haven’t made my Citizen Kane, but there’s more work to do. I don’t know how much, but I’m loving it.”
Friedkin’s final film, The Caine Mutiny Court-Marshal was set to premiere in Venice this year. He is survived by his fourth wife Lansing, as well as his two sons.
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