The Exorcist director William Friedkin hailed as a ‘cinematic master’

Director William Friedkin (Alessandra Tarantino/AP)

Elijah Wood, Stephen King and Guillermo del Toro are among those to remember US director William Friedkin as a “cinematic master” following his death aged 87.

The Oscar-winning filmmaker and screenwriter, who was behind horror classic The Exorcist and The French Connection, died at his home from heart failure and pneumonia on Monday in Los Angeles.