Review of The Exorcist (1973) by Matt W — 21 Nov 2013

This really is a classic.

This is the first time I've seen this film, and it was the full version on the Uncut Blu-ray version. Being in the UK, for a long time it wasn't available to see the full version, but luckily I got to see it the way it was meant to be and not something rehashed.

It's scary in the world it builds and does not use jump scares. there are definitely cringe moments in an effective way. Pea Soup being thrown up in peoples places. The classic head spinning or spider walking. It all works.

The atmosphere and performances are what sell it. Everything feels claustrophobic and grey, like there is no end to the nightmare that is unfolding around the characters. The main cause of this is due to the performances given by Ellen Burstyn and Jason Miller who both have their separate story lines that then collide with the central story of the exorcism, and the consequences of their story are what drives the ending of the movie, and what makes everything feel more powerful.

It just works on so many levels, and there is so much imagery here that has been copied and pasted over the years that it was nice to see the original work and the original imagination.

Thank you William Friedkin.