The Burning of The Exorcist

Dear reader, as you will undoubtedly recall from my previous posting, I have very fond memories of the ABC Edgware Road cinema. Allow me a few moments of indulgence whilst I briefly recount its history.

The Regal (1938)

On the 12^th September 1938, under the grand name of The Regal Harrow Road, my future beloved fleapit opened. The (very) grand auditorium boasted 1,234 seats in the stalls and a further 746 in the balcony. In 1961 it was re-named ABC Edgware Road, and in 1979 it was converted into the four screen incarnation that I first encountered in 1982. 


ABC Edgware Road - Screen 1

In my time, screen 1 had a relatively modest 363 seats, with the remaining three screens seating capacities being 316, 237 and screen 4 a cute 180. It’s fair to say I loved each one. I loved the musky stale hot-dog odour that permeated through the auditoriums. I loved the little ashtray cups built into the backs of the seats (except when...I’ll come to that in a moment). I loved the grey-haired lady at the ticket kiosk who sold me countless little ticket stubs for countless double-bills of horror films. I even loved the archaic arcade machine in the lobby. It didn’t matter a jot to me that the screens weren’t the largest, that the seating wasn’t the plushest, that the carpet was threadbare: this was my place of wonderment and terror. The grand West End cinemas were, on the whole, for watching mainstream family-friendly fare like E.T. and Superman II. ABC Edgware Road was for Creepshow; Zombie Creeping Flesh; Happy Birthday to Me; Hell Night and of course Friday the 13^th.

Now back to those ashtrays in the back of the seats. On this particular afternoon I was partaking in a horror double-bill (what else?) of The Exorcist and Exorcist II: The Heretic.

It was playing in either screen 2 or 3 (the upstairs auditoriums – both with steep seating plans – and I’ll come onto that in a later blog too). I was toward the rear of the auditorium, not my usual spot - I usually preferred to sit closer to the screen – I didn’t do detachment back in 1982. Anyhow, about half an hour into Exorcist II: The Heretic (a most aptly named title as compared to the original it was utter heresy) my rapt attention was suddenly drawn toward an old woman several rows in front of me. As there were only about half a dozen patrons in total she was very noticeable anyway as she kept muttering loudly every time there were raised voices on screen. This in itself was beginning to prove sufficiently distracting for me to begin contemplating swapping seats. However, my mind was made up for me when she proceeded to move up and down between the aisles hunched over like Quasimodo. By this point I had given up following the film entirely and was fascinated to see what she was up to. Upon returning to her seat she proceeded to fill the little ashtray in front of her with discarded ticket stubs and once she’d satisfied herself that she’d packed as much into the little metallic cup as she possibly could, she produced a match and lit the papers. As I exited my seat I could still hear her babbling away and to this day I still wonder whether she was actually performing some kind of magic ritual inspired perhaps by Exorcist II: The Herectic...