The Exorcist

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Horrorphile - November 2007

The Exorcist

November 27th 2007 03:23

Recently voted scariest film ever made in a survey by The Times and by various other publications along the way, The Exorcist (1973) is certainly a movie wearing big laurels. Director William Friedkin is not shy in stating he thinks it’s as close to a perfect film as you’ll find, and is adapted from one of the best novels ever written by William Peter Blatty.

Ellen Burstyn as Chris MacNeil

Linda Blair as Regan MacNeil

I haven’t read the novel, but I’ve seen the movie numerous times, both the original theatrical version, and the director’s cut which came out in 2000. The director’s cut added a few scenes of dialogue, restored the original ending (a short conversation between Lt. Kinderman and father Dyer), as well as the famous “spider-walk” sequence which was cut for technical reasons, and added some very effective super-impositions of demon imagery (blink and you miss them).

The Exorcist has became legendary for so many reasons; nine people died during the year long shoot, director Friedkin went to extraordinary (and very inconsiderate) lengths to get desired results from his actors, such as firing guns behind actors to startle them, having actors pulled off their feet, or whipped around with harnesses. When the movie was released audience members fainted or threw up in the cinema!

The Exorcist Linda Blair, Sharon Spencer, Jason Miller

Bed-bound Regan, Sharon Spencer as nanny Kitty, and Jason Miller as Father Karras

I’m not so sure about the mantle “the scariest movie ever made”. It's unnerving, certainly, playing on the fear of the unknown, but there are many other horror movies which would successfully challenge The Exorcist as scariest movie ever made. What The Exorcist does command is a sensationally well made melding of sound and vision, and the spectre of psychological fear vs. religious superstition.

The exorcist Ellen Burstyn and Max von Sydow

Father Merrin (Max von Sydow) arrives

Special effects makeup legend Dick Smith (who had a young Rick Baker as his assistant) achieved some truly brilliant effects work for the movie, including the facial makeup on Linda Blair, the pioneering bladder work ("Please help me" in welts on Regan's stomach), plus the ingenious projectile vomit effect, the prosthetic demon tongue and those hideous demon contact lenses Linda Blair had to wear.

Poor Regan looking a little worse for wear

Mechanical floor effects were designed and realised by the marvelous Marcel Vercoutere, which included building a giant refrigerated set (so that actors’ breath was visible), special custom-built beds which could be easily maneuvered, and harnesses so that poor Linda Blair could be yanked around in inhuman fashion. Together with Dick Smith he engineered a full-scale model of Linda Blair to create the illusion of her head turning 360 degrees (the ghastly sound effect coming from the creak of an old leather wallet!)

The demon Pazuzu silhouette and Regan possessed

All these effects could be easily rendered with CGI effects these days, but back in the early 70s it all had to be done with mechanical and/or optical effects. The Exorcist set many benchmarks.

Demonic levitation

Screenwriter and producer William Peter Blatty based the premise of The Exorcist on a real-life exorcism of a young boy that occurred in 1949 in his neighbourhood. He then researched for a full year with the help of a reverend before writing his novel. In the movie the story centers around Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn), a separated Hollywood actor with a 12-year-old daughter Regan (Linda Blair). She lives in a large three-storey Georgetown home with the aid of a nanny Kitty (Sharon Spencer).

Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller) is a troubled priest who has lost his faith. He also loses his mother early on in the movie which only causes him more grief and anxiety. He needs something to restore his hope in humanity.

The face of demon Pazuzu appears across Regan's ravaged face

Regan becomes possessed by a demon known as Pazuzu, and Father Karras is brought in to try and assess the situation with Chris at the end of her tether. She’s exhausted all medical help, and now believes an exorcism is the last resort. Enter Father Merrin (Max von Sydow). As the chilling voice-over used in the trailers states; “Something beyond comprehension is happening to a little girl on this street, in this house. A man has been sent for as a last resort to try and save her. That man is The Exorcist.” This is accompanied by the movie’s most famous imagery used to great effect in the posters: the silhouetted figure of Father Merrin having stepped out of a taxi in the foggy Georgetown street, standing in the gateway, in a shaft of light coming down from the upstairs bedroom.

Regardless of whether you believe in demonic possession or not, The Exorcist is a great dramatic thriller with horror overtones (or is it just a damn good domestic horror flick?)Friedkin presents the story in the most realistic way possible. It must have been genuinely shocking back when it was first released. Having an innocent young girl spout lines like, “Your mother sucks cocks in Hell, Karras!” and “Shove it up his ass, you faggot!” while spewing projectile pea-soup, and masturbating violently with a bloodied crucifix must have been quite an eye and ear-opener for more sensitive viewers. In the excellent retrospect making of doco, The Fear of God, which can be found on the earlier Special Edition DVD (which features the original theatrical cut, not the director’s cut) Linda Blair admits to not knowing what the masturbation scene was actually about. Perhaps the adults on set were playing devil’s advocate … Certainly director Friedkin was not known for his tact.

Father Karras's job is nearly done

The Exorcist has dated very well for the most part. Strong performances, some great use of imagery, especially in the Iraq prologue, but also later, with a beastly-looking Regan tied to the bed and actor Mercedes McCambridge providing the fantastic voice of the demon Pazuzu (she sued Warner Brothers for not giving her proper credit, and after Linda Blair was nominated for an Academy Award, created a further stir because it wasn’t Blair’s voice being used).

The Exorcist as a title alone is powerful enough. I remember being a kid and seeing the poster and the title intrigued me as it was so adult and menacing. The movie was restricted to 18 and over, so I knew it had to be very intense, to say the least. The Exorcist is intense, but it is very well executed and very well sustained.

Here is an amazing, very expressionistic theatrical trailer, which was banned in the UK as deemed too frightening! Yeah, I'd have wet my pants too, back in 1973!

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Posted By: Bryn - Category: movie reviews

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Comments

17 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by Damo

November 27th 2007 03:59

For the Sake of Argument
My Apologetics

I actually do like this film. Like the Omen it pushes all the right buttons in the fear of the Devil zone.

The story may seem bland and simple on the surface but there is much more going on inside than just a hidden ghost. Instead it presented to an audience that had grown up in a modern society that their worst fears still had a place. The era for many people was between the modernism of the sexual revolution and the conservatism of a more religious observant past. One part of the population had written off the devil as an embarrassing myth or boggey man, the other part still believe him to be real. The entire first half of this film follows that dilemma before concluding that it is in fact a devil inside her.

The battle that followed was for something that most of society still believed in at that time. It was a battle for the soul of the victim and the fear of the rescuers losing theirs. Most partically the self doubting priest. Note the ending. And if someone as holy as a priest can be dragged in by a devil what hope does the rest of us?

Anyway the fear of eternal damnation is a primal fear and perhaps even an escapable thought. The presentation of a devil that wants the soul only to defile it and torture it is shown by the way it defiles and tortures the victims body.
In every way it is horror of the imagination and psychology more than the visual.

Good review.

Comment by Bryn

November 27th 2007 04:13

Horrorphile

Damo, cheers for that further analysis, well said. I love the bitter irony of the fate of Karras ... Amazing to think Blatty was a comedy author, before penning The Exorcist.
I agree that along with The Omen, it's the best of the diabolical movies ... is there a third to make a top three?

Comment by Ahmed

November 27th 2007 04:22

techy.Bytes
Video Gamer Kids
Little Green Foosballs
PolyKicks
Qwerk
Cinema Three

I will never ever ever ever watch this movie. Too damned scary, I saw this review of it sometime ago: Really Long Link which scared the crap out of me. Actually I saw the first two minutes of it at night then I paused it because it scared me and woke up the next day and watched the rest of it again in the blissful morning - I needed the closure!

And it was a damned video review of the movie! It was supposed to be funny too. Gah. Scary stuff.

Comment by Damo

November 27th 2007 04:23

For the Sake of Argument
My Apologetics

I know you may not like the movie but the only thing that has come close lately was 'Event Horizon'.
Satanic evil verses doubting Thomas's and frightened sinners.

Comment by Bryn

November 27th 2007 04:27

Horrorphile

Damo, on the contrary, Event Horizon is a guilty pleasure of mine ... kind of Demon Seed meets The Omen meets 2001.

Comment by Bryn

November 27th 2007 04:29

Horrorphile

Ahmed, did you check out the flash image trailer I posted ...? Now that's one great teaser trailer!!

Comment by Damo

November 27th 2007 04:33

For the Sake of Argument
My Apologetics

Then please review it at some stage. I am interest in your take on it.

Comment by Bryn

November 27th 2007 04:35

Horrorphile

Will do. Cheers for the heads-up.

Comment by Ahmed

November 27th 2007 04:40

techy.Bytes
Video Gamer Kids
Little Green Foosballs
PolyKicks
Qwerk
Cinema Three

Actually I found that trailer kinda lame

Maybe the wizwaz effects got to some people back in the day but I couldn't make out most of it.

As for Event Horizon, theres another terribly scary movie that probably brought a lot of sci-fi nerds closer to god

Comment by Damo

November 27th 2007 04:47

For the Sake of Argument
My Apologetics

Beam me up Satan

Comment by JohnDoe

November 27th 2007 05:58

Film & TV on DVD

great review buddy..its the psudeo-doco feel that adds the extra chill for this non believer..

PS when it comes to a third for the devil it has to be......Rosemary's Baby!

Comment by KylieW

November 27th 2007 06:35

Celebrity Obsession

Bryn,

Nice job on the review. I agree, it's an excellent film. But the scariest?? I'm not so sure about that.

They really did a brilliant job with the special effects in the movie considering they didn't have the wonder of CGI.

Shame the sequels were such a load of shit!!!

Kylie

Comment by Anonymous

November 27th 2007 18:22

I first saw the exorcist in 74 and it scared me to death, that voice was horrid. I saw event horizon and to me that movie is just disturbing to the soul in some aspects which I can't name worst than the exorcist somehow. They're both terrifying in their own way.

Comment by Michaelie

November 27th 2007 18:40

Flick Wit

Well, I find this movie scary enough! I still have enough residual Catholic fear adding to it, even though I'm Atheist. I didn't know Friedkin did all that to the actors - why does that seem to make it even more frightening? I would have been so scared working on that movie - not only are you creating something truly chilling, but you have no idea what the director is going to do to you!

The effects were really ingenuous, too.

Great post, Bryn.

Michaelie

Comment by Cibbuano

November 27th 2007 23:49

20/20 Filmsight
Science News
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak

now it's lost a little bit of its power, since everyone knows this movie... when I first watched it though - it was so completely unnerving. Terrifying, really.

Comment by Bryn

November 28th 2007 00:10

Horrorphile

Thanks for all the great comments guys!!! Yeah, John Boreman dropped the ball with Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977), but then, he had the film completely re-edited by frustrated executives .... although whether I'd still want to see a director'c cut of that is another matter, those damn locusts!

Comment by Mr Nice Guy

November 28th 2007 02:54

Pop Culturist

Top review fella!

I remember when the movie was first released - and the reports of patrons being carried from the cinemas, vomiting and generally soiling their collective pants.

How much of it was legitimate and how much was PR hype is another thing - but it certainly pushed all the right buttons for mine.

Nice job.

MNG

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