The Exorcist (1973)

Directed by:
William Friedkin

Written by:
William Peter Blatty (based upon his novel)

Main Cast:
Ellen Burstyn, Jason Miller, Linda Blair, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty Winn, William O'Malley, Jack MacGrowan, and Max von Sydow

The Plot:
After the agonizing death of his mother, Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller) begins to doubt his faith, and his future with the church. That is, until film actress Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) comes to him in desperation. Her loving daughter, Regan (Linda Blair) has recently displayed violent, abnormal behavior that - once psychiatric evaluation fail to provide an explanation - seems to be the result of only one thing: demonic possession. Karras reluctantly agrees to oversee the case, along with the eventual assistance of the elderly Father Merrin (Max von Sydow). Within time, all involved realize that Regan is not merely a sick girl, but one whose body has indeed been overtaken by an evil, otherworldly force.

The Review:
With very little competition, The Exorcist is the greatest horror film ever made. Free of imaginary boogeymen and masked killers, the antagonist of the piece is one that can easily be feared by everyone. Many films of this kind provide a few sudden jolts, but lack the ability to haunt the viewer after the closing credits have rolled. Even horror films such as 1976's The Omen, that draw upon similar material as The Exorcist, do not have the realism that William Peter Blatty's breathtaking work so effectively conveys. But these are the very reasons why this particular piece was greeted with unmatched acclaim and outrage in its 1973 release, and continues to endure today.

With its unmatched combination of a superior acting, ingenious filmmaking (as credited to William Friedkin), harrowing confrontations, and tangible setting, The Exorcist is a film that could not be remade, as there is nothing really to improve upon. The memorable scenes within the piece are plentiful: the vomiting on Father Karras, Regan's masturbation with the crucifix, the Ouija board introduction to "Captain Howdy", the infamous spider-walk down the stairs. All of the action accumulates in the titular ritual: the intense final battle between good and evil, with Father Karras and Father Merrin attempting to concentrate whilst the demon inside the poor girl hurls out insults both grotesque and vulgar.

Ellen Burstyn gives the role of Chris MacNeil a fierce, motherly devotion. It is clear from the beginning that she loves her daughter unconditionally, and finds it difficult to reconcile the fact that her daughter is now a vessel for hatred and decay. Jason Miller is excellent as the tortured, introspective Father Karras, whose disbelief in the supernatural is turned on its head once put in front of Regan for the first time. Linda Blair is sweet and affable as Regan before she is possessed, but the cast member who perhaps leaves the biggest impression is never seen, in the film nor in the ending credits. Academy Award winner Mercedes McCambridge plays the deranged voice of the demon(s) inside Regan, giving the audience an unsettling taste of what Lucifer himself just might sound like.

The sound design is among the best in film history, effectively drawing the audience into the middle of the horrific voices and curses that abound the proceedings. And once the demon's acidic presence manifests itself on Regan's skin and face, the astonishing make-up is appropriately horrific. Filmed well before the age of advanced CGI effects, the creators of The Exorcist used ingenuity to come up with simple, yet groundbreaking, mechanics. Take, for example, the head-spinning scene. The tasteful production values only serve to reinforce the realism of the events being shown. Just as with the lack of original score in 1968's Night of the Living Dead and the intentionally amateurish camerawork in 1999's The Blair Witch Project, it is clearly a case where less is more.

The timelessness of The Exorcist is due in large part to the universal fear it examines: torment by an inexplicable, evil force. It taps into these themes with emotion and humanity, preying upon deep-seated religious beliefs in the classiest, most entertaining ways possible. A great film can make the audience accept the fantastical. A great horror film can scare them within an inch of insanity. But The Exorcist is that rare beast: a masterpiece of cinema that swiftly accomplishes both. Terrifying, gut-wrenching, and ultimately hopeful, The Exorcist will remain the standard by which all other horror movies are judged for generations to come.

**** out of ****