William Friedkin, director of The French Connection, The Exorcist, and several other films, died at 87 on Monday. His wife, Sherry Lansing, stated he died of heart failure and pneumonia at home.
The Hollywood Reporter wrote about The Exorcist, and how it “marked the peak of [the director’s] long career.” The source goes on to say, “Is there another modern horror movie as influential and terrifying as The Exorcist?… Few, if any, horror films have left such an indelible impression, not only on the genre but on broader popular culture, as the 1973 demonic possession thriller that marked the peak of director William Friedkin’s long career.”
Friedkin, though, had never thought of that film as a horror story. The Hollywood Reporter spoke about how Friedkin and William Peter Blatty (the author of the novel of the same name) had always viewed The Exorcist as a drama, “to be as fully and richly explored as any other.”
His first film, entitled Good Times, came out in 1967. It was a musical comedy starring Sonny and Cher. Following this, he eventually directed three more features: The Birthday Party, The Night They Raided Minsky’s, and The Boys in the Band. The films didn’t have much success, but his next film did.
The French Connection served Friedkin his Oscar. The film focused on a police-duo attempting to shut down a drug ring. His following feature was The Exorcist.
Throughout the decades, Friedkin has directed various types of films, and he is noted as one of the most influential filmmakers to this day, especially in the realm of horror movies. The Hollywood Reporter, while speaking on his death, stated, “Throughout his career, he never lost his passion for the work.”
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