Tubular Bells

Rating: 6/10 (9 March 2019)

By the time I was old enough to see 18 rated films. The Exorcist was not available on home video in Britain as the censors would not give it a certification.
I eventually saw a special edition of the film and re-watched the original version more recently.
William Friedkin has effectively made an art house horror film. It is leisurely paced and the exorcism part only plays a small part right at the end of the movie.
The film begins at an archaeological dig in northern Iraq. Catholic priest Lankester Merrin (Max von Sydow) finds a representation of the devil.
In Washington DC. Actress Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) is shooting her latest film. Her bright and normal 12 year old daughter Regan (Linda Blair) suddenly starts to display disturbing behaviour. Chris consults doctors and psychiatrists who cannot comprehend her increasingly erratic and bizarre behaviour. It includes mouthing obscenities or her bed violently shaking.
When the drunken director of Chris's film dies by falling out of Regan's bedroom with his neck twisted, detective Kinderman (Lee J Cobb) investigates.
In desperation, Chris consults Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller.) He is a young brooding Jesuit priest who studied psychology. He is also having a crisis of faith as he was not there for the death of his elderly Greek mother.
Father Karras is shocked to see Regan's condition and believes she is possessed. The church puts him in touch with Father Merrin who has performed an exorcism before in Africa, something that almost killed him.
Over 45 years later the antics of Regan now look less disturbing. I can imagine audiences would be shocked when the movie was first released. Even more bizarre was the furore that Linda Blair's demonic voice was dubbed. She was 14 years old during the making of the film, it looks obvious that the possessed voice is not hers.
The film has a languid pace, it does seem an age before the exorcism takes place. When the exorcism takes place it is both potent and shocking. The performances from both Von Sydow and Miller is intense as they shout: 'The power of Christ compels you.'
I found on second viewing that The Exorcist works better if you look at it as the story of Father Karras. His torment, his crisis of faith, his visions regarding his mother coming out of those subway steps. The movie benefits greatly in the special edition when both priests have a discussion as to why such a young girl was chosen by the devil to be possessed.