Director William Friedkin had an enormous critical and commercial success with the violent crime drama The French Connection (1971). His follow-up was even more controversial; an intense horror film from a major Hollywood studio that would have been unimaginable a decade earlier.

Films like Bonny and Clyde (1967), Midnight Cowboy (1969) and A Clockwork Orange (1971) had pushed the envelope of what audiences would accept (and expect). The Exorcist pushed them further. Now the most vile obscenities could come from the body of a pre-adolescent child, make-up and effects could be as grotesque as possible, and religious blasphemy could extend to sexual assault with a crucifix.

What caused a storm of controversy is considered almost tame today. Today, the exorcism scenes can be interpreted as comedy, with audiences hooting it up when Linda Blair's F/X body double rotates her head 180 degrees. The Exorcist is today partly a victim of its own success; two sequels and a host of dreadful, exploitative imitations have reduced the impact of the original. It is hard to believe that barf bags were once given to audiences who saw the original in 1973, and who stood in lines that sometimes stretched for blocks to see the film.

Viewers have become so jaded that they are often disappointed when the see the film for the first time. What's this feeble old guy doing at the beginning of the film, and who cares about the priest's senile mother? Why not go straight to the head turning, green pea soup, and potty mouthed hissing?

But the quality of a horror movie is not directly related to how scary it is, much less how gross or campy. What separates The Exorcist from its host of imitators isn't the violence or special effects. The film takes the time to set up an atmosphere, and to establish its characters. We have to experience the innocence of Linda Blair's Regan, the guilt and self-doubt of Father Karras (Jason Miller), and the strong will and dubious health of elderly Father Merrin (Max von Sydow).

Without this context, you've got Leprechaun 3 or The Unnamable II: The Statement of Randolph Carter. That is to say, you've got nothing at all. The scariest scene in The Exorcist might not even be strictly horror. At least for me, I had trouble watching the doctor stick a large hypodermic needle into the neck of Linda Blair. Yuck!

That's not to say that it is a perfect film. Lee J. Cobb is a very good character actor, but he's saddled with a curious character whose fascination with cinema leads to some stiff jokes about remaking Othello and Wuthering Heights. Another supporting actor (Jack MacGowran) plays a drunken, obnoxious director who seems to be a prototype for Dudley Moore's Arthur.

The exorcism scenes have their moments of unintentional camp as well. Perhaps the power of Christ does compel the demon to stop levitating, but is there a need for all that repetitive shouting? Whatever the film's faults, it is tense and well-directed. The imdb user ratings (at http://us.imdb.com/Ratings?0070047) are remarkably consistent across age groups and gender.

The production was somewhat troubled. The stunts resulted in an injury to both Linda Blair's film mother, Ellen Burstyn. Burstyn refused to deliver one of her lines, "I believe in the devil". To obtain the frozen breath of the actors during the exorcism scenes, the room was chilled to an uncomfortable level. Director Friedkin was unhappy with the 'possessed' voice of Blair, and had to dub in the hoarse rasping of Mercedes McCambridge. Allegedly, McCambridge achieved her voice with the help of cigarettes and alcohol.

But it was all worth it, as the film made tons of money. It also won four Golden Globes, and received ten Academy Award nominations, including the coveted categories of Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Burstyn), Best Cinematography, Best Supporting Actor (Karras) and Actress (Blair). It won Oscars in the categories of Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound.

More than a quarter century after its first release, The Exorcist became a box office hit again in September 2000. In its 'opening' weekend, it pulled a remarkable average of over $12,000 per screen.

The new version added about fifteen minutes of footage that was originally left on the cutting room floor. Generally, these changes don't improve the film. Most of them are superfluous. The infamous 'spider walk' scene, having Linda Blair scurrying down the stairs upside down on her hands and feet, is gratuitous. The digitally inserted demon faces constitute tampering of the original film. The modified ending is anti-climactic.

But with more than 80% of the footage common to both versions, the film's atmosphere and flow isn't significantly changed. Since William Friedkin has said that he prefers the original, the 'new' version is more of a producer's cut. William Peter Blatty, who served as producer, also wrote the best-selling source novel as well as the screenplay. Reportedly, he wasn't happy with all of Friedkin's original editing decisions. With the new version, he gets the last word, although the big winner was Warner Brother's bottom line. (69/100)

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Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age