Review of The Exorcist (1973) by Jake C — 05 Nov 2018
With a thought-provoking screenplay, taut direction, jarring editing, and heart-rending performances across the board, THE EXORCIST is undeniably a great horror film-if not exactly a horrifying film, or at least not for me.
The uneasy balance Friedkin and Blatty strike between mundane, drab realism and the irrationally supernatural, between the stark and brightly lit certainty of knowledge and the obscure shadows of doubt, the love of a mother between the subjective and objective genitive, creates an extremely tense, anxious atmosphere.
Yet in the end-as opposed to, say, HALLOWEEN, where the disappear of the slasher's body signals Michael will return, that evil will persist forever-this is at bottom a hopeful movie: The devil will return, but God will be there, too; the father may disappear, but a Father will return to take his place.
This review of The Exorcist (1973) was written by Jake C on 05 Nov 2018.
The Exorcist has generally received very positive reviews.
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