By This is going to be easy. I’m all grown up now. I’ll just get in and out really quick. I can handle The Exorcist now that I’m older and more calloused. Yeah, okay, no. Mission failed. This movie will always have a few parts that scare me on some levels. In that sense, this movie’s review is off to a great start. In another sense . . . This is going to be easy. This has to be one of the best horror films of all time. I’ll just rewatch it and review it really quick and give it a 9.0 or higher. Yeah, okay, no. Mission failed. There are a decent amount of flaws in this film.
Either you’ve seen this film by now, or you probably refuse to ever risk watching it, so there will be spoilers throughout my review. Feel free to use it as a test run to see if you can handle this movie or not.
This is going to be easy. I’m all grown up now. I’ll just get in and out really quick. I can handle The Exorcist now that I’m older and more calloused. Yeah, okay, no. Mission failed. This movie will always have a few parts that scare me on some levels. In that sense, this movie’s review is off to a great start. In another sense . . . This is going to be easy. This has to be one of the best horror films of all time. I’ll just rewatch it and review it really quick and give it a 9.0 or higher. Yeah, okay, no. Mission failed. There are a decent amount of flaws in this film.
Either you’ve seen this film by now, or you probably refuse to ever risk watching it, so there will be spoilers throughout my review. Feel free to use it as a test run to see if you can handle this movie or not. {{page_break}}
Some of this movie stands the test of time so well that it will be scaring people for just as long as the Bible is around, and some of the sinister scenes are so disturbing that they’ve rarely been topped to this day. How do you outdo a scene where Regan (Linda Blair), a young girl, exposes herself and tells a stranger to fuck her? Maybe with a scene where a young girl bloodily masturbates with a crucifix to the point of genital mutilation? The Exorcist chooses do combine both of these events in the same scene, and then finishes things off by having Regan force her mother go down on her before slapping her to the floor. Wow. And this is a movie from our parents’ generation? The same people who tell us that rap music is the devil?
Sadly, some of this film doesn’t stand the test of time at all. Perhaps it was a preference of its time period, or perhaps it’s a matter of personal opinion, but the transitions throughout the entire film are downright terrible. Everything is either a fade out or the camera fixating on a devilish hue or a scene that ends slow and is then followed by a quick repetition of video clip cuts to lamely juxtapose the momentum. In one scene we see the Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller) very depressed and somber at how things are turning out for him lately, followed by grrrrrr, screeching car tires, punching bag, done. Really, William Friedkin? You’re the man who won awards for your directing in The French Connection and you chose or let this happen?
The other flaw present throughout this film is its attention to certain characters. I like that the film starts at an ancient excavation site to portray that this is an evil that’s been concealed and locked away since the dawn of civilization, so I’m glad that we were given ample time early on to witness Father Merrin (Max von Sydow). I’m okay with not seeing him again for about an hour, but I’m not okay with barely knowing the man who is first to die. Who? Who died? Oh, the guy the mom was crushing on . . . that got 30 seconds of screen time. Careface? No, not you Linda Blair, stop making that face.
I suppose Damien’s friend, Father Dyer (William O’Malley), whom we barely ever see is left up in the air throughout the film so as to not connect all the dots for us and make us think. Fine, but did the cop (Lee J. Cobb) also have to be unfinished? You didn’t give us many dots to work with: he has a crush on the famous mother, he rudely doesn’t finish his guest coffee, he doesn’t investigate deaths very seriously, and he has a little bit too much of a bromance with Father Karras. Is that what we’re to deduce? Part of Damien’s loss of faith stemmed from a homosexual urge or relationship with Father Dyer? It’s hard to tell if this is grasping straws or not due to the muddled side character executions.
However, the Damien and the mother (Ellen Burstyn) are both handled excellently. You really sympathize for the mother throughout the film, and almost wish she’d give up on her daughter by the end, but she doesn’t. She never falters and never fails to believably break down into tears when pleading with someone – anyone – to help her daughter. Then there’s Damien, who’s frightened by the fact that he’s lost his mother recently, and quickly losing his faith as well. He’s supposed to find a miracle to renew his faith, but instead he finds this possessed girl who claims to be the devil himself/herself. It’s noticeably painful for him to admit supernatural powers exist when only seeing the horrid end of the spectrum of it and so desperately longing to see something optimistic. Eventually a prayer is answered, but he’ll still be left with the long lasting dread that his recently deceased mother might actually be in Hell. That would truly eat away at anyone.
Even more poignant than the mother or Damien is the daughter, who starts off so dang cute and innocent and then quickly grows comfortable in her role of pure evil. It’s impressive how bought and sold we are as we witness a truly terrifying demonic force; this isn’t some imaginary monster or a psychopathic killer but instead a representation for an entity that might be real. It’s funny how scaring the crap out of us is arguably a better method to convert non-believers than church or miracles.
Not only is she scary, but also smart and unpredictable. Taking a break from being a menace to let loose a gleeful giggle as she accomplishes her goal is one of the creepiest scenes of them all. The special effects for her and her room have no problem being believable to this day and remain convincing from start to finish. The camera doesn’t shy away from most of the effects, and even on long gazes of grotesque scenes hold up well. It’s great that the film goes out of its way to add in shocking moments that don’t startle viewers but instead forces them to ask “Wow, did that really just happen?” This movie keeps you guessing, and that powerless feeling of never knowing what’s next makes the first viewing of this movie a classic cinematic experience everyone should try.
Lastly, I’d like to point out something for you to watch for next time you see this film. Pay close attention to Damien and his relationship with stairs. It’s clearly no coincidence that a film about Heaven and Hell feature movement up or down stairs in nearly every scene of the movie. Early on we see him go up a small flight of stairs to see his mother, and it’s nearly the only time he’s filled with happiness in the entire story. Next we see him walk down the University steps, down into a subway, and down the small flight of steps to Regan’s home. Every time he enters Regan’s room it’s a long walk up those ominous stairs, and it eventually culminates in his long, long trip down the alley stairs at the end.
Overall Score: 8.45 – Great. (Movies that score between 8.00 and 8.50 are great representations of their genre that everyone should see in theaters on opening night.)
There's no question that The Exorcist is one of the best horror movies ever made, but a few flaws are still there. Main characters absolutely shine in their story and acting performances, but side characters are muddled and transitions are inadequate. It's been a few decades since it was released, and a whole decade since it was re-released, so I'd actually love to see them do a remake with a slightly improved plot and a shot-for-shot recreation of the bedroom scenes.
