The Exorcist was released in 1973 (around Christmas time, just to add to the hype) and never has a film been so talked about; rumours about the making of it and audience's reactions have surrounded it for years. Look on any website related to it and you'll probably find all kinds of stories.
The film got released at the cinema un the UK in 1974 and on video in 1981. However, it didn't get a BBFC certificate until 1998 (the Video Recording Act said it should be given a certificate and that didn't happen for a long time due to various reasons) so technically, it wasn't really legal on video until then. The film got its UK terrestrial TV premiere on Channel 4 in 2001. The version I have is the "Widescreen Collectors Limited Edition" and it cost me £3.99 from HMV. It comes in a scary black cardboard box.
Directed by William Friedkin (who also did "The French Connection") this adaptation of William Peter Blatty's book of the same name, sees young Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair), the daughter of single mother Christine (Ellen Burstyn) become possessed by a demon. The family live in an ordinary
street and life is pretty humdrum but happy.
At first, it's not clear what is wrong with the girl and it's assumed perhaps Regan is behaving differently due to something psychological. However, it's soon apparent (thanks to some bed shaking, amongst other things) that maybe the unthinkable has happened and this little girl has been possessed. At the end, young priest Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller) and the more experienced Father Lankester Merrin (Max von Sydow) attempt to free Regan from the grasp of the evil spirit. The film culminates in a shocking thunderous fight between the priests and the devil.
There is also a sub-plot involving Father Karras and his mother - Jason Miller plays the slightly synical priest who also has his routes in science, very well. He's very understated and calm, even when talking to the "demon".
Of course due to the nature of the story, the film is Certificate 18. There's also a lot of swearing, particularly from Regan or should I say, the devil in her. Deemed as shocking at the time of its release, I personally find a young girl saying "your mother sucks co*cks in hell" unintenionally funny. The special effects seem lame today too, in particular the "head spinning" sequence and the masses of green slime coming out of Regan's mouth. The film is remarkable for the time it was made though, given there were no synthesisers and certainly no CGI.
The acting from the rest of the cast as well as Jason Miller, is superb, especially from Linda Blair. It's easy to forget how much of an ordeal it could have been for a young child; indeed any film must be stressful never mind one which is so physically taxing. The director of "The Exorcist" said he made the whole thing seem like a game to her and she was great to direct; he says she laughed between takes. I think she did really well considering the amount of projectile-vomiting, spider-crawling and crucifix-masturbating that was going on.
Of course the "spider-crawling" is probably the most famous scene not to make the final cut. In it, Regan walks down the stairs in the manner of a spider, her head on the wrong side and walking almost sideways and forwards at the same time. Much like a crab, as well as a spider. It really is a horrible scene. While it's not included in the wide screen version of the film, it is a clip in a 1998 BBC documentary "The Fear of God: The Making of The Exorcist", which is also included on this VHS tape.
The documentary lessens the impact of the film to an extent, which is a good thing in a way. It reminds you that it's not real. If you do like to be scared, I would watch the film and the documentary afterwards.
The film has a great soundtrack. Mike Oldfield's clever "Tubular Bells" had already been a hit in its own right in the UK in 1972 when it was picked up by the makers of the movie. While it's nice easy listening on its own, when coupled with this film and that infamous shot of Father Merrin standing outside of the MacNeil, it sounds really spooky. I can remember the radio adverts for the re-release of the film at the cinema - they were often on late at night and sometimes just played the soundtrack which heightened the effect.
So are there any downsides to this film? Well, towards the end, it's as if the neighbours don't even notice anything untoward is going on. The whole house is shaking and nobody seems to hear it.
I also personally feel that at times, "The Exorcist" is largely a piece of Catholic propaganda or perhaps, the Church used it in this way even if it wasn't the film-makers intention. Also, it's as if the mother is being "punished" for the supposed "sin" of being a single parent. That's offensive to me!
Overall though, if you ignore these little gripes about what may or may not be its message and take it as a horror film in its own right, it probably deserves its reputation. It's almost like a documentary, (if you ignore the descent into real horror at the end), and that's what makes it so scary.
The film itself lasts for nearly 2 hours and the very well made documentary is 74 mins long. I'm not sure if this Wide Screen version is still available on video but the 1999 DVD also contains the BBC documentary.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 2001 - Horror - Director: Stephen Sommers - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Brendan Fraser, John Hannah, Rachel Weisz, Arnold Vosloo, Freddie Boath, Oded Fehr, The Rock, Tim Murdock
Production Year: 2001 - Horror - Director: Dario Argento - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Max Von Sydow, Stefano Dionisi, Chiara Caselli, Gabriele Lavia
yes i found myself chuckling at the various outbursts from regan! a good film tho, ive got the trilogy box. a cracking review! :) x
Elainebaba 05.11.2005 21:54
No way am gonna see this film!
avril
n13roy 03.11.2005 11:01
It's actually hard to believe now, the Impact this film had when it was first released, I saw it in the Cinema and it was really very frightening. Nowdays it has indeed dated very badly, and I think this review captures the feel of it quite well overall........Roy
Director William Friedkin was a hot ticket in Hollywood after the success ofThe French ... more
Connection, and he turned heads (in more ways than one) when he decided to makeThe Exorcistas his follow-up film. Adapted by William Peter Blatty from his controvers...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Director William Friedkin was a hot ticket in Hollywood after the success ofThe French ... more
Connection, and he turned heads (in more ways than one) when he decided to makeThe Exorcistas his follow-up film. Adapted by William Peter Blatty from his controvers...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
The belief in evil - and that evil can be cast out. From these two strands of faith ... more
author William Peter Blatty and director William Friedkin wove The Exorcist the frightening and realistic story of an innocent girl inhabited by a malevolent entity....
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
The belief in evil - and that evil can be cast out. From these two strands of faith, ... more
author William Peter Blatty and director William Friedkin wove The Exorcist, the frightening and realistic story of an innocent girl inhabited by a malevolent entity. ...
Advantages: Great screenplay and caught Friedkin in his top form Disadvantages: remarks about the film that turn away patrons whether good or bad for its publicity
CrutcHead 06.05.2004 (07.05.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of The Exorcist (DVD)
Advantages: Powerful, genuinely scary, excellent performances, thought provoking, the ultimate good vs evil story. Disadvantages: Aging effects, Some overtly disturbing scenes.
eaglesas 02.04.2001 (06.09.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of The Exorcist (DVD)
Advantages: Great screenplay and caught Friedkin in his top form Disadvantages: remarks about the film that turn away patrons whether good or bad for its publicity
CrutcHead 06.05.2004 (07.05.2004)
·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of The Exorcist (DVD)
![The Exorcist [DVD] [1974]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78547387.jpg "The Exorcist [DVD] [1974]")
Nov 2nd, 2005
(Mar 4th, 2006)
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