Review of The Exorcist (1973) by Dawdlingpoet — 21 Nov 2021

This is obviously very much a classic film. I hadn't seen it before, believe it or not and when better to watch it than at Halloween?. I wasn't aware of the whole story, so that interested me. I can certainly understand why it shocked people at the time it was released, although compared to modern day slasher/gore based films, it's somewhat tame, content wise. The speed at which the child changed from being seemingly quiet and at ease perhaps to being full out aggressive, is certainly chilling. There is strong language present, which will also have shocked people more at the time, as such language was likely not common in the cinema or on TV especially often - it is perhaps a bit creepy, although I certainly wouldn't say its the scariest part of the film itself. I think the fact that there's so little in terms of the background of the child given, makes it have more of a mysterious feel to it - the viewer is left having to wonder what may have been a catalyst for what happened. I couldn't help feeling sorry for the mother - her worry and concern for her daughter was very clear to see and I can only imagine her despair, given the lack of help the medical profession seemed able to provide her.

This film definitely does have a gross out factor - if your very squeamish and don't like seeing bodily fluids then this won't be a film you're likely to enjoy but if your very put off watching it due to it being referred to as the scariest film ever, then I'd hazard a guess that it's not quite as visually frightening as you may assume, when compared to the video nasties of the 1980s (this film dates from the 1970s, for reference). It is a pretty effective film never the less, with a decent plotline (unlike some other films) and you may well be left with some questions after it finishes. Also, I have to say 'Tubular Bells' by Mike Oldfield did seem very much to fit the scenes its played in the background of - a great piece of music for this film, I felt. I would recommend this film to others, yes.