Well before the movie's release, during its way-behind-schedule, more-than-200-day shoot in Manhattan and elsewhere, there were so many similarly spooky happenings that many believe director William Friedkin’s petrifying classic was cursed. Actors and crew members perished, a huge fire shut down production for more than a month and star Ellen Burstyn, who returns in the new film as Chris MacNeil, severely damaged her back.