TOM LEONARD: How will we exorcise this new horror? Now get ready for the sequel to The Exorcist
Things didn't exactly end well the first time around. Audiences emerged from cinemas ashen-faced, some people even fainted or vomited. Others insisted they had wanted to leave but had been too scared to move. Watching The Exorcist, the quintessential horror film, was blamed for heart attacks and miscarriages. In Britain, local councils banned screenings, prompting travel companies to offer 'Exorcist bus trips' to cinemas where it was showing. In the U.S., some movie theatres reportedly proffered sick bags and offered paramedic assistance. This was all part of the hype that made the 1973 c...