Review of The Exorcist (1973) by Jordan R — 22 Jun 2013

The scariest movie of all time. Now, you can argue all you want that it's not the scariest movie ever made, or thats not scary at all. It doesn't really matter, because this is a great film either way! Unlike other horror movies it doesnt rush into the scary stuff right away, it takes its time which makes it even more creepy and suspenseful.

Another thing that makes it different from other movies in this genre is a little term called, 'Character Development'. All the characters play a significant role in the film, especially the faith struggling priest Damien Karras.

The director William Friedkin uses alot of shots of Karras 'rising' into frame in the film, which subtly foreshadows his fate later in the film. I also like how Friedkin decided to put little to no background music in the film, other than a few shots and ofcourse the haunting theme which I believe appears only once in the actual film.

It really shows that you can make a terrifying movie without the use of scary music. Also, most horror films scare people by things popping into frame, and scaring people, which I think its a cheap way to get scares.

The Exorcist on the other hand doesn't use that gimmick at all in the film, and yet its still today hailed as one of the greatest horror films ever made. The last thing I want to touch on is the message behind this film.

Most people are offended by this film, and consider it 'evil'. Which I think is not the point at all in the movie, the point is that good triumphs over evil. I don't wanna spoil anything but you can clearly see by the end of the film, that good has won and evil has lost.

It doesn't matter if you believe in the devil and god or not, hell William Friedkin was agnostic. Anyways, The Exorcist is a masterpiece and deserves to be respected as a horror film, and as a landmark film.