Back in the spring of 1974 cinemas across the land were about to be shaken to the core by the release of a new horror film- The Exorcist.

So much hype surrounded the release of the film that by the time it actually reached auditoriums, cinemagoers were cranked up with adrenaline.

Some called it the “most repulsive film ever made”, others thought it was a masterpiece in film direction.

In Basildon – the only place the film was shown in south Essex – young girls fainted in their seats. But that didn’t stop people from queuing round the block of the ABC cinema to get their ticket.

Southend exorcist Bill Dragon was warning people they may find it too distressing to see: “If you are of a nervous disposition, stay away,” he said. “Exorcism must be left to experts and they may frighten some people.

“Seeing the film could bring fear into some people’s lives. It could have terrible emotional effect on some people and it would be better for them to stay away.”

Mr Dragon was the former secretary of the Union of Spiritualist Mediums and claimed to have carried out hundred of exorcisms across the country.

Pastor Anthony Knowles of the Billericay Baptist Church and Rev Stanley Hodges of Christ Church Wickford were both standing by to offer support.: “I would certainly advise people to stay away from the film and would like to see it banned but there seems little point in leading any move to get it banned,” said Mr Knowles.

“I shall be willing to talk to anyone who wants help after seeing the film. It’s all part of my work.”

Mr Hodges added: “Anybody with a weak stomach or a nervous disposition should not go and see it.”

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Some of the first out after a showing in Basildon had plenty to say: “I thought it was violent and sickening in some parts,” said Deborah Pickering, aged 18.

Don Grant from Basildon was even more alarmed: “I would not recommend the film to pensioners or anyone with a weak heart. It’s the worst film I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen some pretty horrific ones.

“I was glued to the screen, it was too powerful to take your eyes away.”

The today long-gone ABC in North Gunnels was the only complex to show the film which was directed by William Friedkin and written for the screen by William Peter Blatty, based on his 1971 novel of the same name.

In Southend all cinemas refused to show it. The film had been the focus of a nationwide protest by the Nationwide Festival of Light, a Christian public action group concerned with the influence of media on society, and especially on the young.

Church officials across the globe had also come out and attacked the film for its supernatural content and in some countries it was even banned.

The manager of the ABC told the Southend Standard newspaper that people were queuing in their hundreds and almost every showing was full.

“A few people have been upset but that’s probably because they’ve had heavy meals. A couple of young girls have fainted,” he said.

“We saw similar queues for Straw Dogs and the Devils.”

Later the same year, 1974, Basildon came out fighting again when it came to censorship. When Southend cinemas refused to show the Marlon Brando film Last Tango in Paris due to its controversial rape scene, Basildon’s ABC agreed to keep the projectors rolling.

“It’s not the council’s role to act as censors,” said Basildon council leader John Potter.