The Exorcist

The Exorcist (1973)

Runtime: I saw the Extended Director's Cut, which is 132 minutes long

Directed by: William Friedkin

Starring: Ellen Burstyn, Jason Miller, Linda Blair, Lee J. Cobb, Max Von Sydow

From: Warner Bros.

I am glad I finally saw this again; it's been way too long. It is as great as most people say it is. I talk all about it below: 

NOTE: I am reviewing the Extended Director's Cut that is found on the movie's Blu-ray. I was lucky enough to see this movie on the big screen last night and that was the version I saw.

This is a film I have watched a few times before in my life and yet the last viewing was years ago. I can't quite explain why, because I always thought the movie was deserving of the excellent praise it's gotten over the years, as it is excellent. After watching it theatrically, my opinion hasn't changed. I can't say for certainty if this is the scariest film of all time; I can say it's one of the best horror films of all time.

I can now fully appreciate how great the movie is. There definitely have been plenty of possession movies over the years; no matter your religious affiliation or even if you believe in God or not, the idea of a foreign entity possessing you is downright terrifying. Yet, a lot of those films are “meh” at best and only a few are worthwhile. Here, we get to know the main characters and it does help as you feel awful for actress mom Chris when her daughter Regan has the worst possible thing happen to her and mom is distraught she can't fix this problem herself. Besides that main story, there's other compelling plotlines, such as a priest suffering a crises of faith, an older priest confronting a demonic old enemy, and a detective investigating a homicide.

There are quality performances all around, and some of them are quite excellent. Ellen Burstyn as the poor mom, Linda Blair in an incredibly difficult role, and Jason Miller as Father Damien Karras. You feel awful when you see Regan deteriorate and become worse and worse, and you hope Father Karras will be able to deal with the death of his elderly mother and help rid the demon Pazuzu from Regan's body. The movie takes its time telling its story and yet it's never boring. While I certainly don't agree with some of the methods that William Friedkin did to get the performances he wanted (unwittingly injuring both Burstyn and Blair... never a good thing), it was a greatly directed movie.

As an aside, I wonder which real life director or directors combined into a composite was the character of European director Burke Dennings, a haughty person who turned into a loudmouthed fool once drunk; he had to have been based off of at least one actual European director.

Anyhow, this spawned sequels of varying quality and now a TV show that just made its debut-and apparently isn't a pile of crap like I expected it to be-and yet it's pretty much impossible to match the original, a masterpiece.