'They have no fear of God or man': What audiences thought when The Exorcist came to Cork 

William Friedkin passed away recently, but his most famous creation left a mark on film fans in Ireland and beyond 

Linda Blair, Max von Sydow and Jason Miller in The Exorcist. 

For many years, the director of The Exorcist mistakenly believed his film had been banned in Ireland. William Friedkin, who died last week at the age of 87, had apparently been told by distributors Warner Brothers that his infamous horror wasn’t being shown in this country when cinema reels finally made it to this part of the world in autumn 1974.

In fact, the tale of Regan and her demons did show in Irish cinemas, attracting big audiences. Inevitably, the debate and controversy that had surrounded the film’s release in the US in late 1973 also followed it across the Atlantic.