Based on William Peter Blatty's bestselling novel, The Exorcist is a tour-de-force both in literary and film form. But does the tag of "scariest film of all time" mean it's simply a horror film? Quite the contrary. The Exorcist builds at a slow pace, but it is never dull. In fact, it could be considered more of a medical/murder mystery with serious drama complete with religious overtones. It moves and plays like a documentary before it crescendos into some seriously shocking imagery and horrific themes. What makes this so memorable and so shocking is the quality of everything in film, and by quality I mean craft. The film has everything going for it right from the get-go. It had the tremendous novel to work from, which Blatty himself adapted for the screen. It also had William Friedkin, fresh off his Oscar win for directing The French Connection. Despite his overly zealous manner of getting reactions from his actors (it has been told that he shot guns to startle them), he does an amazing job at raising the level of intensity to such a high degree. It's that high intensity that makes The Exorcist stand the test of time. The proof of that is how well its 1999 re-release performed at the box office, with its infamous spider walk that had been edited out of the final cut in its initial release in December 1973. But even more behind-the-camera talent deserves kudos: the legendary Dick Smith's incredible make-up job that turned cherubic-faced Linda Blair into a demon, the underappreciated work of Mercedes McCambridge, who gives the demon her haunting voice, and of course, those tubular bells. The story revolves around actress Chris McNeil's (Ellen Burstyn) daughter, Regan. When all logical medical and psychological tests show that nothing is wrong, Chris, at her wit's end, turns to Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller) for help in getting an exorcism. But Karras is hesitant, believing that current knowledge of psychiatry makes the concept of demonic possession moot. But he soon believes when the demon possessing Regan torments him to such a degree that he finally agrees to ask the church for permission in granting an exorcism. The tremendous story and exceptional performances by the cast makes this one of the greatest horror films of all time. |
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