Don't Believe The Hype

Rating: 1/10 (26 November 2001)

I took my Little Brother to see this movie when it was re-released in the theatres. We were both hoping to see an intense, psychological horror film. Instead, what we saw was a dull, tediously cloying film. The only way in which this film works at all is if you know beforehand that Linda Blair is possessed by the devil, otherwise, apart from the overbearing menacing soundtrack, there is almost no suspense.
There's next to no explanation as to why Blair is possessed, I had no feeling of warmth for any of the characters, and it feels like the director didn't either. Its an intensely ugly movie and I felt cheated by it.
I suppose that since it was one of the first movie's of this kind, then theatre-goers at the time viewed it very differently, but it really doesn't stand the test of time, and these days it seems like just an attempt by Hollywood to cash in on the commercial success of "Rosemary's Baby."