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Since I was a kid, I have heard people all over say time and time again that THE EXORCIST is "one of the scariest movies of all time." Well, I've never been a huge fan of horror, but in order to improve my cinematic horizons, I have been watching a lot of schlock and horror lately and finally viewed THE EXORCIST. My impression: what in the world is the big deal? Outside of superb acting and some neat special effects, THE EXORCIST isn't that great. The writing is terrible and contains loads of dialogue that when found in other movies is referred to as "cheesy" and "unimaginative." The movie moves at an incredibly slow pace, so much so that I almost fell asleep fifteen minutes into the film. The movie makes hardly any explanation of what is going on or why (I know this is a film that's supposed to make one think, but good thinking movies give a foundation from where people can begin to form their assumptions and ideas; this movie has no such foundation). The film has several major plot holes. The ending is predictable (come on, who didn't know the priests were going to die in the end?). The film paints Christianity in a negative light, picturing it to be something leftover from the Medieval Ages. And lastly, the movie really isn't that scary.
-1
I guess that the reason so many people find this film so frightening is that they think something like it could happen to them. There must be a lot of people out there who are totally unsure about their salvation and the state of their eternal souls. Something like what happens in the movie would not happen to someone who is a Christian. Of course, Biblically speaking, it probably would not happen to an innocent (young child) either. Watching the movie, I got the idea that Linda Blair's character wasn't all that innocent. Even before she becomes possessed she hints at sexual promiscuity she has been involved with and some of her earlier actions with her mother and servants aren't all that innocent either.
I will admit that the acting is done well and some of the special effects are pretty cool. However, other than that, there really isn't any reason to see this film. I find it difficult that it is held in such high regard.
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**** out of **** When the end credits suite from "The Exorcist" begin to play, all questions that we might have had regarding the movie have been answered; and we finally understand its power. Even after the credits run their course, some might sit down and think for a while about what they have witnessed; and they will either go back mentally or literally to certain scenes to determine which ones have the most profound effect on them. A favorite of many and often cited as … more
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With Halloween just around the corner, I thought I would do some research and investigations about my favorite movie of all time: The Exorcist. While many thought the movie was not scary at all, others were terrified (especially me); partially based on the fact that the movie, which started out as a book, was based on a true story, and also because at the time of it's release, NO movie had ever been made like this one -- it was truly the first of it's kind. Today we see … more
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Ellen Burstyn, who played the role of Chris MacNeil, Regan’s mother, was injured on the set during filming. In the scene where she is checking on her daughter and later thrown away from the bed, she received a permanent injury to her spine: the harness that was used to shoot the scene pulled her away quickly and when she landed, Burstyn landed on her coccyx. The scream seen immediately following the moment when Regan’s mother is tossed away from the bed is a very real … more
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Quick Tip by Butterfly1961.
June 07, 2010
My absolute favorite horror flick of all time. The only movie to truly scare the crap out of me!!
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It's difficult to look back on a film "classic" and try to review it through today's eyes...35 years later. It's always tempting to say, "Those effects were great...for 1973" or "imagine how that affected an audience...three decades ago." You almost feel like you have to make excuses for the film. But I am happy to report that in a very recent, pre-Halloween viewing, THE EXORCIST has withstood the test of time nearly unscathed. Yes, some of the effects (there are actually … more
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Quick Tip by rebeccasangine.
February 07, 2010
THE RE-RELEASE OF THIS WAS INSANE! I SAW IT IN THE OLD THEATRE IN WASHINGTON, D.C. WHICH IS SUPPOSEDLY HAUNTED. CRAZY.
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review by Captain_Couth.
May 13, 2009
The Exorcist (1973) was one of the greatest horror films ever made. It scared the nation and the people wanted more! The movie made a lot of money and it launched William Friedkin's career beyond the stratosphere (he was already a big name thanks to the French Connection). William Peter Blatty's novel was already a big seller when it was optioned for a silver screen adaptation. The conflicts between the two over how it would be presented as a film could make a movie by it's own right. There was … more
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After thirty-four years, 'The Exorcist' remains nearly as shocking and horrifying as it was upon its release in 1973. Back then, it was a movie event, and news pieces showed that 'The Exorcist' did to post-modern times what 'Dracula' did back during its debut. Near hysteria came to some, but the masses were at least electrified by what is unabashedly called "the scariest movie of all time". The key element of this hallmark is that 'The Exorcist' is so convincingly real. Reinventing … more
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In terms of a MOVIE this is clearly one of the best ever made. Only the Godfather I & II compares to it, in terms of performances, (not a single bad one) Special effects and plot it is incredible. This movie doesn't rush itself. It slowly builds up until you just can't take it anymore. This is high art. All the people involved in this movie should be rightly proud. It will outlast anything else in the Genre. I know Linda Blair's career has paid a price for this but very few great actors have ever … more
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About this movie
The Exorcist is a horror novel by William Peter Blatty, published by Harper & Row in 1971. It is based on a 1949 exorcism of Robbie Mannheim that Blatty heard about while he was a student in the class of 1950 at Georgetown University, a Jesuit and Catholic school. On October 31, 2010, Cemetery Dance will publish a special omnibus edition of The Exorcist and its sequel Legion, signed by Blatty.
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Plot
An elderly Jesuit priest named Father Lankester Merrin is leading an archaeological dig in northern Iraq and studying ancient relics. Following the discovery of a small statue of the demon Pazuzu (an actual ancient Sumerian demigod) and a modern-day St. Joseph medal curiously juxtaposed together at the site, a series of omens alerts him to a pending confrontation with a powerful evil, which unknown to the reader at this point, he has battled before in an exorcism in Africa. Meanwhile, in Georgetown, a young girl named Regan MacNeil living with her famous actress mother, Chris, becomes inexplicably ill. After a gradual series of poltergeist-like disturbances, she undergoes disturbing psychological and physical changes, appearing to become "possessed" by a demonic spirit.
After several unsuccessful psychiatric and medical treatments, Regan's mother turns to a local Jesuit priest. ...
Cast:
Ellen Burstyn,
Max von Sydow,
Linda Blair,
Mercedes McCambridge,
Robert Symonds,
Lee J. Cobb,
Jason Miller,
Titos Vandis,
Donna Mitchell,
Barton Heyman,
Peter Masterson,
Jack MacGowran,
Kitty Winn,
Roy Cooper,
Robert Gerringer,
Rudolf Schundler,
Jay Robinson,
Ron Faber,
Vasiliki Maliaros,
Rev. William O'Malley,
Wallace Rooney
Director:
William Friedkin
Genre:
Horror
Release Date:
December 26, 1973
MPAA Rating:
R
Screen Writer:
William Peter Blatty
Runtime:
132 minutes
Studio:
Warner Brothers
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