(Via Facebook)

We often memorialize the places where great tragedies occur. Think of the statues at Civil War battlefields, or the nameplate at Ford’s Theatre. This evening Mayor Muriel Bowser will place a plaque at a scene of fictive death, but one that has become real in our collective nightmares.

The so-called “Exorcist Steps” in Georgetown had a role in the 1973 film about a young girl possessed by a demonic spirit. “The first time I saw them, I saw there was an ominosity, if that’s a word, to them,” actor Jason Miller said in the documentary The Fear of God: 25 Years of the Exorcist. His character, Father Damien Karras, had a particularly memorable scene with the 97-step stone staircase, located on M Street by the Key Bridge.

The plaque is in honor of the landmark’s iconic role in shaping D.C.’s film history. The Exorcist Director William Friedkin said the honor, “means more than an Oscar.”

Bowser will be joined for tonight’s commemoration ceremony by Friedkin, William Peter Blatty, the Georgetown graduate who adapted the screenplay from his book of the same name, Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans and Georgetown University President Jack DeGioia at 6 p.m. No word if the demon Pazuzu will make an appearance.

William Friedkin will be signing items (one per person) at the top of the steps from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. The official plaque unveiling ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. at the bottom of the steps. The event is free and open to the public.