| The Exorcist (1973) | |
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Rating: 8.1/10 (453,468 votes) Director: William Friedkin Writer: William Peter Blatty Stars: Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair Runtime: 122 min Rated: R Genre: Horror Released: 26 Dec 1973 |
| Plot: When a young girl is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two Catholic priests to save her life. | |
My first (and only) experience of seeing this film was over two decades ago at the local fleapit in town. Run as a special one-off midnight screening, the cinema was packed out (as you would expect for a film regarded by many as a classic of the horror genre). I sat in anticipation of finally getting around to watching this much written about, and much heralded film. As the end credits rolled I pondered whether there were two films named The Exorcist, and had the cinema screened the wrong one in error. The film I saw simply did nothing for me, leaving me feeling a little flat to be honest.
It’s enough to make me throw up!
So, two decades and a bit later, I come to view the film for the second time, in an attempt to see if it was a mixture of high expectation and a lousy cinema (seriously, it is a lousy cinema still) which dampened the experience, and whether the film does hold merit. My viewing experience is in full HD, the extended cut, and alone with the curtains closed.
This time, as the end credits rolled, I kind of understand more about why the film is regarded highly by so many, even if the overall feeling was that it hasn’t aged well, and the impact it has rather depends on how you view the film. If, for example, you are deeply religious, then the ‘based on a true story’ aspect of the film will no doubt terrify and shock you. If you are the kind of person who believes in paranormal activities, lapping up tales of possession, hauntings, and exorcisms, then it is a masterclass in how to play the nerves of such folk. Sadly the general horror impact is weakened somewhat due to the plethora of other films about the same subject that have been presented in the years since the film first shocked cinema audiences. Back in 1973 the sight of a young child mouthing obscenities, her face and body ripped and scarred, and green vomit spewing from her mouth would have been quite shocking, but today we have grown somewhat numb to such sights on screen thanks to the constant attempts to take things one step further in the name of horror.
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The power of good direction compels you!
The importance of The Exorcist as a milestone on the path of horror isn’t lost on me, and the direction and pacing is perfectly played out. From the opening scene introduction, the relevance of lost until later in the film, to the slow build as Regan (played brilliantly by the young Linda Blair) becomes gradually ‘not herself’, whilst at the same time we get to learn about Damien, a local priest going through a personal crisis of faith. The story elements are handled with care, and the cast play their parts well. By the time Max Von Sydow (who looked as old then as he does today, or does he look as young today as he did back then?) re-appears to perform the exorcism, it is hard to not be engaged with the events unfolding on screen to some degree.
Is The Exorcist a great horror film? Maybe not today, compared to some of the more modern nerve shredding examples of the genre. However, it is an important film, and the care and attention that is put into every moment makes it worthy of the classic title. Whilst it will never grace any of my ‘top ten’ lists, it is certainly not the poorly received film I saw all those years back, and it is now a film I would recommend to anyone interested in the genre.
