WASHINGTON — It’s the scariest movie ever made.
Now, you can watch “The Exorcist” (1973) outdoors in the very D.C. neighborhood where it was filmed, as the final screening in the first-ever Sunset Cinema series at Georgetown Waterfront Park.
All summer long, the inaugural event has featured movies inspired by Georgetown, including “St. Elmo’s Fire,” “State of Play,” “No Way Out,” “Burn After Reading” and, on Tuesday night, “The Exorcist.”
“This is the ultimate way to experience movies in Georgetown,” says Rachel Cothran, Communications Director at the Georgetown Business Improvement District. “The experience of watching movies right on the water with the sunset in the background can’t really be missed … and this is the ultimate movie.”
Directed by William Friedkin as his much-anticipated follow-up to Best Picture winner “The French Connection” (1971), “The Exorcist” boasted a script by William Peter Blatty, who adapted his own 1971 novel. It follows Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair), the 12-year-old daughter of a Hollywood actress (Ellen Burstyn), who lives in Georgetown while shooting her next project. After a series of freaky occurrences, the possessed Regan is treated by two priests, the spiritually conflicted Father Karras (Jason Miller) and the world-traveling Father Merrin (Max von Sydow), to drive out the demon.
“Blatty had studied to be a Jesuit priest (at Georgetown University) and went on to have a very big career as a comedy writer,” the Oscar-nominated Blair tells WTOP. “But he wanted to do something a little more dramatic and was told, ‘Bill, you’re a comedy writer.’ He said, ‘No, I’m gonna do the scariest movie of all time,’ so he set forth and he did just that.”
Fueled by news reports of moviegoers fainting at theaters and vomiting in the aisles, “The Exorcist” became the highest grossing movie of 1973 — the No. 9 grossing film of all time (adjusted for inflation) — and won two Academy Awards (Screenplay and Sound) among ten total nominations, including Best Picture and Director. How many horror films can claim that?
The teenage Blair also won the Golden Globe for a convulsing, peeing, vomiting, floating, masturbating, head-spinning performance that — along with a demonic voice dubbed by Mercedes McCambridge — turned Regan MacNeil into the American Film Institute’s No. 9 Villain of All Time.
Such graphic images have made “The Exorcist” tricky programming for outdoor film fests, so the Sunset Cinema series proceeded with caution — aided by the later start time.
“In our hearts and minds, we felt like we had to have ‘The Exorcist’ in our lineup, but we were very careful and we worked very closely with the Park Service,” Cothran says. “It was included in all of our collateral and posters and messaging that we have chosen from Rated R movies, and it kind of works out, because for most kids, it’s kind of past their bedtime. … It’s really meant for a young, professional audience, and we’ve actually seen that in terms of our attendance.”
Indeed, there are some great adult-oriented promotions coinciding with the event.
Nearby restaurant The Tombs is offering an all-night Happy Hour with a special drink called “The Exorcist,” filled with tequila (just don’t drink too much, or you might reenact a scene from the movie).
Another restaurant, Paolo’s, is delivering food directly to the waterfront.
Georgetown Waterfront Park is located at K Street/Water Street and Cecil Place NW.
The free screening begins at 8:30 p.m., but you should arrive around 7 p.m. to get a good spot.
No chairs are allowed, so be sure to bring a blanket.
Early arrivals can also take part in contests.
The first 50 people who come up to the blue tent and say, “It’s a lovely day for an exorcism,” get a free swag bag. You can also win prizes by taking photos at “Exorcist” shooting locations and tweeting them with #GeorgetownSunsetCinema.
“For people who love Georgetown, there’s so many really iconic visuals to really bring you into the moment,” Cothran says. “You’re going to feel like you’re right there, because you are right there!”
Shooting locations include the Georgetown University skyline, the Key Bridge, Dahlgren Chapel, the steep Exorcist steps by the Exxon gas station, and the iconic house at 3600 Prospect St. NW.
You might win by posing at the bottom of the steps — just be careful not to re-enact the fall.
What if you make your head spin around?
“You definitely win,” she jokes, “And then I will high-tail it very far away.”
