’The Exorcist’ Murder of Reporter Addison Verrill | Horrorwood: True Crime in Tinseltown

Last week we talked all about the film The Exorcist; the horrors, tribulations, and lore that made it one of the scariest movies ever made. But there was one main piece of trivia missing: a background actor in the movie turned out to be a real life murderer and potential serial killer. It was the early morning hours of September 14, 1977 in New York City, and 36-year-old reporter for Variety, Addison Verrill, was leaving Mine Shaft, an after-hours gay back room bar. This would be the last time that Verrill was seen alive. Journalist for the New York Times and gay activist, Arthur Bell, would later be at the center of the case, receiving a phone call confession from the murderer.

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Episode Sources:

“Paul F. Bateson” death record

“Paul Bateson: The Real-Life Killer Who Appeared in The Exorcist” by Orrin Grey, April 19, 2018, The Lineup

“Paul Bateson Was in One of the Most Horrifying Scenes of ‘The Exorcist’ Before Becoming a Murderer” by Hanna McKennett, Edited by John Kuroski, January 14, 2022, updated February 21, 2022, All That’s Interesting

“There’s Nothing Gay About Murder” by Arthur Bell, September 26, 1977, page 23, The Village Voice:

“A Talk on the Wild Side” by Arthur Bell, October 31, 1977, page 16, The Village Voice

“Phone Call from a Fugitive” by Arthur Bell, October 3, 1977, page 1 & 11, The Village Voice

“Searching for the Truth About the Actual Murderer in The Exorcist” by Matt Miller, October 25, 2018, Esquire

“Rites Held for Addison Verrill, Variety Reporter Killed in Robbery,” September 20, 1977, The New York Times

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