Review of The Exorcist (1973) by Luke N — 25 Aug 2013

"The scariest movie of all time???". Well, back in 1973, it certainly could have been. But compared to the endless stream of gross-out horror we're exposed to these days, this film comes across more like an exercise into slow subtleties and character developments at the expense of being terrifying.

And yet this film still does retain that unerring ability to get underneath the audiences' skin. Even devout atheists, or haters of the horror genre, seem to find this film hard to sit through for its oppressive feeling of inescapable terror.

Its scares have somewhat aged since its release, but what this film never seems to lose its sheer grasp of atmospherics, achieved simultaneously by Blatty's award-winning screenplay of his own great novel, and Freidkin's bleak, documentary-like direction.

Not to mention that all the actors are brilliant, and their characters unusually deep for this kind of movie. While many remember this for its outrageous exploitations into satanic possession, I have always thought that is also tells a moving story about regaining the faith and courage needed to take on such a frightening evil.

The story of the mother's helpless turmoil in trying to find help for her daughter is more than equalized by Father Karris's troubling yet ultimately touching story of redemption, after his mother passes away and causes him to sidestep from his holy path.

And just for the record, while I don't think this film is necessarily the scariest movie ever made, that doesn't mean that it isn't still scary as fuck.