The young daughter of a famous actress (Ellen Burstyn) is possessed by a vicious, evil demon.
The Exorcist was shocking on release in 1973. People fainted, had miscarriages and allegedly heart attacks, they were also sick, quite a bit.
The Exorcist no longer has the power that it once did. Religious people will still be offended at the crucifix scene (for good reason) and the extreme swearing (that even now is quite shocking.)
The scariest thing now is the supposed subliminal image of a demon flashing on screen. Supposed because can it be subliminal, if you can see it? This happens unexpectedly a few times.
The film has no real sense of dread, there is no creepy music to set the tone or modern jump scares. Much of the film happens away from Regan's bedroom (the possessed girl, Linda Blair) and happens outside the house or in the living room.
The demonic makeup is still excellent, the performances are great and the theme music is iconic. Max von Sydow and Jason Miller are the Holy Fathers.
Allegedly, film critic Mark Kermode has seen this over 200 times.
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DIRECTED BY: William Friedkin. SCREENPLAY BY: William Peter Blatty. BASED ON: the Exorcist by William Peter Blatty RUNNING TIME: 122 minutes. CERTIFICATE: 18 / NC-17. USA.
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