Year: 1973
Director: William Friedkin
I barely recognised this film from the lurid scenes we’ve all seen in clip shows: those appearances on “100 Scariest Movies” etc do not do it justice. There are surprisingly subtle touches and an interestingly gradual pace, so the violent scenes take on greater horror as a result.
I was impressed with how it patiently covered varying aspects – medical, psychiatric, police, spiritual, adolescent emotions – albeit one missing aspect (which certainly wouldn’t have been left out these days) is the hint of child abuse?
The cast is pretty good for a 1970s horror film, but even so, when Max von Sydow strolls in, he dominates proceedings and basically gives an acting masterclass. I hadn’t appreciated what a short time he’s in the film, again having been misled by the oft-shown highlight clips.
You’re obviously meant suspend disbelief to enjoy the movie, but my main complaint is that it’s never clear how the Evil One can merrily rotate Regan’s head, levitate her whole bed and move furniture, but never free himself from being tied to the bed? The whole exorcism itself is a mix of powerful drama and cartoonish special effects, and I can’t help thinking this could have been done much more creepily.
Overall, I found it better than most of its contemporaries, but not nearly the Most Evil Film Experience In The World which some would have us believe.
Might appeal to people who enjoyed:
… the frisson of the film’s reputation, but who’ve been wary of venturing into actually watching it. Believe me, its reputation is much more disturbing than the film itself.
I think it has aged better than it is always said to have. And it’s legacy has been more or less lifted for the hype around Outcast. Which is, IMHO, a vastly inferior bandwagon ride on the whats next after zombies 3 wheeled wagon
Gave up on Outcast after 15 minutes. Still enjoying Preacher on Amazon.
I gave up on Preacher half way through the 2nd episode. Life’s too short.
I remember being scared out of my wits watching it as a 16 year old and then watching it again just a few years ago. Still full of suspense and possibly the best of its genre although the first Omen film was also pretty scary.
Love it. Best horror film ever. A particular favourite scene is when Ellen Burstyn goes to meet the Father Karras in a park (iirc) and they sit down on a bench to talk about her daughter. Nothing scary, nothing gory, but the intensity of Burstyn’s helplessness in the face of the unknown is deeply disturbing.
It never bothered me that the devil doesn’t free himself from being tied bed cos I think he’s constantly just playing games with the pathetic, poor humans throughout. Being tied to a bed is a utter irrelevance to him.
It still scares the shizzle out of me. Especially the Director’s Cut (whatever) with the “spider walk” down the stairs. Not many horror movies transcend the genre to become great movies, but this does. The stories of its making are as creepy and intense as the movie. Billy (to me, he’s always Billy) Friedkin is the great rogue movie maker of all time.
One of the all time greats. I came for the outrage and stayed for the theology.
May I also recommend the second sequel, Exorcist III? It has nothing to do with (the terrible) Exorcist II, which is best avoided, but follows the Kinderman character investigating a serial killer case that veers into the supernatural. Written and directed by William Peter Blatty (author of the original Exorcist novel), it’s one of the great lost horror movies.
III has several nightmarishly scary scenes…the one where..and then she….and he doesn’t…canI leave the light on please? :}
It’s the sound mix that makes it for me – the angry buzzing done of wasps, the creaking leather mixed in with Mercedes McCambridge’s extraordinary vocal performance that Friedkin seemed determined that she received no credit for in every sense of the word.
Naturally, Mark Kermode’s ‘Fear Of God’ documentary is as vital a DVD extra as it’s possible to get. Try and seek out the full version with his intro and Mercedes interview bits intact.
Agree with all the praise above – one of the all time greats.
I was told a story a couple of years ago regarding a meeting which took place between one of the film’s producers and a studio exec, re: the potential casting of Linda Blair. The producer arrived to find the exec lying prostate on the floor. “What’s this?”, he asked, and back came the reply: “this is my dead body. And it’ll be over my dead body that you cast Linda Blair in this movie”.
Prostate? Ouch!
“Lying prostate” has just become my favorite perjorative.
I use “lying apostate”.
I think ‘Lying prostate’ is a way of getting “Oh he’s talking out of his arse!” past Mr Speaker.
And let’s not forget, it was the movie that launched Mike Oldfield’s career, in America at least. The main theme was a remix of the opening 5 mins of Tubular Bells.
The soundtrack of the film is very rare, having appeared only once on CD in Japan.
I watched The Exorcist for the first time just two nights ago, on Sky, as you may have done Douglas. I was really, really impressed. I was expecting a shlocky jump-cut gore-fest, but it had everything that I LOVE about that Golden Age of early-70s American cinema, which you’re quite reasonably expecting me to list here, but which I’m not going to because I’m too lazy / tired.
But I will say that Ellen Burstyn is characteristically and reliably fantastic. And it’s also got Lee J Cobb!! Yes, he’s phoning it in, but it’s LEE J F*CKING COBB fer chrissake!!!