The best film ever made that will scare the devil out of you

Rating: 10/10 (31 October 2014)

It is amazing that The Exorcist is still by far the scariest horror film ever released--over 40 years after it's legendary shocking release. The timeless frightful aspects of the film will always stand up, probably because most people on our earth have a fear of the afterlife, the devil and his hell, the power of faith and it's questionable ability to help us in our time of need, and even life itself and what we cannot control in it. The film, as well as the book it is based on taps into every one of these fears quite meticulously, little by little, while developing it's characters fully so that we understand them, give a damn about them--even the deleted role of Lee J Cobb as Lt. Kinderman comes off as a fully developed character with only a few minutes of screen time--the mark of a brilliant writer (William Peter Blatty, who adapted his novel) and director (William Friedkin, his first film after his Oscar-winning work on The French Connection) working with a perfect cast (Ellen Burstyn as Chris McNeil was at her peak and Jason Miller as Father Karris never again demonstrated his power as an actor in film after this role. But it was newcomer Linda Blair as the possessed Regan that was a true "godsend"--like she said in her acceptance speech after winning a Golden Globe award for her amazing performance--"What can I say? The devil made me do it!") Most so-called "horror" films these days are amateurish--you will get more scares at Halloween by visiting your neighborhood spook house. But watching The Exorcist will scare the devil out of you, probably give you nightmares, and stick in your mind as the ultimate horror story for the rest of your life. Do you dare take this ride? You should--because this one will frighten you for sure but leave you with an ultimate appreciation for life and all it's scary parts.