Few horror films have left as deep and lasting a mark as The Exorcist. Even more than 50 years after its release, William Friedkin’s 1973 cinematic juggernaut still rattles nerves, ignites passionate debates, and stands as a benchmark for what horror can achieve. But what fueled the vision behind this game-changing movie? The documentary Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist lifts the veil, painting an intimate portrait of the legendary director and the artistic sensibility that went into making one of the most legendary films ever made.
Rather than the usual behind-the-scenes fare filled with interviews and archival footage, Leap of Faith is a remarkably spare methodology. Director Alexandre O. Philippe interviewed Friedkin for six days, then completely stepped out of frame, letting the director’s voice carry. What results is not so much a documentary as a cinematic dialogue—a raw monologue from a man who narrates life as he directs it: fearlessly and with unshakable conviction.
Friedkin, in his eighties during production, talks both fire and brimstone. His enthusiasm for the craft is unabated, and he isn’t shy about explaining his choices. He brags of blunt criticism—referring to William Peter Blatty’s initial script draft as “a travesty”—and acknowledges showbiz tactics, such as slapping an actor for a real reaction. Following his Oscar win for The French Connection, Friedkin shocked Hollywood by moving into horror, a genre which he didn’t consider lowbrow, but highly expressive.
But his confidence is ever leavened by a regard for his co-workers. One of the most revealing moments comes in his conflict with Max von Sydow’s performance. Rather than bullying a solution, Friedkin suggested importing the actor’s regular director, Ingmar Bergman. And his highlight of the whole film? A muted, emotion-charged scene between Ellen Burstyn’s character and Detective Kinderman—a moment fueled solely by performance, not spectacle.
In Leap of Faith, Friedkin explains in detail where he finds inspiration in unexpected places. Movies are not always his inspiration; classical music, contemporary art, and silent films frequently inspire him. He cites Carl Dreyer’s Ordet as an influence on the spiritual aspect of The Exorcist, and refers to René Magritte’s painting Empire of Light as the connection for the eerie poster of the film. He even employs music terminology to describe tone and rhythm, likening an actor’s reading to the variation between brass and strings, or referring to visual adornishments as “grace notes.”
One of the most vivid observations from the film is Friedkin’s adoption of what director Fritz Lang once described as a “sleepwalker’s confidence.” Instead of over-planning, Friedkin relied on instinct. This resulted in bold but critical decisions—such as casting up-and-comer Jason Miller as Father Karras, passing on a score by the legendary Bernard Herrmann, and shooting a conclusion even he didn’t entirely understand at the time. His approach was instinctual, verging on mystical, and that unbridled energy infuses every shot of The Exorcist.
Why the movie’s power is so lasting, in Friedkin’s view, isn’t the horror itself—horror is a given. It’s the shared response it elicits. At a 50th-anniversary showing in 2023, a packed theater exploded with gasps and wonder, many of whom had never seen it before and yet remained swept up in its influence. While Friedkin himself always pushed back against classifying it as purely horror, the film’s enduring emotional hold demonstrates the power of horror to be a means to examine greater themes such as religion, death, and enigma.
Friedkin passed away in August 2023, just short of 88, but Leap of Faith reads as a last love letter to the craft that he loved. It takes not only the tale of The Exorcist, but the agitated mind of an individual who never ceased pursuing truth through the prism. He didn’t care about formula or playing it safe—his body of work was built on faith in the irrational, the invisible, and the beautifully flawed. For anyone who loves film—horror enthusiast or not—Leap of Faith is essential viewing.