Review
The Exorcist
- Director
- William Friedkin
- Year
- 1973
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- Review date
- Monday, March 05, 2001
The movie tells the parallel stories of Chris McNeil (Ellen Burstyn), a well-known actress who suddenly has to face some strange things happening to her 12-year old daughter Regan (Linda Blair). While at first she thinks she has some kind of illness, it is later revealed that there might be even bigger forces behind. Then there’s the story of Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller), a priest who has some resentment concerning his feelings towards her mother and is somewhat loosing his faith. This two stories suddenly collide, as they all get involved in some dirty game of the Devil and mysterious Father Merrin (Max Von Sydow) has to come to the aid.
This movie has been given the label of “the scariest movie of all time” by many. I think it would be overrating it a bit to say that. Even if it is true that when it came out people were shocked because they hadn’t seen some of the stuff happening here, one would think the movie would have lost its impact with age. But that couldn’t be more far from the truth. It continues to be as powerful as it always has. And that’s because this movie doesn’t only serve as a scary vehicle. The way I see it, it’s more like a drama. It is more preoccupied in developing its characters. And the fact that there is a possessed child doing terrible stuff is only part of an already interesting plot. It’s all about the lives of these people, whether it means the terrible impotence of not knowing what to do for your child or the way priests live day by day and the things they must face.
But of course, there’s the presence of the Devil himself, and it couldn’t be more impacting. The transformation of this sweet innocent girl into a full-mouthed monster is absolutely breath-taking. The combination of the makeup, the sound effects and Linda Blair’s performance clearly created something memorable and unforgettable. They all did a great job. And the result is terrifying.
The rest of the performances couldn’t have been better as well. Ellen Busrtyn admirably demonstrates why she is considered to be such a fine actress. How her character slowly breaks up is admirably performed. Jason Miller is excellent as the confused priest who must challenge himself in order to survive. And Max Von Sydow bring so much needed presence to an already memorable character.
The movie takes a while arriving to an already known point by the audience. But never mind about those quibbles. There’s nothing like seeing that classic scene of the priest arriving in a cab, then stopping to stare at the window while the light points at him. And the last 20 minutes of the movie are definitely as intense as they can get. Quite a chilling experience.
“I’m afraid”
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Other reviews of The Exorcist (1973): Groucho
Comments
Morris wrote at 6/22/2002:
I love the "Scream" movies. Even thou the sequels didn't top the original, it still seemed like familiar territory. And yes, I would call them satires, although they had a lot of gore as well. Definitely something unique... Coffee wrote at 6/22/2002:
...too bad Scream lost it's bite after part one :-(I really loved the first movie but after that the surprise effect that fueled Scream I was gone for me. Scream III was
basically a great disappointment in my opinion, probably due to the fact that Kevin Williamson didn't write it.
free people search no charge wrote at 3/6/2013 2:00:00 PM:
I want to go there, then again how! I want to wear my Lands End swimsuit for sure while there.New comments are temporarily disabled
Review
The Exorcist
- Director
- William Friedkin
- Year
- 1973
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- Gon Curiel a.k.a. Groucho
- Review date
- Thursday, March 08, 2001
Based on the novel by William Peter Blatty (and scripted by himself, who also produced), the storyline is simple. It details the experiences of Father Karras (breathtaking Jason Miller) as he loses his mother and questions his faith and his vocation while he regrets not having dedicated his life to something else. At the same time, a successful actress, Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn), has to deal with a sudden and quite violent change in her adorable daughter, Regan (Linda Blair). What the change is, and how should they deal with it, makes the performances of these ladies simply unforgettable.
Finding no solution in Medicine or even Psychoanalysis, Chris contacts Father Karras, who then proceeds to encounter the Devil, not only in little Regan, but in himself…
The magic of the film lies in the parallelism between Karras’ personal drama and the demonic presence inside Regan. The story as it’s seen at first sight might be impressive, but can’t be compared to the poignancy of the inner story that can be seen only through careful observation.
The footage that was added to the recent Director’s Cut doesn’t improve the film very much. Probably the longer Iraq introduction is good, but the other scenes are kind of gory and unnecessary. Anyway, they don’t decrease the film in quality. It’s still a masterpiece from start to finish.
My choice as the best horror movie ever.
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Other reviews of The Exorcist (1973): Morris
Comments
Jacinda wrote at 6/22/2002:
I just watched the movie (at a decent time so not to fall asleep again) and realized I always fell asleep at the time when the real action was about to start. I wouldn't call the movie the best horror film of all time but it certainly must have scared the hell out of people when it was released. I'd say that it's not that frightening anymore considering the fact that we are used to violent movies full of special effects (even though this doesn't guarantee the chills). However the movie certainly works fine as a character study and it has great psychological depth. I liked it a lot. =)
Groucho wrote at 6/22/2002:
Good point!However, I don't think today's gore is what keeps The Exorcist from scaring today's audiences the way it did back in the 70s. If the film had never existed and it was released today just the way it is, I assure you it would scare everybody the way it did originally. I certainly believe the problem is the fact that we all know what happens to the girl and most of the storyline. We've heard about it, seen sequels, spoofs and lots of stuff that spoils it. We see Regan for the first time and think "Oh, she's so beautiful and happy... poor girl" when we simply shouldn't yet know what's gonna happen. It's like "The Sixth Sense". Well, that's not as scary, but it did work in most people because most of the plot was kept a mystery before the film was released, so everyone was thrilled. Twenty years from now, people won't be as scared. As a matter of fact, I wasn't half as scared the second time I saw it. And if you think about it, there is not much gore or anything in it either.
I do understand, however, how bold it is to declare that this is the scariest film ever. I only wonder which one you think is. Just curious.
Jacinda wrote at 6/22/2002:
You're right in saying that this movie would be more shocking if you didn't know that this girl is possessed by the devil. What makes it less scary is that we have seen similar things happen in other movies. When the movie was released people didn't know what to expect. As 'The Exorcist' was the first movie to deal with a subject like that it had a huge impact on the horror genre. If you ask me about my scariest horror experience I would have to tell you that it was not in a movie. I was scared to death by the demon Bob in 'Twin Peaks'. I couldn't look into the mirror for half a year and I swear that I had nightmares coming back again and again. When I watch the series today there are still some scenes that I can't bear to watch.
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Jacinda wrote at 6/22/2002:
You won't believe me but Coffee and I tried to watch this movie twice - each time we ended up sleeping on the coach.Well, I wonder what made the movie so boring for us. The worst thing about it was the German dubbing as all characters had some sort of strange Bavarian accent. We couldn't help but make fun about it and laugh all the time. I think we missed the really exciting part though.
I will give it another try this week. I promise to try to stay awake this time. =)
Talking about horror movies my all time favorite would have to be 'Halloween'. And 'Scream of course. But that's more of a satire, isn't it?