The Exorcist (The Version You've Never Seen)
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Movie Reviews of The Exorcist (The Version You've Never Seen)
Movie Review: "...any reasonable psychiatrist would want to exhaust the somatic possibilities first."- Dr. Tanney
Summary: 5 Stars
Based on William Peter Blatty's novel, "The Exorcist", William Friedkin's 1973 classic horror movie also know as "The Exorcist" is without a doubt the most powerful horror movie ever made. Moreover, there has never been a more controversial movie on such a grand scale and that crosses as many boundaries as "The Exorcist". In fact, the idea of possession is as old as the Bible, and still has a basis in many religions to this very day. Regardless of your opinion on the subject, there has also never been a movie as intricate on the subject of possession as "The Exorcist". When it was released in 1973, "The Exorcist" literally shook the world with a very realistic take on the absolutely horrifying subject matter of demonic possession. After thirty-four years, this movie is still being debated and talked about as the greatest and scariest horror movie of all-time. Regardless of your position on that issue, the fact that "The Exorcist" is one of the elite horror films ever produced is just that, a fact, not an opinion.
Having seen it many times, the power of "The Exorcist" never ceases to amaze me. Perhaps what is so great about "The Exorcist" is that it is so multi-layered, fascinating and literally gut-wrenching to watch, but more importantly, "The Exorcist" is also a great story, a horrifying and haunting story, but a great one. Each of the main characters turns in such powerful performances and the possession of Regan is as realistically portrayed as such a phenomenon could possibly be. One has to wonder if Friedkin was not possessed himself in the making of this movie. His attention to detail in this masterpiece is truly amazing.
There are many reasons why "The Exorcist" is such a great piece of film-making. One such reason is because it enables the viewer to suspend their disbelief and view the events in "The Exorcist" as hauntingly realistic. However, "The Exorcist" is not just a horror movie, but, in many ways, "The Exorcist" is as much of a Christian drama about the good and evil in this world as it is a horror movie. In some ways, "The Exorcist" is a metaphor for life, a metaphor of good versus evil, right versus wrong, life versus death and sin versus redemption. It is full of dramatic subplots (the death of Karras' mother and his struggle with his own faith as a priest) which is most unusual for horror movies, but then again, "The Exorcist" is so much more than a horror movie.
In my opinion, "The Exorcist" is one of the greatest movies of all-time and that goes for any and all genres. So many people say, well, you know, "The Exorcist" is getting old, I've seen it so many times, it's really funny when you think about it. No, it is most definitely NOT funny when you really think about it. Those people do not get it. Maybe to try and laugh is what makes these people feel better after watching this movie. However, at its core, "The Exorcist" is a movie that is designed to make you think, something that I unfortunately cannot say for most horror movies. If I had a dime for every time I heard someone say, "it really stays with you", I'd be a rich man. It is what it is, like it or lump it, because if it's anything, "The Exorcist" is a very powerful and thought-provoking film.
What I do find strange about the criticisms of this film are from the atheists out there. They really have a hard time with this film. Most of them do not like it or say they like it, but secretly they hate and fear its underlying meaning. Of course, some Christians do not like the movie as well, probably because of the crucifix scene and the intense scenes with the demon. In fact, if I recall correctly, Billy Graham even spoke out against this movie as well. At any rate, to say that "The Exorcist" is a controversial movie is an understatement of epic proportions.
Amazingly unique to "The Exorcist" is its ability to present fantastic and unbelievable phenomena to the viewer, and make it seem so real, so powerful, and so intense. In a sense, to look at "The Exorcist" metaphorically-speaking makes it even more brilliant than taken in the literal sense. I could go on and on philosophizing about this subject, but the fact of the matter is that "The Exorcist" is one of the only horror films that makes one think about the mysteries and the darkness in this life.
In "The Exorcist", a priest, Father Merrin, played exceptionally well by Max von Sidow, discovers something incredibly evil while on an archaeological dig in Northern Iraq. For Father Merrin, this did not come too unexpectedly as he had an experience with this kind of evil before. Across the world, a girl, Regan, played brilliantly by Linda Blair, becomes possessed by an incredibly evil entity, and her loving mother, played exceptionally well by Ellen Burstyn, struggles to provide her daughter with medical care to cure her of her seemingly incurable condition. Another priest, Damien Karras, played exceptionally well by Jason Miller, (got a theme here on the acting) must deal with a terrible tragedy in his life while also struggling with his faith and, ultimately, both priests are called upon to perform an exorcism to save the girl's life, and to do battle with the evil of all evils. Each of these characters face incredible horror in their lives and all of the subplots come together brilliantly by movie's end to create a masterpiece in "The Exorcist". Exceptional acting is very rare for horror films, and "The Exorcist" has some of the best acting that you will ever find in a horror movie or in any movie for that matter.
As "The Exorcist" moves along, Friedkin does an absolutely amazing job of presenting the viewer with incredibly disturbing and haunting images in different but altogether indelibly potent fashions. A horrifying image occurs to Damien Karras during a nightmare about his mother. Father Merrin has an omen of things to come in Iraq as he witnesses the evil of the demon which ultimately possesses Regan. The mother witnesses the horrible atrocities committed by the demon within Regan, and the horror associated with such a possession, especially of someone she loves. Regan experiences the ultimate in horror as she is literally overpowered by the presence of the demon. It all comes together eloquently in "The Exorcist" in a frighteningly real and surreal yet beautifully poetic fashion. This is yet another reason that "The Exorcist" is such a great movie.
The powerful performances given by each actor in his/her respective role is also a credit to the director, William Friedkin, who went to incredible lengths to make this movie as atmospheric and as realistic as possible, especially given the supernatural and paranormal subject matter involved. When dealing with the supernatural and the paranormal, one really needs to be able to sell it to the audience, and Friedkin does this exceptionally well in "The Exorcist". So many horror movies fail in this regard, but "The Exorcist" does this as well as any movie I have ever seen. In fact, the cinematography of this film is second to none and the effects are brilliant and light years ahead of its time. The production values are obviously top-notch. It is really quite amazing how great this film truly is. Obviously, Friedkin must have been obsessed with the making of this film to have done such a brilliant job in every conceivable aspect.
In a sense, "The Exorcist" is like one big nightmare that causes the viewer to delve into an area of incredible darkness that is most uncomfortable. The idea of possession is horrifying in and of itself. It should also be noted that some groups of people, including the Catholics, maintain that possession by demons is a very real phenomenon. Imagine not being in control of your own mind or your body, yet your soul is being poisoned by some foreign entity. Whether demonic possession exists or not, there is such a thing as not being in control of your mind and body. In today's world, we call it split-personality, multiple personality disorder, dementia, schizophrenia, psychosis, alcoholism, drug addiction etc., but the effect is essentially the same, same principle I mean. In a sense these are all varying forms and/or degrees of possession when you think about it. I am not taking a stance on the issue in this review although there have been various documented accounts of exorcisms. In fact, "The Exorcist" is supposedly based on a real life exorcism of a child, although very loosely from what I understand. In fact, there is a movie called "The Possessed" or something like that starring Timothy Dalton which is supposedly based on a true story, but this movie was terrible in my estimation. Please see my review on this movie for more details. However, I believe this is the story that Blatty got the idea for "The Exorcist" from. At any rate, a horror movie about demonic possession is about as good of an idea for a horror movie as you can possibly get because it is a very scary concept in and of itself.
What is so truly amazing about "The Exorcist" are the many images that will literally stay with you for the rest of your life. This is one powerful movie that you will never forget, and that makes this movie truly special. "The Exorcist" is the epitome of what a horror movie should try to be and is the true masterpiece of its genre. I will not go into the different scenes in the movie because the viewer should experience these scenes without any warning, in order to get the pure effect of the film, but it should be pointed out that the way in which Friedkin brings home the horror of possession is as frighteningly genuine and realistic, in a sense, as anything the horror genre has to offer. Moreover, the supernatural elements are developed beautifully in "The Exorcist" and are done in such a dark and haunting fashion that the viewer is able to experience pure and unadulterated horror while also ascertaining and fully appreciating the evil that has taken hold of Regan.
At the same time, the element of darkness and the unknown which is obviously so inherently rooted in supernatural evil is clearly communicated to the audience in such an awesome way which only works to make the viewing experience that much more unsettling, powerful and uncomfortable for the viewer. The haunting score that "The Exorcist" employs to compliment its action only works to accentuate the horror that this movie is brilliantly able to produce. Quite frankly, people are more scared of things they do not understand or are unable to make sense of or cannot put their finger on more than anything else, and that is what you get in "The Exorcist". This is yet another reason why "The Exorcist" is one of the scariest and best horror movies of all-time. Ideas like why do bad things happen to good people, and why does evil exist are dealt with in a subtle but poignant fashion in "The Exorcist". Themes only too prevalent since the beginning of time that are dealt with in classic novels like "The Brothers Karamazov" by Fyodor Dosteovsky, are also addressed (although to a lesser degree and depth) in "The Exorcist".
There are many forms of horror, shock-horror like "Last House on the Left" and "Cannibal Holocaust", etc., there is atmospheric horror dealing with the paranormal like Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" and "The Amityville Horror" and those that deal with witchcraft like "Suspiria" and "Inferno", situational horror films like "Halloween", and then there are horror movies that confront the most basic and most powerful of all evils in a direct fashion like "The Omen" and "The Exorcist", movies that tell the story of the evil behind all evils and darkness so evident in today's world. These are powerful films that make the viewer think about the evil they do not want to know and what they do not understand. "The Exorcist" does this more effectively than any movie I have ever seen. While "The Exorcist" is a very dark film, it does leave a sliver of light and hope for humanity that stirs the emotions of the viewer by movie's end, perhaps not the kind of light that makes the average viewer feel comfortable, but it is clearly there. Of course, this is the idea of redemption from sin, deliverance from evil, faith, and the afterlife, many things people do not want to address in this day and age. Once again, this is what makes "The Exorcist" such a powerful film, one that is very dear to my heart.
Finally, there's been a lot of talk about "The Exorcist: The version you've never seen" versus the original and I think both are great. I happen to love the "spider crawl" scene in the version you've never seen, but I don't like the ending compared to the original version. Regardless of which version you like, if you think you are a horror fan and you do not have a DVD copy of "The Exorcist" on your DVD shelf, your collection is not only incomplete, but you have not even started it yet. In order to appreciate the horror genre, "The Exorcist", "The Omen", Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining", and "Halloween" are the greatest films that the genre has to offer with the consensus being that "The Exorcist" is still the scariest movie of all-time. After watching this movie yet again, I can certainly understand where the majority is coming from. Five (5) stars for "The Exorcist" which does not even do the film justice to be honest with you. Of course, "The Exorcist" receives HorrorMan's highest possible rating as one of the greatest and scariest horror movies ever produced and as the most powerful horror movie all-time. Simply put, "The Exorcist" is cinematic horror in its purest and finest form.
Movie Review: The scariest movie of all time FINALLY on HD DVD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
It's about time WB finally are in talks about releasing the Exorcist on HD DVD. In my opinion it's considered the scariest movie of all time 33 years after it's initial release and can't wait until I have a copy of it. I hope that they would do like a double feature package the original on one side and the version you never seen before on the other. I hope the 25th anniversary piece is added too. I have not purchased a HD DVD but I can tell you this much as soon as this HD version pops up in stores I will buy the HD DVD and will enjoy a true horror classic. Movie Review: FRIGHTENING, IT WILL GIVE YOU NIGHTMARES.
Summary: 5 Stars
SINCE SO MUCH HAS ALREADY BEEN WRITTEN ABOUT THIS MOVIE, I WILL BE BRIEF. THIS MOVIE IS PURE SUSPENSE AND INFLICTS FEAR ON THE VIEWER. LEAVE THE LIGHTS ON WHEN YOU WATCH THIS MOVIE. BETTER YET, WATCH IT IN THE AFTERNOON WHEN THEN SUN IS OUT. NOTE: IF YOU HAVE A WEAK BLADDER OR BOWL, DON'T WATCH THIS MOVIE. YOU MAY SOIL YOURSELF.Movie Review: No Longer Scary
Summary: 4 Stars
The Exorcist is no longer scary, disturbing or suspenseful. Tubular Bells is played for all of maybe 45 seconds the whole movie. The language is mild compared to even yesterday's pro wrestling, but the hokey gore etc. during the once horrifying demonic possession scenes are still there. The spifer walk scene lasts maybe 10 seconds. The whole movie is maybe two hours long. Yes, it is Christian propaganda but it has appeared to have mellowed with age. This is abolutely nothing compared to even Night of the Demons 2, the last movie that genuinely unnerved me. As a Christian drama about demonic possession it's nearly a masterpiece, but like my pastor said, you can take a 76 Chevy, paint it, and it'll still be a 76 Chevy. Meaning here- what was scary as hell in the 70s hardly raises and eyebrow today even with a measly 11 minutes of added footage. Oh, and the prequel Dominion was bad. But still I liked it as a Christian drama. The horror isn't there any more. Movie Review: The Greatest Story Ever Told
Summary: 5 Stars
I think I speak for all Americans when I say that I am SO glad Linda Blair turned out ok. This is a shocker to end all shockers. I went to see the re-release in theaters four times in one week. I wanted to see peoples reactions who had not seen the movie. On a couple of occasions I heard grown men gasp.