When a young girl is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two priests to save her daughter.
It’s hard to believe “The Exorcist” is 50 years old. I was born one year earlier, so I didn’t get to see it upon its initial theatrical release; I had to make do with poor-quality VHS tapes throughout the ’80s until I finally got the chance to see it on the big screen in 2000 with “The Version You’ve Never Seen” release, or simply, the “Extended Director’s Cut” with additions and changes to the original release, including the “Spider-walk” scene. I also got to meet director William Friedkin in Dallas in 2018, where there was a double bill of “The Exorcist” and his latest film at that time, “The Devil and Father Amorth,” a documentary he made showing the ninth exorcism of an Italian woman in the village of Alatri in Italy.
Many movies, especially horror films, years after they have been released, don’t age well and fail to hold the level of excellence they may have once possessed (pun intended), becoming antiquated and even laughable. Special effects that were once deemed unparalleled for their time lose their effectiveness and, as a result, relinquish their impact and can become an object of ridicule.
“The Exorcist” is still as terrifying as in 1973 because director William Friedkin chose to invest in his actors, first and foremost. The special effects came later, but they would not have had the same impact without believable performances from all involved. Even by today’s standards, “The Exorcist” is almost impossible to critique negatively. Sure, some people don’t like horror films, especially those that deal with demonic possession, but overall, the film is damn near perfect.
“The Exorcist” tells the story of an elderly priest, Father Merrin (Max von Sydow), who is called in to assist a younger priest, Father Karras (Jason Miller), with the exorcism of a 12-year-old girl named Regan (Linda Blair) who lives with her famous actress mother, Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) in Georgetown, DC.
One of the reasons “The Exorcist” has such a long-lasting legacy is because of William Friedkin’s direction. He was known as a perfectionist, which is evident throughout the movie, and his clashes with actors were also notorious, but they yielded results. Jason Miller, who played Father Karras, recalled a time during production when, during a scene, Friedkin fired a gun near his ear to get an authentic reaction from him. Miller told him that he was an actor and that if he wanted a specific response, all he had to do was ask. Friedkin could also be tyrannical on set, but his particular directing style always furnished terrific performances from his actors, regardless of how unorthodox his methods were; take a look at his filmography for proof; “The French Connection,” “Sorcerer,” “Cruising,” and “To Live and Die in L.A.,” to name but a few.
Naturally, “The Exorcist” is famous for an assortment of things: shocking blasphemy, green vomit, Regan stabbing her crotch with a crucifix, her 360-degree neck turn, a true story inspired it, it caused a sensation during its release and was banned in several countries, but not many people realize it was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, winning two (Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium and Best Sound), it was the first horror film to be nominated for Best Director at the Academy Awards, it sparked a renewed interest in supernatural horror and was the highest-grossing R-rated movie until 2017 when it was dethroned by Stephen King’s “It.”
The battle against good and evil is prevalent throughout, but Friedkin never makes it straightforward black and white. While the demon Pazuzu possesses young Regan’s mind and body, he does it knowing that Father Merrin will be brought in as they faced off against each other years earlier during an exorcism in Africa in which Merrin won. Granted, he was a much younger man then, but now in his eighties, Pazuzo wants a rematch and is confident the physical effects of the exorcism will take his life.
The film, made in 1973, had no CGI or visual effects; everything was shot in camera. In other words, all the effects were practical and performed within the shot, so the actors had something physical to react to. The 360-degree neck turn and Regan’s levitation scared the hell out of audiences back then. However, for people who have yet to see it, those particular scenes still have a substantial impact today, proving that practical effects nearly always trounce CGI. Be that as it may, CGI and practical effects can perfectly blend together, as seen in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
“The Exorcist” is one of the scariest movies ever made. I say that having watched thousands of horror films throughout my life, and while it spawned several sequels, prequels, a T.V. show, and the upcoming trilogy, beginning with “The Exorcist: Believer,” in which Ellen Burstyn reprises her role from the original movie, it has been parodied, mimicked, and imitated but no other demonic possession film comes close to recreating the tension, scares, and overall feeling of dread that permeated throughout “The Exorcist,” in 1973, and today. If you have never seen the movie, I would highly recommend it, but I must warn you, it is not for the squeamish.
Now available for the first time on 4K Ultra HD™, Blu-ray™, and Digital
