One of the most famous horror films, The Exorcist was the highest grossing movie of all time until Star Wars came out in 1977. It's also probably the most critically acclaimed horror movie, not because of the shocks or the skill William Friedkin had in deploying them, but because of the solemn, serious tone of the whole affair. But the movie can be taken both ways: those who want to read into its suggestions of serious religious overtones can make it into a classic good versus evil story about a priest (Jason Miller) struggling with faith issues. Those who just want to be put through the spin cycle and come out dazed on the other side, well, they can have that, too. This schism will help illuminate why there's been so many "special editions" and re-releases of The Exorcist, including the much-heralded "Version You've Never Seen Before," made on writer-author William Peter Blatty's wishes. (According to Blatty, the audience is so dazed by the end of the movie, they aren't coming away with the true meaning of the film.)

The story begins with Max von Sydow as an elderly American priest in Iraq (von Sydow was in his early forties during the filming, and heavy makeup was used to age him), who discovers a mysterious artifact at an archeological dig, and it is implied that the ancient villagers worshipped a demon figure. The opening scene mostly gives the picture an exotic, otherworldly tone, and provides important data on von Sydow's character. The scene changes quickly to Georgetown. A successful film actress, Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn), is shooting what looks to be a very mediocre college-protest picture around Georgetown University. (These scenes are by far the cheekiest and most awkward of all, but they serve to establish Chris's character.) Chris's daughter Regan (Linda Blair, then thirteen) is a good girl who wants her mother to buy a pony.

Simultaneously, we meet Father Damien Karras (Miller), a lonely priest who regrets taking a post in Georgetown, away from his elderly New York City mother. His mother takes ill and dies, adding to the list of things worrying Karras - he feels responsible for neglecting her, and she haunts his dreams. Everything's going fine in the MacNeil household, however, until a dinner party at which, at a very late hour, Regan interrupts great joviality by telling an astronaut guest that "You're going to die up there," referring to an upcoming mission, and urinating on the carpet. Sufficient alarm is had by all (except the admirably composed astronaut), and Regan's unusual behavior is attributed to nerves and similar things; an assumption which, as anyone who's even vaguely registered the presence of The Exorcist in pop culture history knows, is just a bit exaggerated. Cue the spinning head scenes, wobbling beds, the projectile-vomited pea soup, the heinous misuse of a metal crucifix, the heavy makeup, and so forth. Whatever is troubling the Chris's prepubescent daughter, it's about as far away from nerves as one could hope, and so after running the gamut of surgeons and shrinks and hypnotists, it is decided that a priest will be brought in to conduct an exorcism. Enter Father Karras, with worried brow.

What sets The Exorcist apart from most other specimens of the horror genre is that it presents its fantasy aspects within a resolutely realistic and factual environment. When shots of Regan, fully possessed, are used as a backdrop for a physician's voiceover, we could very well be watching a faked documentary film. William Friedkin, the director, utilizes every means at his disposal to achieve his effects, and on the other hand isn't above painting a bit of the supernatural on his canvas: Owen Roizman's photography is clear and sane, but his use of shadows allows for a fundamental love for noirish mischief and things that go "boo!" to show through; the score, which features the legendary Mike Oldfield theme, some Penderecki, and original compositions by Jack Nitzsche, defies the pomp and bombast of the customary B-movie horror score, choosing instead to creep around the edges; the actors - particularly that lovely, anti-glamorous '70s Hollywood star, Ellen Burstyn - also contribute to the feeling of every-day-ness. The pacing of the story is also just right: almost a whole half hour is spent establishing character and setting (which would be unheard of today), and Father Karras doesn't meet the demon-possessed Regan until the second hour - this gives Friedkin and Blatty (in the role of script-writer) the chance to flex and carefully plan each aspect to the utmost.

Whatever your take on the film, it leaves you benumbed by the time the closing credits appear - in this way, The Exorcist in 1973 represented a distinctly new kind of Hollywood movie: the stunner, the film that releases audiences from the theater as a prehistoric beast regurgitates its half-digested prey - in a state of shock, the glassy-eyed moviegoers support each other on the way to their cars. Other titles in this category could include David Fincher's Se7en, James Cameron's Aliens, Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan, and maybe even Lars von Trier's Dancer in the Dark. (The Exorcist, in this vein, may have been preceded by Peter Bogdanovich's Targets, from 1968.) These films seem larger and more visceral than the average Disney animated musical, to say the least, and laugh in the face of the sickeningly meek and passive television set. You may resent this sort of thing or, God love you, you may be so jaded that this is the only kind of movie that can get to you - either way, The Exorcist is held in most circles to be a classic. My own reaction was of very great admiration of technique, but I felt distanced, isolated. It's not the sort of movie one warms to on a rainy Saturday morning (for all its shocks, the only one that made me angry was the one that had Jason Miller beating the crap out of a twelve-year-old girl), and on the other hand, the ultra-pious religious subtext is a lot less profound than most fans of the film would have you believe. Nevertheless, it's a case study in shocker construction; with regards to acting, direction, editing, and photography, it's above reproach, and easily Friedkin's best film.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age