Review of The Exorcist (1973) by Victor T — 04 Sep 2015

We all have heard the stories: People left the theaters in shock, evangelists claimed that Satan himself was in the film´s celluloid, a problematic production that was believed to be cursed, some movie theaters provided barf bags, people fainted midway through, etc. But not only is "The Exorcist" filled with stories, but it was also the first horror film to be nominated for 10 Academy Awards (an achievement that has only been repeated once with "The Silence of the Lambs") and it's now wildly considered the scariest film ever made. Does "The Exorcist" alive up to its insanely colossal reputation?

Regan MacNeil is an educated and sweat 12 year old girl that lives a happy life with her mother Chris MacNeil. But one day, she drastically changes her personality and claims that "there's some inside of her". Desperate, Chris looks for helps in every single area devoted to the human health, but ultimately she decides to go to a more spiritual area.

When it comes to horror films, there are five films that leave an impact on my childhood, thus I have a soft-spot in my heart for them: The film that showed me that even your family is capable of committing monstrous acts (Kubrick´s "The Shining"), the film that made me avoid the sea (Spielberg´s "Jaws"), the film that made me afraid of an old man inside a cage (Demme´s "The Silence of the Lambs"), and the film that showed me the versatility of science fiction (Scott´s "Alien"). But the film that both bored me and traumatized me was the one that's now considered "the scariest film of all time": William Friedkin´s "The Exorcist". "The Exorcist" is not what you would expect from a horror film that has that kind of reputation, as it is a film that has character development, impressive and memorable dialog, a marvelously written script, complicated and relatable characters, beautiful cinematography, an iconic score (no, I'm not talking about "Tubular Bells" as it is barely used, but it still is iconic), themes that are handled in a subtle way, a masterfully crafted creepy atmosphere, impeccable acting, a little amount of warm moments, impressive special effects for its time and ones that have endure the test of time, a perfect use of ambiguity, most characters have a character arc, a pacing that's all about build up, a climax that´s the perfect payoff of all the tense atmosphere, a good amount of disturbing scenes that will burn into your memory, Friedkin´s directing is perfectionist, precise and at times ironic; an editing that shows exactly what's necessary at the precise moment, and unforgettable imagery (Who could ever forget the spider walk, the green vomit, or the rotating head?). My only issue with this film is ironically my favorite moment of it: Its climax. While it is disturbing, unforgettable, terrifying and a perfect payoff of all the build up, it also goes to unintentional comedic territory. Some of the dialog is a little excessive and out of place plus certain moment is supposed to be intense but it comes off as slapstick comedy.

"The Exorcist" is undeniably one of the best horror films ever made (I named "The Silence of the Lambs" my second favorite horror film but the more I think about it, "The Exorcist" deserves that title). It is shocking, disturbing, unforgettable and masterful. Even if you are not a person of faith, this is a film that needs to be seen as at least you will find it disturbing.