The Exorcist - Filming Site Location Visit

Anyone who knows me knows I’m a sucker for horror filming site location visits. I usually try to seek them out whenever I’m going somewhere, and often plan small trips with visits as my main purpose. Big or small budget, doesn’t make a difference. It could be a specific, memorable piece of architecture that symbolizes the movie’s imagery or a dirty, rinky-dink convenience store that could be passed by without a second look; it doesn’t matter. If it’s from a movie I like and it’s en route or I can get to it with a few skips out of the way - I’m going. It’s a mini-horror adventure for me and it always brings a smile to my face and gets me excited to scope out the whole area and make a day or two out of being in town.

So this year I’m getting to see the filming locations from the two movies that started it all for me - two of the biggest and best – The Exorcist and Jaws. I went to Washington D.C. (where the Exorcist was filmed) in May on Memorial Day weekend, and will be going to Cape Cod (Jaws was filmed on the island of Martha’s Vineyard) next week. Being the uncultured bastard man that I am, though I had been around or through the area of each I had never been to either actual place before, so I knew I had to make the homage to both and also check out some of the other offerings in the area.

When we were in the D.C. area, we were there for me and my girlfriend Denise's two year anniversary, so we were doing a lot of other things besides just checking out Exorcist sites and got to experience some cool other stuff in the area as well. So I figured “hey, this is a huge horror movie location that many horror fans would actually go to, so why not share some of my experiences of cool places around the area so they have some stuff to check out if they decide to go by for a visit.” I know the first thing I do when planning to go to a new place or one I don’t know much about is check for good attractions, restaurants, and bars (right after checking for filming site locations of course) and the first source I’m going to go to is anyone who’s there for the horror first. I’ve found some great reviews of locations this way and figured it’s time to share some of my own.

I’ve left out all of the historical monuments/memorials and otherwise D.C. capital district historic locations because, while they were great spots to visit, everyone knows they are and you can get that info elsewhere. Here’s some of the movie stuff and some other spots I checked out with short reviews:

The Exorcist Locations:

The House and Stairs:

So the two most important locations in the movie are right next to each other – The across the street picture of the house Regan lives in, and the famous stairs. The stairs are so damn famous actually that everyone in D.C. just calls them the “Exorcist stairs” I found out. Ask anyone, seriously. Both are located in Georgetown (Neighborhood in northwestern D.C.) at the corner of Prospect St NW and 36th St NW, leading down to M Street NW. The top of the stairs are just off the left side of the pictures of the house above.

The stairs themselves are… well, they’re stairs. Long stairs, that are very identifiable from the movie. Things look pretty similar here. One thing to note is that they are pretty heavily trafficked, at least they were when I went there on a Saturday in May, so you will have to snap your shots rather fast. Also of some significance is the fact that while people there seem accustomed to people posing for pictures here, (as in above) they will still take the time to point and laugh at you (as in above…).

The Tombs:

Right across the road is the bar in which the priests talk over a few pints about Father Karras losing his faith. The bar

was someplace I had to try some food and drink at during my stop to check out the movie location, but honestly, it fell really flat. It did have a comfortable pub atmosphere, but that was about it. The food was really bland and the drinks were nothing special. I had a chicken and pasta dish that was really bland and I tried the only beer on the list of a small and boring selection that sounded unique – a brew from a local brewery. That too was pretty par and flavorless. Forgot what that one was called, but it was sold to the brewery so they could put their name on it (“tombs something or other”) and wasn’t much more than a Budweiser or similar light pilsner alternative. Denise had a similar food and drink experience as well.

Interestingly enough when I asked a waiter about the movie being filmed there and if they had any interesting info he not only didn’t know, but seemed to have a hard time finding someone who did. Eventually he had a manager talk to me who said he didn’t even think the movie was filmed there, but that something from Exorcist 2 might have been filmed there… As far as I can tell this it totally incorrect. Multiple sources confirm that this was the bar used in the first movie and ALSO the Exorcist 3, but no scene in the second movie is filmed there. I couldn’t place exactly where the scene in the movie was shot in the bar, but it’s a small place and the style of it looks pretty close to that of what you see on screen. Anyway, while this is definitely a stop to make for the location visit, especially since it is right next to the other two big spots, don’t expect much else there.

Georgetown University:

A number of other scenes from the movie can be found on the Georgetown University campus including on the map of campus above (sorry if you can't make the map out! You can see them all on the following church link - Mapquest and Google just had a hard time finding them) : the scene of the student protest movie set (Healy Hall) and the desecrated church (Dahlgren Chapel). The outdoor track scene was also on the campus (Kenhoe field) but it is now a multiple-use sporting field.

On the street:

A couple more really quick scenes include a row of apartment buildings that Chris walks by on the way back from the movie shoot scene, and the church she passes (Christ Episcopal Church) where she sees Father Karras.

Other Locations in D.C.:

Washington DC Ghost Tours:

I personally don’t take any of the ghost stuff very seriously, but it was a cryptic themed tour to check out and it only lasts a little over an hour, so we figured why not. We went with the Capitol Hill Haunts Tour, and although I said I’d exclude the capital district stuff here, this is the exception. It ended up being pretty entertaining actually.

Yay: Informative guide, fun stories, interesting historical and legend info

Nay: There’s no real “set” time so tour can get slowed down if you have elderly or less active people in your group since it involves a little bit of walking from place to place. Even slower if people ask a million questions

DC Cruises:

Denise loves cruises, so she picked this one. We went with the happy hour cruise.

Yay: Great view of the DC region with indoor and outdoor seating. Cruise size is pretty good seating wise so you never feel cramped and can move around freely the whole time (good for my ADHD). Cheap margaritas that were actually pretty good as well as other mixed drinks and decent beers. Also the 1.5 hour time is perfect. Doesn’t feel too long or short. Indoor cabin with A/C, outdoor upper level.

Nay: The music… oh god the music. I did not realize a DJ was part of the cruise originally. Margaritas helped, and I was in a particularly benevolent mood this day, so I was ok, but you’re gonna hear a loooot of poppy and hip hoppy radio stuff, so if this isn’t your thing you may want to avoid this or look for another one. Luckily, I found a crew member with a Slayer shirt to talk to…

Churchill Hotel:

This is the hotel we stayed at while in D.C. I don’t have specific others in the area to compare it to, but our experience there itself was a mixed bag.

Yay: Well priced. Keep in mind were there on Memorial Day weekend in the middle of D.C. (1.3

miles north of the White House) and we picked a fancier (4 star hotel) place to stay than we normally would have since it was our anniversary, so that was a definite bonus. You can likely find cheaper if you’re just looking for a basic place to crash for the night and it isn’t a holiday weekend, but it was right for us for the time and situation. Within walking distance of a bunch of uptown eateries and the Metro (subway). One staff member in particular was extremely accommodating and helpful.

Nay: Far and away the BIGGEST problem we had was with parking. If you choose to stay here, what you NEED to know that no one will tell you is that there is a $50 valet parking fee per day! You can also park at a garage down the road for about half of that, but it is closed on weekends. Why? Because there is free parking on nearby roads during the weekend IF you know the right roads and IF you can find a spot. This was further complicated by construction on a lot of the roads around the area that was happening – creating different parking rules for different times. When I originally found out about the parking fee I hadn’t been told about I got very angry and looked for the parking garage for about 45 minutes (very confusing road system and GPS was very temperamental in the congested uptown area) only to find it closed. I went back and nearly blew a brain gasket on one of the uninterested front desk clerks. This would have been more than enough for me to tell people to never stay here. The ONLY thing that makes me not stick with that decree was that right when I was about to demand a manager another front desk clerk say how upset I was and took me aside and promised he’d make everything right. He proceeded so show me exactly where I could park that would be safe and where I could leave the car all weekend, as well as when to move my car there in a couple hours due to the construction changes. He also gave me a bunch of additional information about the area and apologized for the hardships. He made sure to make the rest of our stay very pleasant and is the only reason I would recommend staying here.

Metro:

The metro is D.C.’s subway system. Due to not wanting to constantly find parking spots, going to places where we were drinking, and the proximity to where we were staying, it was a very viable option.

Yay: If you haven’t been before - pretty much everything about this was great. Nothing like NYC subways. Economic, CLEAN, and overall a very cool experience (the ceilings are about 30 feet tall and the descent into the Metro area is at least 60 feet down an escalator!) Lights on the floor light up when a train is approaching and the system was pretty easy to navigate, even being my first time. To help with that, the attendants are very courteous, accessible, and good at assisting with directions. The trains themselves are carpeted (nicely) and have seating that is set up in rows like a bus. Did I mention CLEAN. Also, dealing with no shady patrons was a good thing. If you’re used to New York subways this one is weird… in the best way. Definitely the way to go if you need to get around without a car, especially because I found that the D.C. roads can be VERY confusing if you’re not used to them.

Nay: Unfortunately the subway doesn’t go everywhere in D.C., so make sure to ask an attendant first if you’re not sure if it goes to where you need to (for example, doesn’t go anywhere near the Exorcist filming locations). Also, if you don’t want to figure out a new system or have to ask where to go you may choose to skip it (or possibly get a phone app for navigation). Still recommended to check though.

Bistro Bistro:

A little French Bistro Café specializing in brunch a couple blocks south of the hotel we stayed at.

Yay: I had poached eggs Florentine and it was pretty damn good. Cool big street front open air window (above) at the front of the restaurant.

Nay: Service was just okay and it was slightly pricey.

Sea Catch Restaurant:

A fancier seafood restaurant in Georgetown

Yay: Great, fresh seafood. I had lobster and seared peppered tuna, and it was awesome. Good service. Well-made Martini too. Great scenery in all locations. We ate on the outside porch by the canal (above), but the courtyard (right) looked really cool and had little brick tunnels leading into it

from a few different nearly roads that surrounded the block it was on. Also a cool looking raw bar if that’s your thing.

Nay: Expensive. Wasn’t a problem for this occasion since, again, it was an anniversary meal, but normally wouldn’t want to drop as much money to eat out.

Bluejacket Brewery:

A craft brewery and restaurant in D.C.

Yay: I had the Bucatini with meatballs and a bunch of beers samples (as you can see above) and most beers, as well as the food was really good. You can pick individual beer tastings which was nice, and a number of beers come as regular draft, or special cask aged variant. Notable beers for me were the Mexican Radio, Lost Weekend (Cask Aged), and the Wallflower. HOWEVER – better than all of the beers and all of the other food was the dessert we had: a crusty slice of apple pie with glazed bacon in it and bourbon vanilla ice cream on the side… Holy shit. This was, no exaggeration, one of the best desserts I can remember ever having… and I’m not even a huge apple pie guy. MUST try. Mid-range prices, but well worth it for the quality.

Nay: The downside to ordering individual beer samples is that it can get pricey if you’re a craft beer fan like myself and order a bunch knowing you’re not going to get many other opportunities to try them, since they don’t distribute to NY. Some beers were great, but some were just okay. Also, a minor preference complaint for me – not a huge fan of the super industrialized atmosphere. This is just nitpicky stuff though – the place was really great.

J.Paul’s:

A saloon bar in Georgetown

Yay: Mid ranged price. Right in the middle of Georgetown’s downtown area

Nay: Really nothing stood out. Drinks were ok, atmosphere was ok. Not terrible, but really nothing to see here.

Hope this gives you a few ideas for places to check out (or not check out) when in town, and more importantly, I hope it pushes you to check out the locations from The Exorcist or inspires you to explore other filming site locations, because it has always been a blast for me. Soon I’ll be posting a location sites review for Jaws and the Cape Cod area, and will probably also be doing one for the original Friday the 13th as well, as that’s an area I’ve visited many times and am pretty familiar with at this point.

I figure I’ll stick to just those “bigger movie” ones, because although I go to sites for lesser known movies as well, for some reason when I talk about going to check out the location site for say, Wendigo or Fear No Evil no one really seems to care. I have no idea why… ok, ok, maybe I do… but it’s still fun!

Now go out there and have your own horror adventure!