The Exorcist 1973 (Review)

Film Poster Copyright 1973, © Warner Bros. Src IMDB

1973’s The Exorcist, directed by William Friedkin, is an iconic horror film that breathed fresh air into a then-stale genre. Prior to its release, movies like Psycho, Dracula, House On Haunted Hill, and Night Of The Living Dead were horror icons. But, I would argue none of these movies truly captured the nation’s consciousness in the same way as The Exorcist.

You probably already know the plot, but for the sake of my word count; Ellen Burstyn stars as Chris MacNeil, a recently divorced actress. She has moved to Georgetown, Maryland with her daughter Reagan, played by Linda Blair, to film a movie directed by her friend, Burke Dennings. Reagan finds a Ouji Board in their rented house and inadvertently opens herself up to a spirit calling itself Mr. Howdy. Regan begins to exhibit odd behavior, culminating in a violent fit in which she stabs herself with a crucifix and rotates her head 180 degrees.

Interspersed with Reagan’s story is the tale of Father Damien Karras (played by Jason Miller), a catholic priest undergoing a crisis of faith after his elderly mother has a psychiatric episode that sends her to a mental institution and ultimately passes away. When Detective William Kinderman calls on him for information regarding recent church vandalism and the death of Burke Dennings (killed outside the MacNeil home in an apparent accident), Father Damien finds himself confronting the possessed Reagan with the help of Father Merrin (Max Von Sydow) a priest with experience in exorcism.

Released alongside the likes of American Graffiti and Magnum Force, The Exorcist stunned theatergoers with its use of raunchy language, eerie atmosphere, and gruesome special effects. Reports of hysteria and vomiting were prevalent at the time.

I watched the director’s cut of the movie, which adds back in some of the creepier elements deleted for home release. These include the backward crab-walking scene and the creepy demonic faces. In light of today’s sensibilities, though, The Exorcist comes off as more comical than scary. The demon’s taunts made me laugh out loud more than once.

This was my second full watch-through of the movie. Reagan’s inciting incident to her eventual possession was a bit hard to follow and I found Blair’s dialogue stilted. It’s not until the demon takes over that she becomes interesting. The same goes for Chris. Karras was a far more compelling character, though his struggles with his faith were not given enough screen time, in my opinion.

Overall, I found The Exorcist to be only mildly disturbing. It’s still worth a watch but don’t expect to have nightmares with this one.

Rating: B