Ok, so maybe when you’re not feeling too well watching The Exorcist isn’t the most appropriate course of action to take, but it seemed like the perfect opportunity to watch the very film that caused so many cinema audiences to faint all of 28years ago. So some people may not feel it’s particularly scary today, but I hadn’t seen this before and although it wasn’t overly terrifying, it managed to shock me in places!

“Turn down the lights, turn up the sound & enjoy the digitally re-mastered version of The Exorcist’! The most shocking aspect of the film for me, was learning that it’s based on a true story – this is before the film, and I still hadn’t got a clue about how the film would be like. This immediately made me feel that this is a serious film – it’ll have meaning and depth and so when I write my review, I’m not going to make it humorous – something really did happen, and it was so shocking perhaps, that they made it into a film. The Mike Oldfield classic Tubular Bells music is used sparingly throughout the film, only starting up around 3 times I think – it’s a perfect accompaniment to such an enthralling film, and has been known, somewhat unduly, as ‘The Exorcist tune’. Still, the film has great music – very powerful, emphasising the power of the movie.

It just so happens to be set around the time of Halloween, a ‘celebration’ that our fellow Americans take far more seriously than ourselves, so you might think how convenient, but maybe that’s when it actually did take place. Anyway, we’re introduced to the family; the mother and her daughter Regan (Linda Blair) as well as a few other members & some housekeepers (she’s a film actress) living in a very pleasant environment, in a modern city, everything’s good, for now. The situation evolves and after the audience learns of the priest (Jason Miller) and training boxer and his own problems, the story starts to take place quite rapidly. It’s actually very difficult for me to be writing this review, as strange noises take place around me, I’m alone, still ill, and having to re-write this as Microsoft Word kindly chose not to save the first one. Thanks Bill!

Whilst these strange phenomenon happening, the priest who has yet to meet the family, has his own troubles to contend with: a dying mother, whether he wants to continue practicing priesthood, as a psychologist also, he’s under pressure and his faith is being tested. I was quite shocked when a hospital scene where his mother is staying houses many lifeless people, drained and confused, they all want to be helped, and they seem to feel that the priest has a power to help them, maybe he does. This really scared me, as they are people in these conditions, in homes of neglect, and there’s not a lot that can be done. Drones. His mother dies, and training is the first way to get his mind off the emotional drop.