‘Rarely does a film cause national hysteria’: The Exorcist turns 50
In 1973, the demonic horror shocked and compelled the US, remaining a vital landmark for the genre in the decades since
September 2023
The Exorcist review – Friedkin’s head-swivelling horror is still diabolically inspired
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial review – William Friedkin’s final film looks for the truth
August 2023
My friend Billy: Mark Kermode remembers The Exorcist director William Friedkin
Bread and butter pudding with William Friedkin
William Friedkin obituary
William Friedkin created unforgettable horror and pleasure with equal brilliance
Peter Bradshaw
William Friedkin, director of The Exorcist and The French Connection, dies at 87
The Exorcist and French Connection director William Friedkin – a life in pictures
October 2021
The French Connection at 50: one of the greatest New York movies ever
William Friedkin peaked in 1971 with his thrilling crime drama, known for its show-stopping car chase, but elevated by so much more
August 2020
Guy Lodge's streaming and DVDs
Streaming: the best of William Friedkin
A new-to-streaming documentary about the Exorcist director prompts a look through his fascinating back catalogue
March 2020
Max von Sydow: an aristocrat of cinema who made me weep
From his fateful game of chess to a moving turn in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Von Sydow was the last standard bearer of Bergman’s high-minded movie idiom
February 2019
Hollywood outraged by plan to present Oscars in TV ad breaks
Stars lambast ‘insulting’ bid to cut Academy Awards’ running time by presenting cinematography and other awards during commercials
April 2018
Ellen Burstyn: 'Women on screen were prostitutes or victims – I wanted to embody a hero'
William Friedkin: 'You don’t know a damn thing, and neither do I'
November 2017
Guy Lodge's streaming and DVDs
DVD reviews: Your Name, Despicable Me 3, Whisky Galore! and more
Sorcerer review – a cinematic concerto of pessimism worthy of Herzog
July 2017
George Clooney, Jennifer Lawrence and Matt Damon jostle for Oscar advantage in Venice line-up
Damon stars in two of the Lido’s big films, Downsizing and Suburbicon, while Lawrence steps into horror movie territory with Darren Aronofsky’s Mother!
May 2016
Exorcist director says Vatican allowed him to film real ceremony
William Friedkin recalls witnessing ‘astonishing’ scenes of demonic possession similar to those in 1973 horror classic
July 2015
Film blog
Jerry Weintraub: indefatigable champion of old-school and retro film
Producer Jerry Weintraub, who has just died, was a Hollywood dealmaker of huge renown whose Rat Packish instincts led to huge hits with the Ocean’s Eleven series