Fear and Love: The Story of The Exorcist

Fear and Love: The Story of The Exorcist is a surprisingly detailed and personal look at the game-changing 1973 horror. For devoted fans of the movie like myself, we’ve heard the classic on-set stories many times before. However, one could not have predicted the level of honesty and insight featured in this picture, for the subjects of this documentary have provided director/editor John Larkin with an unbelievable amount of material. This lends the film a more introspective - even emotional - edge, which differentiates it from other making-of docs.

You could easily knock the film for having the standard structure and form of your average informative doc, but as an Exorcist fan, the piece offers us fantastic interview footage with the performers and artists that we know and care about. The testimony of legendary sound designer Chris Newman, for instance, is of an incredibly high quality. He speaks of his odd interactions with the amazing William Peter Blatty; his tortured relationship with Friedkin; and his personal scars and feelings regarding the experience. But it’s also exciting to be getting more stories from the wonderful Ellen Burstyn (one of my favourite performers). She discusses her spiritual beliefs, how the anguish of the shoot affected her life, and her relationship with the other actors. It’s really very candid, and perfect content for an Exorcist obsessive. Our director manages to capture some deeply heartfelt and vulnerable speaking from these fascinating individuals – which, for an independent documentary, is not always a guarantee.

Perhaps most interesting is how every subject describes the famously cruel working behaviour of the recently departed William Friedkin. We all know the facts of the refrigerated set, the slapping, and the general air of intensity. But it really is upsetting to hear first-hand about the man’s treatment of his actors (a lot of which is already well-documented); but even more fascinating is how these people – now looking back after decades – contend with how their physical and psychological torment conflicted or contributed to the effectiveness of the film. The most striking of these moments is when Burstyn recalls the stuntman pulling her back onto the floor after she told him not to, causing her great physical trauma. And thus, the viewer feels conflicted at the amazing viscera of that very shot which appears in the film. How they speak of a driven artist who reveals himself to be completely unfeeling in many ways, is one of the ideas audiences will be most stimulated by.

I was completely engaged, and occasionally quite moved, by this comprehensive documentary. It’s a fabulously well-edited and arranged project, particularly when you consider the sheer quantity of stories and perspectives Larkin had to deal with. And it manages to pretty consistently maintain a flow and a sense of order which is needed for feature-length, information-heavy releases. I’d also like to point out the fact that 61 minutes is the perfect length for this film. Not too short as to feel rushed or unsubstantial, and not too long as to test your average audience-member's attention. From beginning to end, it’s a very admirable effort, and unique as a fabulously rich record of actors’ testimony.