The Exorcist

Starring: Ellen Burnstyn, Max Von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty Winn, Jack McGowran, Jason Miller, Linda Blair
Directed by: William Friedkin
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
Box Office: $193,000,000
1973

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: A little girl (Linda Blair) begins to exhibit a strange change and when her mother (Ellen Burnstyn) is unable to find any medical problems with her worsening daughter, she finally turns to a priest, hoping he will perform an exorcism.

Review:

Tim: Without a doubt, The Exorcist is one of the scariest movies of all time. It is a horror classic and no true movie lover can look themselves in the mirror without having seen this film.

The movie starts out pretty slow- nothing really frightening happens for over the first 1/3 of the movie. However, when young Regan starts changing, first her personality, then physically more and more- that is when the film begins to get creepy.

The tension escalates at the climactic battle between the possessed young girl and Father Merrin and Father Karras. This scene was scary in 1973 and is still frightening today. Some of the most memorable scenes in the movie are not only scary, but downright disturbing. The desecration of the church scene and Regan's... alternative use of the cross disgusts us more than anything. With a layer of fear on top of all this, you can't help feeling frightened and alone as you watch. Everything about this movie is scary- the plot, the characters, the music, and the setting. It is a truly all around frightening film.

The final climactic scene is a classic. More appropriately, the entire film is a classic. The Exorcist has stood the test of time and remains a truly terrifying film. You need to see this, but you might want to wait until day.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Exorcist: The Beginning, Poltergeist, Exorcist II: The Herectic, The Exorcist III