A classic

Rating: 9/10 (13 December 2009)

This is one of those films that people think they should see as it is one of the most famous films of its genre. Often such well known films suffer from the fact that even before one sees it the viewer has probably heard a lot about it or seen the most famous scenes being spoofed in other films or on television, unfortunately this was the case for me when I watched The Exorcist with many of the classic scenes losing their impact. That said I still really enjoyed it even though I wasn't scared by it.
Unlike more modern films we aren't suddenly thrown in to the action but slowly introduced to the characters; Father Karras a Catholic priest who is starting to question his faith, Chris MacNeil an actress living in Georgetown and her twelve year old daughter Regan who starts out as a normal girl but starts to exhibit disturbing behaviour which is initially thought to be a lesion on her brain. When scans fail to show anything and her behaviour becomes more extreme one of the doctors suggests something more radical: an exorcism.
When Regan's mother approaches Fr. Karras he initially refuses to perform an exorcism saying such things are ancient history and have no place in the modern church, he does agree to see Regan as a psychiatrist though and when he does he is shocked that she knows personal things about him and is claiming to be the Devil himself. Eventually he comes to believe an exorcism is needed and the church call in Father Merrin, a priest with some experience in the field.
While the special effects may look a bit dated by today's standards however they still look pretty good and don't have that fake look much CGI does. The main reason the film works so well is the quality of the cast, Jason Miller does a fantastic job as Fr. Karras and Linda Blair did such a good job as Regan that to this day it remains her most famous role. While I didn't find the film frightening there were quite a few shocks, not least of which is when Regan, who started off a sweet child, starts uttering obscenities in a strange voice.