Reviews

The Exorcist (1973)

Staring: Linda Blair, Max Von Sydon, Ellen Burstyn, Jason Miller (full cast and crew)

Run Time: 122 min

Certification: UK-18 / USA-R

After playing with an Ouija board Regan a happy, pre-teen girl living in Washington begins to develop increasingly horrific behavior. Baffled doctors suggest mental illness, but none of their tests can back this up. After witnessing several of Regan's horrific acts and all medical possibilities are exhausted Regan's mother, Chris McNeil, turns to the church. She approaches Father Damien Karras who is a priest/psychiatrist. He looks at young Regan and becomes convinced that she is possessed, after collecting the necessary evidence he brings this to the church's attention and calls in Father Merrin, who is an experienced exorcist. They try to drive the evil spirit out, before it is too late.

Some say the "Iraq dig" prologue is long and boring. I think it is a wonderful piece of cinema. I like the way the clock stops in the room full of the finds, I love the shot of Father Merrin face to face with the statue, and the distorted sounds of the dogs fighting haunted me long after the film finished. Some also criticize the film for being too slow but I find the contrast between the slow scenes and the scenes in Regan's room heightens the horror of it all. It also builds a contrast between light and dark, good and evil.

The acting in the film is superb, especially that of Linda Blair. The film was nominated and won several awards for the acting.

All technical aspects of the film are stunning. All the special effects are physical and not computer generated, to think the set had to be refrigerated overnight just to produce the foggy breath, today that is just drawn on by computers. These effects have aged well, they don't look cheap today and still have their realism and impact. The sound is one of the most chilling things in the whole, the sound is what stays with you after seeing the film, the demonic voice, the "rats" in the attic. The images are also haunting, Regan's injured face, the white face that appears only twice in the whole film, and one of the most memorable shots ever when Father Merrin arrives and stands outside the house. All of these things work in harmony to create a truly amazing and chilling piece of cinema.

Calling this film "the scariest film ever" does it no favors, if you go to see it expecting to be sitting in a pool of your own feces by the end you will not enjoy the film. Just let all your expectations go, let yourself believe, feel every hair stand on end, and enjoy the best film ever made.

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