The Exorcist has always been surrounded by controversy. Religious groups have criticized it for being immoral, and during its time in theaters, some people even fainted or got sick while watching it.
The book it’s based on also caused a stir before the movie was even made. When the film came out in 1973, it sparked strong reactions from audiences.
Some kids even ended up in the hospital, thinking they were possessed after watching it. Despite all this, the movie became very popular and made a lot of money for Warner Bros.
However, it faced backlash from religious groups and attempts to ban it in some places like Hattiesburg and Boston. Even the Supreme Court had to get involved to stop the ban in Boston.
When the movie made its way to the UK, people were already curious because of all the hype in America. But the British film board allowed it to be shown to adults only.
Some local councils tried to ban it, and later there was a failed attempt to ban it under a law. For a while, it seemed like The Exorcist might avoid being banned nationwide in the UK, but that didn’t last.
In 1984, a new law called the Video Recordings Act caused trouble for movies like The Exorcist. This law said that all movies released on video needed a rating from the British film board, even if they already had one for theaters.
Why Was It Banned?
The Exorcist had been on video for three years without getting a new rating because Warner Bros. was worried about the controversy surrounding violent videos at the time. But the new law meant they had to get a rating or risk being banned.
The British film board had four years to review all the videos already out, including The Exorcist. They waited until the last minute in 1988 to decide what to do.
The problem was that while The Exorcist wasn’t worse than other movies rated “18”, it was now easier for kids to watch it at home.
The head of the film board said they had seen evidence of teenagers, especially girls, being upset by the movie in theaters. They were worried it could be even worse at home where parents might not know what their kids were watching.
After thinking about it, they decided no rating would stop kids from seeing it, so they ordered it to stop being sold right away. It wasn’t a total ban, but it was pretty close.
For 11 years, The Exorcist couldn’t be sold in the UK. It still played in theaters, but you couldn’t buy it on video. The people who decide what movies can be sold thought it was too scary for home viewing. Even though they wouldn’t change their minds, things eventually changed.
In 1998, The Exorcist was released again worldwide because it was 25 years old. This got people talking about it again, and Warner Bros. tried to get it approved for sale in the UK once more.
