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| The iconic poster for William Friedkin's The Exorcist |
QUICK REVIEW:
In Georgetown, Washington, D.C., a famous actress' preteen daughter Regan is possessed by an ancient Iraqi demon so strong that an official Catholic exorcist gets involved.
The Exorcist is an adaptation of William Peter Blatty's (Legion (1983)) same-titled 1971 novel, - which was based on an actual 1949 exorcism of a young boy in Maryland, one of three exorcisms authorized by the Catholic Church in the US at the time, - written by Blatty himself, winning an Oscar for his job, and directed by Oscar-nominated master Chicagoan filmmaker William Friedkin (The French Connection (1971)). It is a notorious film and still diabolically scary.
It is beautifully photographed by Oscar-nominated Owen Roizman (Wyatt Earp (1994)) with lots of vertical angles and symbolism. The extraordinary, Oscar-nominated Ellen Burstyn (Requiem for a Dream (2000)) is phenomenal as Regan's mother, and so is Max von Sydow (Truck Stop (1996)) as the titular exorcist, Father Merrin.
Especially for Christians, The Exorcist is and will probably always remain one of the scariest movies of all time.
Related review:
William Friedkin: Killer Joe (2011) - Friedkin's dark, intense maybe last cinematic package
The Boys in the Band (1970) - Friedkin and Crowley's groundbreaking gay birthday party movie
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| Max von Sydow in William Friedkin's The Exorcist |
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| Linda Blair (Sorceress (1995)) as Regan in William Friedkin's The Exorcist |
In lieu of a trailer for the film, not currently on Youtube, here's a scene from it
Box office: 402.7 - 441.3 mil. $
= Blockbuster
[The Exorcist was released December 26 and runs 121/131 (director's cut) minutes. The adaptation of Blatty's New York Times bestselling novel was difficult in many ways. Directors Stanley Kubrick, Arthur Penn, Peter Bogdanovich, Mike Nichols, John Boorman (who eventually made the God-awful sequel) and Mark Rydell were all contacted but turned down or otherwise fell out of the project, before Friedkin was hired based on his incredible job with French Connection. The fabled production, which began August 1972 and lasted not the already long, scheduled 85 days but an astounding 224 days, concluding in July 1973. It included Friedkin using unconventional methods to get the best performances out of everybody, including giving Burstyn and Blair back injuries due to harnesses pulling them, Friedkin slapping a reverend across the face before his scene, firing blanks from a gun on set, affecting the cast and crew with eerie music and sounds playing between takes and constructing a giant freezer around the exorcism set, so that everyone had to work in freezing temperatures for long durations of time, (Blair mostly just in a night dress.) It was shot on location in Iraq in a blistering heat (!), in a Manhattan studio, in New York locations and in Georgetown, D.C. Several versions of the film have been devised since its release, cutting and changing different parts and reinserting material, such as the famous spider-walk scene, which has been reinserted after digital technology has made possible its improvement, so that the wires visible in it could be erased. The Exorcist opened to mixed reactions from critics, some lambasting it while others sang it praise: Roger Ebert awarded it a perfect 4 star rating but also called it a "painful experience." It opened very tentatively in just 26 theaters but the sensational response of the public, (just try typing 'the exorcist 1973 reactions' on Youtube!) soon made it available all over North America, where it grossed 66.3 mil. $ in rentals in its first run, becoming the second-biggest movie of 1974 domestically, behind The Sting. With reissues, it has grossed 232.9 mil. $ (ca. 57.8 % of the total gross) in North America. It was nominated for 10 Oscars, becoming the first ever horror to be nominated for Best Picture. It lost editing, director (George Roy Hill), picture and art direction to Sting, cinematography to Cries & Whispers, supporting actress (Blair) to Tatum O'Neal (Paper Moon), supporting actor (Jason Miller (Rudy (1993))) to John Houseman (The Paper Chase), actress (Burstyn) to Glenda Jackson (A Touch of Glass), but it won for Best Sound and Best Adapted Screenplay (Blatty). It was also nominated for 7 Golden Globes, winning 4, for Best Drama (!), Adapted Screenplay, Supporting Actress (Blair) and Director. The film has spun two sequels and a prequel, a Turkish remake and inspired tons of other films. The Exorcist is certified fresh at 87 % with an 8 critical average on Rotten Tomatoes.]
What do you think of The Exorcist?
What is the scariest film of all time in your opinion?
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