I saw it forty years after it first released. And it's still the scariest movie I've ever seen.
That's the magic of The Exorcist. It never fails to deliver the goods. Never, ever. Even if you watch it for the third or the thirtieth time, it's still spooky. And it's not a lame excuse for an exercise in laughable scares which most horror movies are striving on, as of now.
Now, while I was snooping around for a little titbit on the movie, I came across a few interesting facts. For one, I was intrigued on knowing the theaters in America provided barf bags for any nutjob who dared to watch it in the theater. Really, how many theaters care for you that much? And for a film that shamelessly fucked with my sleep for two days straight, I was gratified to know that the crew didn't have an easy time making it. There were a number of weird incidents while filming, and a priest was called a few times to bless the set. Hey, I'm not saying that that didn't spook me further. Believe me or not, it scared the bejesus of out me more than the possessed girl did.
I know Friedkin because he made The French Connection, a movie I'm ready to watch ten times incessantly, but to see him turn a jeepers-creepers script into a compelling psychological-horror movie was meritorious. The Exorcist isn't your regular horror film. In fact, it's not a horror film at all. There are no ghosts. And a horror movie is not a horror movie if it doesn't have a ghost, right? I don't believe that, no. But that's something I learnt from the fans of the genre, which I'm not, so I'll take their word for it. And I admit, I'm not a big sucker for horror movies. The only other horror movies I've watched and liked are The Omen, for its absurdity, and The Silence Of The Lambs, for its sheer power. The Exorcist is different, it's a strange amalgam of both, you know. It's an absurd piece of cinema but ridiculously powerful in its own way. And it's made with spectacular skill and finesse.
So, what have you got? You've got a possessed girl, a demonic spirit in her and refusing to budge, she's got an atheist for a mother, a disturbed priest who has recently lost his mother and you've got winning special effects. That's The Exorcist in a nutshell. I watched it in a darkened room to encourage the impact but I needn't have bothered. It's like a pizza, you see, in an eldritch way - no matter what's in it, it'll still be delicious and you'll still end up enjoying it.
Of course, The Exorcist, being a Hollywood baby at the time, inspired a few sequels. And it was a stupid, stupid decision to tamper with a masterpiece. Some dumb sod must've thought, "Let's milk the plot more and earn some money while we're at it!". Now, for the record, I haven't seen The Exorcist II or The Exorcist III simply because I haven't dared to. Anyway, the legend goes that the first part was jinxed in more than one way.
Linda Blair, twelve years-old at the time of its release, is incredible in the role of the possessed Regan. I mention her because I did not expect a juvenile to pull off what she has pulled off. It's a brave performance, an honest performance and one that feeds The Exorcist till its end. Take Blair out of it and it's just a movie with some people and a bunch of old film tricks.
The Exorcist is a different kind of horror movie, minus the screams and loud bangs, but it's got enough guts and creeps to give you the chills for a long time after. It's a beautifully-made classic, a rarity in its genre.
Pleasant nightmares!
That's the magic of The Exorcist. It never fails to deliver the goods. Never, ever. Even if you watch it for the third or the thirtieth time, it's still spooky. And it's not a lame excuse for an exercise in laughable scares which most horror movies are striving on, as of now.
Now, while I was snooping around for a little titbit on the movie, I came across a few interesting facts. For one, I was intrigued on knowing the theaters in America provided barf bags for any nutjob who dared to watch it in the theater. Really, how many theaters care for you that much? And for a film that shamelessly fucked with my sleep for two days straight, I was gratified to know that the crew didn't have an easy time making it. There were a number of weird incidents while filming, and a priest was called a few times to bless the set. Hey, I'm not saying that that didn't spook me further. Believe me or not, it scared the bejesus of out me more than the possessed girl did.
I know Friedkin because he made The French Connection, a movie I'm ready to watch ten times incessantly, but to see him turn a jeepers-creepers script into a compelling psychological-horror movie was meritorious. The Exorcist isn't your regular horror film. In fact, it's not a horror film at all. There are no ghosts. And a horror movie is not a horror movie if it doesn't have a ghost, right? I don't believe that, no. But that's something I learnt from the fans of the genre, which I'm not, so I'll take their word for it. And I admit, I'm not a big sucker for horror movies. The only other horror movies I've watched and liked are The Omen, for its absurdity, and The Silence Of The Lambs, for its sheer power. The Exorcist is different, it's a strange amalgam of both, you know. It's an absurd piece of cinema but ridiculously powerful in its own way. And it's made with spectacular skill and finesse.
So, what have you got? You've got a possessed girl, a demonic spirit in her and refusing to budge, she's got an atheist for a mother, a disturbed priest who has recently lost his mother and you've got winning special effects. That's The Exorcist in a nutshell. I watched it in a darkened room to encourage the impact but I needn't have bothered. It's like a pizza, you see, in an eldritch way - no matter what's in it, it'll still be delicious and you'll still end up enjoying it.
Of course, The Exorcist, being a Hollywood baby at the time, inspired a few sequels. And it was a stupid, stupid decision to tamper with a masterpiece. Some dumb sod must've thought, "Let's milk the plot more and earn some money while we're at it!". Now, for the record, I haven't seen The Exorcist II or The Exorcist III simply because I haven't dared to. Anyway, the legend goes that the first part was jinxed in more than one way.
The Exorcist is a different kind of horror movie, minus the screams and loud bangs, but it's got enough guts and creeps to give you the chills for a long time after. It's a beautifully-made classic, a rarity in its genre.
Pleasant nightmares!
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