By Geno McGahee
There are very few movies that have dictated the direction of horror. One of those that has had an impact bigger than most, arguably, is the 1973 demonic possession movie “THE EXORCIST.” There are so many horror films nowadays that deal with this topic and borrow a great deal from this movie and with good reason. The original film was magic caught on tape, a near perfect film that found a way to terrorize the audience without the assist of jump scares. These were real scares, mixing atmosphere with great performances. This was a high quality, well-written masterpiece that stands the test of time.
Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) is an actress with a busy schedule and a deadbeat ex-husband that wants nothing to do with their 12-year-old daughter, Regan (Linda Blair). Despite the wealth that the MacNeils enjoy, there is a level of sorrow and that may be the window that allows this demon into the lives of this family and into the body of Regan.
Regan begins messing around with a Ouija board and speaks to “Captain Howdy,” but this demon is there to possess and soon Regan begins displaying odd behavior, including urinating on the carpet and grabbing psychologists by the jewels. She goes to the hospital to get tested for various things and begins using foul language. When supernatural things begin to occur, Chris believes that her daughter must be possessed by something evil and only a Priest can solve her problem.
Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller) is having family issues. His mother lives alone and it’s really sad and hard to cope with. Early on, his mother is transferred to a home where she is packed in like sardines and she is miserable, lying in a hospital bed, mixed in with all kinds of crazies. She blames her son for putting her there and he can’t deal with it and he has no way of helping her. He has a lot of baggage as he meets up with Regan for an evaluation but he soon becomes convinced that she is possessed and he wants to personally help the girl before it’s too late.
There is so many things here…little things…that mean so much for the viewer. When Regan’s head spins around, it is as scary now as it was when I first watched it. When she violently masturbates with a crucifix and then shoves her mother’s head into her crotch, it’s about as disturbing as it gets, and when she walks down the stairs like a crab, it’s very unnerving. There is a great deal of moments in this movie that nightmares are made of and it will rattle you, even if you have zero religious background.
The battle is on as Father Merrin (Max Von Sydow) enters the fight alongside Karras to take down the demon and return the girl to normalcy. The finale of this film is outstanding, but that was just keeping with the flow. From start to finish, this film delivers and it will sit with you for a while after. Films today, as much as they borrow from it, need to learn the essence of it. THE EXORCIST is an amazing film and I should also mention that Warner Bros. just released it on Blu-ray in a collector’s pack. It’s a great way to watch this classic and own it for years to come.
Rating: 9/10
