The Exorcist (1973)
Adult themes, supernatural themes
| Director: | William Friedkin |
| Actors: | Max Von Sydow, Ellen Burstyn, Lee J. Cobb, Jack MacGowran, Jason Miller, Linda Blair, Kitty Winn |
Based on the 1971 novel, which was in turn based upon a case of a real-life possession in a Washington Suburn, The Exorcist tells the story of a 12 year old daughter of a visiting actress who begins to exhibit out-of-character strange and frightening behaviour such as levitation and incredible strength. When all medical avenues have been taken the mother is sent to seek advice from a priest who is also qualified as a psychologist. He determines that the daughter is the victim of demonic possession and employs the help of a second priest to attempt to banish the evil spirit and save the young girl.
| Status: | Normal |
|---|---|
| Run time: | 127mins |
| Origin: | UNITED STATES |
| Aspect Ratio: | 1.78:1 |
| Run Time: | 127mins |
|---|---|
| File Size (Approx): | 1.1 GB |
The Exorcist
by Jess Lomas, 24/10/2012 3:31:00 PM
“What an excellent day for an exorcism,” says the demon possessing twelve-year-old Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair) in 1973’s The Exorcist. Widely considered by horror enthusiasts to be a close-to-perfect film, it was the recipient of two Academy Awards (Best Sound and Best Adapted Screenplay) from eleven nominations, and has been parodied countless times. The Exorcist exists in an untouchable pop culture vacuum for many. Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn), a single mother and famous actress, lives with her daughter Regan in an impressive home complete with personal assistant, maid, and butler. Based on the true story of the 1949 exorcism of Roland Doe, Reagan becomes possessed by a demon, leading to levitation, convulsions, projectile vomit, fits of violence, and that famous head-turning scene. De...
“What an excellent day for an exorcism,” says the demon possessing twelve-year-old Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair) in 1973’s The Exorcist. Widely considered by horror enthusiasts to be a close-to-perfect film, it was the recipient of two Academy Awards (Best Sound and Best Adapted Screenplay) from eleven nominations, and has been parodied countless times. The Exorcist exists in an untouchable pop culture vacuum for many.
Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn), a single mother and famous actress, lives with her daughter Regan in an impressive home complete with personal assistant, maid, and butler. Based on the true story of the 1949 exorcism of Roland Doe, Reagan becomes possessed by a demon, leading to levitation, convulsions, projectile vomit, fits of violence, and that famous head-turning scene. Desperate to save her girl, Chris calls in two priests, Father Merrin (Max von Sydow) and Father Damien (Jason Miller), to expel the unwanted house-guest.
Directed by William Friedkin (The French Connection) and with a screenplay by William Peter Blatty (based on his own novel), the horror on show in The Exorcist perhaps hasn’t aged as well as the drama. The special effects are decidedly underwhelming by today’s standards and elicit laughs where shocks would have originally been felt. What does stand the test of time is the impeccable filmmaking at the hand of skilled director Friedkin and the cinematography by Owen Roizman (Network), which, combined, give us the iconic image of Father Merrin approaching the MacNeil residence shrouded in fog, among others.
Mike Oldfield’s haunting theme song Tubular Bells is instantly recognisable and inseparable from the picture while adding a much-needed creepy element. Despite being widely considered the “Scariest Movie of All-Time,” The Exorcist works much better as a measured character study and drama than it does as a thrills-and-chills horror.
Father Damien spends more time exercising than he does exorcising, and it is his emotional guilt and turmoil that captures your attention and imagination more than the lesioned child of Satan who is spewing pea soup and profanities. Come for the possession stay for the powerful storytelling.
3.5/5
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Member Reviews (29)
29 Member
Reviews
says
I love how the Doctor comes out from a consult and lights a cigarette in front of the patient's mother. Epic!!
says
not worth it more comedy than anything unrealistic not scary
Kat
says
A timeless classic horror film, still manages to remain scary. I love the way this film builds up to the horrific ending.
Steve
says
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Fer
says
Neither the “scariest movie ever” nor even a horror film at all, 40 years ago it could had been catalogued as such. Today, this masterpiece should be catalogued as a classic DRAMA piece.
It is about the desperate struggle of a group of people trying to save an innocent girl, overcoming their own doubts and weaknesses. If you are looking for cheap scares, this is not for you. A rather slow movie for contemporary standards could easily be adapted today as a theatre play.
Great cinematography, acting and soundtrack, with some disturbing realistic portraits of a child's suffering.
Josh
says
A horror classic for all the right reasons. Memorable scenes, suspense, mystery and brilliant atmosphere. It's sad to see that modern audiences can't use their imaginations anymore to create a scary experience and rely off of cheap 'jump scares'. This is horror filmmaking in its best form and I wish they were still made like this.
cb
says
Very disturbing
louise
says
i didnt get this because it looked stupid based on the trailer an really old fashioned
Tanya
says
Still as scary as ever.
jumbuck
says
One of the best Horror movies of all time.
9/10
BennyRuss
says
Scared the pants off of me!
Tracey K
says
Not bad but the book is definitely better. Watched this many years ago and again recently, movie is a bit confusing if you havent read the book. Not as scary as I remember.
Gerd
says
So incredibly ridiculous that it's funny, although presumably that was not the intention. Despite or perhaps because of that, it's also a must-see movie classic. There are a number of interesting threads to the story. That it mysteriously opens in Iraq takes a long while to be explained. Like much else in the movie that was something this viewer had long forgotten from seeing this many decades ago.
Sara R.
says
I found this movie a bit disappointing. It was too slow. Just not enough of the actual exorcism and the battle over the child's soul. Just as it started to become interesting, the movie climaxed and ended. Not the best horror film ever made, but it's still such a classic of its genre, it should be seen by anyone interested in horror films.
Rowie G.
says
One of the most enjoyable horror/demon type films I've ever seen. There is the battle between good and evil that is portrayed so originally. An interesting note about the film, it brought about the destruction of Ouija boards as a game. After this film people thought they would summon up demons and ruined the reputation of Ouija boards as a game.
The demon Pazuzu is let loose by accident and possesses an innocent child. The horror that follows is extremely realistic (in its own fantastical way) without the use of cgi. If you are going to rent a copy - be sure to get the edition that includes the originally cut out "spiderwalk" . A definite Halloween favourite that still puts people on edge wondering if it was real after all (hint, the boy who the story was based on is still alive and will not talk about his early history due to the misdiagnoses of his illness by the church).
JW
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Steve R.
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Paul G.
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Well for its time it was fantastic, looking dated now but some scenes I will never forget. Great special effects for its day. Classic good versus evil movie.
Paul M.
says
Difficult to get out of your head.
Paula B.
says
Stunning is one word I would use to describe this movie. Its a cult movie and if you love it (like me) you would have seen it over and over again. In this day and age of DVDs its also great to listen to the commentary and see behind the scenes. Special features are worth their weight in gild. Apparently this movie is based on a true case of a boy being possessed last century. It leaves one thinking if it could happen today, and many people would say "yes".
Daniel Madden
says
Putting the question of whether one should bother at all with horror flix aside, this is a top qual' film. The initial scenes, supposed to be shot in Iraq, for example, give no suggestion of its 70's vintage. They are as good as you'll see. The classical avante garde music scene hasn't progressed much since 1974, so there's nothing cliched there. Casting is fine and the performances gratifying. Actually, this film, especially its visual qualities, despite the review above, is not at all impaired by the standard of technology availiable at the time to its makers. The film is highly atmospheric and, if you like your films to leave and impression on you, you may walk away from this one with a gaping wound. As far as the horror genre goes, "The Exorcist" is on par with Kubrick's masterpiece "The Shining". Also, if your a Catholic, you'll be interested and amused by the way they play with the mythology. Amen ... Amen I said.
Deborah Vogel
says
Great blast from the past!
Raelene Watson
says
slow to begin with, but remember, graphics and special effects were hardly invented when this movie was made, my teenage girls had a laugh, although worried they would be really frightened
the original-and-bubbly-fresh James
says
Thrill-seekers beware!! This film, often heralded as "the scariest film of all time", hardly lives up to that title. Not really a "scary" moment to be experienced but there are a couple of "intense" moments. The film certainly does enable viewers to suspend their beliefs that the little girl Reagan, fantastically played out by Linda Blair, really is possessed by a demon. Great make-up, writing, cinematography, special effects and scoring make this a quality movie, but it doesn't deserve it's "scariest movie ever" title.
Victoria S
says
Dated, slow, but very disturbing.
Peter Devries
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Robert Lim
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Cinefile
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Tanya
says
A fantastic re-release of this classic from the '70's. The extra scenes are just creepy, and add to the movies atmosphere. Worth watching this one if you loved the original. There is definately Value in watching this movie again in this format to catch the additional 11 minutes of footage, and the Bonus' available on DVD.
4 Paws. Loved it.