The Exorcist Movie Review
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The Exorcist is a 1973 movie that has been widely recognized as one of the most influential and terrifying horror films of all time. It is based on a novel by William Peter Blatty, who also wrote the screenplay for the movie. The novel was inspired by a real case of alleged demonic possession that occurred in 1949, involving a 14-year-old boy named Roland Doe. The movie follows the story of a young girl named Regan MacNeil, who lives with her mother, Chris MacNeil, a famous actress, in Georgetown, Washington D.C. Regan becomes the victim of a demonic entity after playing with a Ouija board that she finds in the basement of their rented house. She starts to exhibit strange and disturbing behaviors, such as speaking in different languages, levitating, and vomiting green slime. Her mother tries to find a medical explanation for her condition, but none of the doctors can help her. She then turns to the Catholic Church for assistance, and two priests are assigned to perform an exorcism on Regan: Father Damien Karras, a young and troubled psychiatrist who is struggling with his faith and his mother’s death, and Father Lankester Merrin, an elderly and experienced exorcist who has encountered the same demon before in Iraq.
The movie depicts the terrifying and grueling ordeal that the priests and the mother have to endure to save Regan’s life and soul from the evil force that possesses her. The movie was directed by William Friedkin, who used various techniques to create a realistic and disturbing atmosphere for the film. He hired real-life doctors, nurses, and technicians to play their roles in the movie. He also used practical effects and makeup to create the horrifying appearance of Regan and the violent scenes of the exorcism. He also used subliminal images and sounds to enhance the psychological impact of the film. He also subjected the actors to physical and emotional stress, such as spraying them with cold water, slapping them, or firing guns near their ears, to elicit genuine reactions from them. The movie also featured a haunting soundtrack composed by Mike Oldfield, Jack Nitzsche, and Krzysztof Penderecki, which included the iconic theme song “Tubular Bells”. The movie was met with critical acclaim and commercial success. It was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and won two for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound Mixing. It also became one of the highest-grossing films of all time, earning over $441 million worldwide.
The movie also faced controversy and criticism for its graphic and shocking scenes of violence, profanity, and blasphemy. Some viewers reported feeling sick, fainting, or having nightmares after watching the movie. Some religious groups protested against the movie and accused it of being blasphemous or promoting Satanism. Some countries banned or censored the movie for its content. The movie also sparked a wave of interest in exorcism and demonology among the public. The movie spawned several sequels and prequels, such as The Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977), The Exorcist III (1990), Exorcist: The Beginning (2004), Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (2005), and The Exorcist (2016 TV series). However, none of them matched the quality or popularity of the original film. The movie is widely regarded as a masterpiece of the horror genre and a cultural phenomenon that has influenced many other works of art . It is often ranked among the best movies of all time by critics and audiences alike. It is also considered one of the scariest movies ever made by many people who have seen it.