When this writer first started watching horror films, the one film that everyone told me to avoid for a while was The Exorcist (1973). There was this built-up hype surrounding it that also had me fearful. What if I did not like this film that everyone else adored? What if the film really scared me so bad that I was not able to sleep at night? There were all these little nagging fears and thoughts in my head. One day I finally bit the bullet and decided that these fears would not win. As this writer walked into the video store that afternoon, straight to the horror section I went. With this being such a classic piece of cinema locating the feature was not difficult at all. Soon getting in line was the only thing standing in the way of me and the movie. As I got home that afternoon the only thing this writer knew is that the film would only be viewed in the day light hours. There would be no exploring this film in a dark room for the first venture. Most people who have seen the film can understand this and this is also one of the few films that I still will not watch too late at night. There is just something about The Exorcist. While the graphics are not all the impressive to some these days, the film itself is still rather frightening no matter what. Despite the whole pea soup moment that is no so famously spoofed in the majority of Halloween specials, there are too many moments that scare within the feature to name. To make things worse they feature was released on DVD not too long ago with additional scenes that were dubbed "too scary" to see in the theater. For some reason or another I waited until that version came out to own the film. Once again, this writer still cannot make myself watch the copy I own that often. So be warned with this film. While it seems to start off really slow at first when it picks up, it truly picks up and takes one for an extreme thrill ride.
The beginning of the film, which tends to go on longer than it should in this writer's opinion, started with an archeological dig in Iraq by Jesuit priest, Father Lankester Merrin (Max von Sydow). Upon the dig for rare relics, he discovers a small statue. The statue is of the demon Pazuzu. What is so odd about the finding is the fact that the demon is juxtaposed with a modern-day St. Joseph medal. Alongside a series of omen alerts, Merrin realizes that a confrontation with something powerful and evil will have to take place sometime in the near future. Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C. actress and mother, Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) realizes that something is horribly wrong with her little girl, Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair). There is dangerous behaviors being displayed in the twelve year old and she also realizes that her physical attributes are starting to change as well. Around the same time, a young priest, Father Karras (Jason Miller), finds himself struggling with his faith after the death of his mother. Soon after many psychiatrists visits, the mother realizes that she has to get some form of answers and finds herself begging Father Karras to come over and look at her daughter. When he agrees, he only agrees to do so as a psychiatrist, but soon realizes that something far more demonic is at play. Determined to figure out how to cure Regan of her possession, Karras find himself asking permission to perform an exorcism on the girl that he feels she desperately needs. With the arrival of Father Merrin back in the states, the two arrive at the house determined to cure the young girl and make sure she gets back to a normal life. With the power of the lord on their side and determination on their side will they be able to save Regan from the troubled soul that has taken over her very being? One can only hope.
In terms of acting, Linda Blair steals the show. This writer has to admit that this is one of those films though where I wonder how a child gets cast in such a role. In my head it goes something like the following: By the way we need you to play someone who gets possessed by a demonic spirit, who is more than likely the Devil, and do a lot of various weird things while under possession. These weird things are of course nothing that will be mentioned in this review as not to ruin anything for the film for those out there who have yet to brave the feature as of yet. To be able to go from one extreme of being such a sweet and caring little girl within the feature to what she turns into is unbelievable. Then there is of course the acting of Burstyn. The woman has to go through so much as Regan's mother. For one, she has to debate the fact and possibly realize that her child is lost forever. She also has to try and gain help for her daughter in order to make sure that she lives whatever kind of normal life is remotely possible for her at the end of the day. Then there is of course the acting of Miller within the film. By far he is actually my favorite. I think more often than not when someone loses someone that close to them as he does in the film it is easier sometimes to question one's fate than deal with what is going on at the time. This might not last long, but to question everything around someone I find completely normal. To find oneself throwing themselves into work is also completely normal in my opinion. Anything to take his mind off losing his mother is done within the feature. There is another reason that I admire him ultimately by the end, but that will not be said because in all honesty it will spoil the movie entirely.
In conclusion, The Exorcist is a true horror gem. There are not many films, as stated above, that make me want to watch them with the lights on and while knowing it is still light outside. The Exorcist is one of those films, especially since they added that lovely stair sequence with her that I will not go into detail with because it is late and this writer personally does not want to think about that in detail right now. While there are plenty of people who wonder why this would be a film I would own or anyone would watch with such a scare factor, the answer is rather simple. To be honest, sometimes it is thrilling to be scared. Not scared as in I almost got into a car wreck scared, but scared in the sense that one knows he or she will be okay because one is just watching a film. One of the other best parts about watching The Exorcist is the fact it makes one think. What would one do in order to help another human being out? How far would one go for someone that he or she barely knows? The film also brings into question the power of fate. When one truly believes in something that person can do just about anything. What makes The Exorcist something worth watching today is the fact that not once do we ever truly doubt what we are watching in the first place. For the duration of the feature we are transported into a hellish world that for some reason or another we cannot stop watching. In a lot of ways the best way to describe one's viewing of The Exorcist is the same as when one sees a car wreck on the side of the road. For some reason a person will rubber neck and do just about anything to see what is occurring, but when that same person realizes there is something truly horrifying happening we still somehow cannot manage to look away until we have passed the location and find ourselves traveling further down the road. And even then we find ourselves not being able to stop thinking about said wreck for a long time to come.
If you are interesting in renting The Exorcist, make sure to check out this title through your local Austell Blockbuster, Videodrome, Movies Worth Seeing, Netflix, or movie channels based upon your cable or satellite provider around Halloween. To purchase any Blu-rays or DVDs mentioned in this review please check out your local Austell Best Buy, Walmart, Target, or Kmart.
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