I will always cite The Exorcist as one of my favorite films of all time. Possibly one of the most iconic films ever made, it is often called the most frightening movie you'll ever see. This may or not may be true. But it is hands down the first real horror movie phenomenon (before there was Paranormal Activity or The Conjuring), and the finest supernatural horror film ever made (Rosemary's Baby and The Shining are close though). Members of the previous generation, such as our parents, can tell you where they were they first heard about the film and all the controversy that surrounded it. No other film has such infamy as The Exorcist. It changed the game of horror--and cinema--forever.
Released in 1973, it went on to famously become the first horror film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. It receive nine other nominations, including Best Director, Best Leading Actress for Ellen Burstyn, Best Supporting Actor for Jason Miller, and Best Supporting Actress for Linda Blair. Despite its critical and commercial success, it only walked away with two trophies come Oscar night 1974, however it did snag one of the major ones--Best Adapted Screenplay.
Based on the novel by William Peter Blatty (which was in turn inspired by a real-life exorcism), the film takes place in modern day Georgetown where a young movie actress (Burstyn) and her daughter (Blair) have come to live. The mother and daughter are like best friends, giggling about boys and magazines. The closeness of their relationship makes what follows even more terrifying. The girl, Regan, becomes possessed by a demon, and the mother, desperate for help, reaches out to a troubled priest (Miller) for guidance. The film is a deft interplay between the mother's dilemma in trying to find medical help for daughter as well as the inner struggle Miller's character experiences as a man who has lost his faith in God. The supernatural and religious aspects of the film are weighed equally with the more realistic and medical aspects, making it a grandiose yet plausible narrative. Max von Sydow (in heavy make up) plays an elderly priest who has encountered this demon before. The image of him stepping out of the car in front of Regan's house, with the light coming down on him from the window, is one of the most iconic sequences and images in all of film history. You've probably seen it even if you haven't seen the movie.
You can't escape the power of this film, nor its memorable scenes. Who can forget the opening, with the haunting call for prayer juxtaposed with the image of a desolate desert? And who can forget when Max von Sydow stands face to face with a statue of a Persian demon in the middle of Iraq? Who can forget the chilling "Tubular Bells" (which you've also probably heard even if you haven't seen the film)? Or the pea-soup scene (an infamous moment in the film that almost everyone has heard about)? Or the demon's most quotable lines? ("What an excellent day for an exorcism"). My point is, The Exorcist is such a massive film that even those who have not seen it recognize elements of it or have heard stories about it, people's reactions to it, or how it was made. There are few films like it. And few horror films so well-crafted. It is astounding the care the director took to make this film transcend the boundaries of horror and become a true cinematic masterpiece.
So when you see The Conjuring or Insidious or god-forbid The Last Exorcism, remember we are seeing these films now because another, bigger, better, more iconic film paved the way. And if you haven't seen The Exorcist yet, pop some popcorn, turn of all the lights, and prepare to be amazed.
5/5-"Masterpiece"
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