Exorcist, The Easter Egg - Dracula Appears Subliminally in the Exorcist

When I was studying to be an editor in the 1970s-1980s, I obtained "The Exorcist" on VHS so I could study the editing. I found several subliminal frames, including some that I have seen no one ever mention. If you step slowly through the few seconds just PRECEDING the biggest horror sequences in the film, you should see single frames of classic horror figures - I recall Dracula and Phantom of the Opera, possibly others. These are not scenes taken from the old classics, they are simply actors in costume in a bare studio - shot with a dark background so the hidden frames do not "flash" out at you. Hard to find, but one of them is right in the middle of a slo-mo falling beads shot.

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Contributed By: Dave Muse on 09-25-2000
Reviewed By: Webmaster
Special Requirements: VCR DVD or Laserdisc
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Comments

Shorty writes:
OK, maybe I'm wrong, but that is not a subliminal. It is a flash of the demon. The same face that will flash at you during the exorcism scene when she is reaching towards the statue of Pazuzu. If you are talking about something else, please put the exact location on the DVD.If you see the New Version, you will see this face many times during the movie. I am almost positive about this.
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Edward L. writes:
What is the biggest horror scene??
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anonymous writes:
If you look carefully at the glimpse of the face of captain howdy (not to be confused with the statue of pazuzu), it's the same face the misfits made popular as an album cover.
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paroxysm writes:
The face which is being mentioned is superimposed into the movie many many times. i am not sure who/what it is actually supposed to represent, but it is scary. at one point, there was a rock type figure (on the door). if you look at it one frame at a time, you can see that it is the figure from the statue in the beginningof the movie. got more questions? e-mail me... [email protected]
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Steve writes:
Actually, it was Eileen Dietz's (Linda Blair's double) makeup test. They added several more in the re-release. The original only showed it a few times. (During the dream sequence with Father Karras and his mother going down in the subway. It shows after she mouths his name "Demi" three times and during the actual Exorcism, when the lights are flashing on and off.) The new version added it a couple of times, but the part I remember most is when Chris McNeil (the mom) comes in to the kitchen to fine the lights are flashing on and off and the phone ringing, it appears on the wall of cupboards above her head. One other noticeable addition that wasn't in the original, was in the doorway of Regan's bedroom. Just to the left of the doorway on the wall, they added the shadow of the statue of the winged demon. (Can't recall the name of it off the top of my head, although I am sure some one else will post it here!) As for the dream with Karras' mother... This is just after she dies, and he is struggling with his face. It actually does represent something here. It depicts her coming out of the subway entrance, and he is too far away. He calls for her and she pleads to him (I assume). (Insert spooky face her). Then she goes back down into the subway. This is his dream of her going to hell for his mistakes and he feels powerless to stop it. (Roughly put). I am sure I will get someone to contradict me on this. I am just going off what Friedkin (director) and Blatty (writer) said in a big promotional interview they said around the time of the re-release. Thank you and good night!
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brandine writes:
I noticed the images in the same places that Steve did but I also saw one that I don't think anybody else has mentioned and this was in the scene where Reagan is getting angry at the doctor while she is being examined. A white face with red eyes flashes up right before she is about to have her temperature taken. This may only be in the recently released un-cut version, I'm not sure.
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Karma writes:
The first time you see one of these faces appear is when the young priest (I'm a big fan of the movie, but I'm amazingly bad with names) is dreaming about his mum. Later, right before he takes over the daemon or Satan from the girl. In the second mentioned scene, the face appears on the girl (when Satan has the most control over her). My conclusion to this was that the face is the face of evil/Satan. If you want to see a still-shot from the face, mail me.
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PsycMuff writes:
The face is talked about on the 25th anniversary DVD. You can also see a VERY non-subliminal version of the face in the "Making Of" bonus documentary. It is in the very beginning and shows the face in motion. The face represents Pezazu (the demon) and is actually Ellien Dietz (I probably spelled her name wrong) during a makeup test. They were trying to determine how Linda Blair should appear when possessed and this was one of the tests. Personally, I think it's the scariest thing in the whole movie. When I first saw the movie I noticed the faces, yet nobody else with me did. I was traumatized for awhile after this. I am still extremely frightened of the "face" and my heart races when I know one of the 2 scenes with it is about to occur. In fact, I didn't see the newer version because I knew that damned face was added in more scenes. I'm glad that this makeup test wasn't used in the movie because I don't think I could have handled that face being in every scene.
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KU writes:
I just spotted an image near the end of the movie: just before Karras leaps through the window to his death, the curtains part, fog comes up from below and coalesces into an extremely fast flash of his mother's face...wow!
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Psycho Klown writes:
I haven't seen the Exorcist in years, so when the DVD came out on the market, I was eager to get it, especially when I noticed that deleted scenes where added. I'm the type not to scare easy, as only one part of a 'scary' movie geniunely scared and that was 'Night of the Demons' When Angela was levitating (sp?, it's late) down the hallway, talking demonically. I really don't know why it scared me as the movie leaned toward the stupid side. However, in watching the Exorcist on DVD, the deleted scene where she (Ms. Blair) done the 'spidewalk' down the stairs scared the bejesus out of me! Ha-Ha. I actually got a chill up my spine and it took me a good ten minutes to recover! If you haven't seen the Exorcist on DVD, find someone who has it, rent it, borrow it, do whatever it takes (except steal it) and check out that scene. Just wanted to throw my two cents in. Psycho Klown
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Joe writes:
this egg works especially well if you have the dvd. i just rented it and there seems to be A LOT more than 3 subliminal messages.
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Justus_456 writes:
I have seen it on Exorcist websites and have pictures of it and they call him "Demon Face". I have also freeze framed those (which is freaky looking) and it is not anything but a white face with big eyes and a little red underneath his (it's?) eyes staring at you. OK, so I've come, I've read, I've told. good-bye
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bowells writes:
I have seen the exorcist 17 times and the new 25th version 3 times.With out a doubt the new images of the face or "captain howdy", as in think it is portrayed to Regan`s mind, is in by far the scariest aspect of this movie .The first examination she gets at the hospital has the face starring directly at the the viewer and is extremely disturbing!!!!! this movie cannot be taken in 3-5 viewings ;for the simple matter that there is to much being played on our subconcious to recognize.By in far the face is the scariest part of this movie because it appears when we don`t expect it to!!
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Nothing writes:
You know, I am watching The Exorcist: Director's Cut. It's the first time I've seen Exorcist, original or no. Anyways, the "Demon face" also appears in a scene right when the mother gets home. The lights flicker for a few seconds, then blacks out for a while. After the lights turn on, then you can clearly see the white face on the top of a stove behind the mom. This is a little before the spiderwalk scene.
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Dave writes:
Actually the person who does the stair crawl is not Linda Blair at all, but a contourtionist.
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Bik_Man writes:
My two cents - The quick frame of the demon has alot of meaning to me. It quickly shows when the movie was going to take a turn and go six feet under and Pazuzu is about to hit. I think it's showing the Father totally possessed. THEN - Mr. Dennings is dead before being put through a window with his head turned around (possibly he was possessed before he made the leap? like the ending?), the mother starts to swear, the Father's mother walking back down the stairs into the subway, the doctors turning to religion for help....and simply everything going downhill (and more stairs for some) for all the characters. The only things that went up were Reagan's hand during hypnotism, the windows in her room, her lunch, and the Father finding the Church again. It also becomes clear that it wasn't Satan since the holy water wasn't blessed but it spoke Latin and knew that the Father's mother had passed. Thus, Pazuzu. "This is an excellent day for an exorcism." - "Reagan" But I think that's the brilliance of the movie, or Pazuzu, to make one wonder where Reagan stops and Pazuzu bagins. Pazuzu has a moment to make you think Reagan pushed Mr. Dennings out of the window and then you see the "help me" on her stomach. All you can do is watch the movie unfold.
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Cheetos1150 writes:
i was watching the exorcist and i had to got to the bathroom and i paused the screen right when the demon face popped up during the exorcism scene i nearly went right then and there so i can confirm that much of the movie......*shudders*
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Daniel writes:
i remember watching the movie around 5 years ago when i was 11ish. i remember first seeing a face when linda blair's mother is walking through a pitch black room while the telephone is ringing. but then again, it was 5 years ago so it may not be so accurate. when i tried sleeping that night, my parents didnt believe me when i said i saw a face pop up, and now i have proven them wrong... at 17 years of age! haha
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aajurgy writes:
That is NOT the face from the misfits. The face from the misfits is the Crimson Ghost.
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