first doctor visit ending in her being prescribed Ritalin, was cut by Friedkin because he felt the audience would be expecting that Regan's difficulties were the result of her possession and an additional medical examination would delay the film: "One of the things I was conscious of doing while editing The Exorcist was and not stop in one place anywhere, where the audience could say 'Oh wait a minute fella'". Blatty responds that as a result of cutting this scene, another slight plot issue was created by the later scene where Chris tells Regan she will be fine as long as she takes her pills, as without the doctor visit this is the first time the pills are mentioned. Friedkin's final cut was 140 minutes long; despite his insistence that it was perfect, Warners insisted he trim the film to much closer to two hours to allow for more showings each day. Blatty was willing to fight for the whole film as it was, but over his objections Friedkin cut roughly 10–12 minutes. Some of the excluded scenes were among Blatty's favorites, including the original ending, with Dyer and Kinderman connecting and agreeing to go to the movies together at some point, and a scene where Karras and Merrin take a break from the exorcism and discuss the demon's motivation for possessing Regan on the MacNeil stairs. These scenes had been in Blatty's novel, and he believed that in the movie they made it clearer at the end that good had triumphed and what was at stake. Friedkin also cut the "spider-walk" scene early in the film, where the possessed Regan walks downstairs on her hands and feet, her face looking upwards, and harasses her mother's guests. Sound effects Special sound effects for the film were created by Ron Nagle, Doc Siegel, Gonzalo Gavira, and Bob Fine. Nagle spent two weeks recording animal sounds, including bees, dogs, hamsters, and pigs; these were incorporated into the multilayered mix of the demon's voice. Gavira achieved the sound effect of Regan's head rotating by twisting a leather wallet. Friedkin was personally involved in the sound mixing, which took four months. It was the last aspect of the film completed prior to release, finished only right before deadline. Jim Nelson, who Friedkin had hired to supervise the mixing, recalls the director being particularly demanding during this time, treating his then-girlfriend, who was among those