Moments after my editor asked me to write this article about The Exorcist coming to Blu-ray I had a three-paragraph nostalgia trip spill out of my brain. It was a little too deep to waste on a release notice like this, so I’ve decided to bank that story for the time being and unleash it on you all when I actually get my geeky mitts on the Blu-ray for review.

Let’s just agree that I can’t hardly wait for that moment. Anyhoo, this upcoming 2-Disc Digibook Blu-ray package, to be released on October 5, 2010, will contain both the original 1973 theatrical release and the Y2K Director’s cut re-release, along with two feature-length documentaries, commentary tracks by both director William Friedkin and writer/producer William Peter Blatty, interviews, storyboards, and a bunch of featurette-level material and trailers.

I wanted a copy before all that jazz, so I’m already a happy camper. Check out the Red-band trailer for the Blu-ray release and a full rundown of features here after the jump.

Synopsis

Controversial and popular from the moment it opened, The Exorcist marks its historic Blu-ray premiere in a 2-Disc Edition featuring Stunning Hi-Def Presentations of the Original 1973 Theatrical Version and the 2000 Extended Director’s Cut. The frightening and realistic tale of an innocent girl inhabited by a terrifying entity, her mother’s frantic resolve to save her and two priests – one doubt-ridden, the other a rock of faith – joined in battling ultimate evil always leaves viewers breathless. This greatest supernatural thriller of all time astonishes and unsettles like no other movie.

Directed by William Friedkin
Written & Produced by William Peter Blatty
Starring Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, Max Von Sydow, Jason Miller, Lee J. Cobb, Peter Masterson, Jack MacGowran
Blu-ray release date: October 5, 2010

Blu-ray Details

Disc 1 – Extended Director’s Cut (2000) plus Special Features

• Commentary by William Friedkin
• NEW Raising Hell: Filming the Exorcist
  Set footage produced and photographed by Owen Roizman, camera and makeup tests, and interviews with director William Friedkin, actress Linda Blair, author/screenwriter/producer William Peter Blatty and Owen Roizman. BLU-RAYâ„¢ EXCLUSIVE
• NEW The Exorcist Locations: Georgetown Then and Now
  Featuring a tour of the iconic locations where the film was shot. BLU-RAYâ„¢ EXCLUSIVE
• NEW Faces of Evil: The Different Versions of The Exorcist
  with director William Friedkin and author/screenwriter/producer William Peter Blatty discussing the different versions of the film and featuring outtakes from the film. BLU-RAYâ„¢ EXCLUSIVE
• Trailers, TV Spots & Radio Spots from the film’s 2000 release

  — Trailers

  – The Version You’ve Never Seen
  – Our Deepest Fears

  — TV Spots

  – Most Electrifying
  – Scariest Ever
  – Returns

  — Radio Spots

  – The Devil Himself

  — Our Deepest Fears

Disc 2 – Theatrical Cut (1973) plus Special Features:

• Introduction by William Friedkin
• Commentary by William Friedkin
• Commentary by William Peter Blatty with Special Sound Effects Tests
• The Fear of God: 25 Years of The Exorcist [1998 BBC documentary]
• Additional Interviews with William Friedkin and William Peter Blatty

— The Original Cut

— Stairway to Heaven

— The Final Reckoning

• Original Ending
• Sketches & Storyboards
• Trailers & TV Spots from the 1973 version

  — Trailers

  – Nobody Expected It
  – Beyond Comprehension
  – Flash Image

  — TV Spots

  – Beyond Comprehension
  – You Too Can See The Exorcist
  – Between Science & Superstition
  – The Movie You’ve Been Waiting For

Trailer

[Source: WB; Video Source: IGN]