****1/2 out of 5

Rating: Null/10 (6 November 2002)

You cannot call yourself a true horror advocate until you have treated your eyes to a viewing of the Exorcist. Forget the terrible sequels and the unending stream of knock-offs this is the mother of all horror films, not only because of its mass effectiveness, but because it is one of the few horror films that could make good use out of religious content. The story starts out in Iraq on an archaeological dig site where an elderly priest finds an ancient artefact of some sort, we never really find out what it is but there is no question that it injects fear into the veins of its finder. Now we travel back to America where our film is divided into two parts. One is about a priest who is plagued with guilt over the death of his mother. The second is about an actress and her twelve year old daughter who becomes sick. The little girl is believed to have come with a mental disorder but all the doctors tests reveal that there is nothing wrong. We later find out that really the girl is possessed by a foul mouthed demon who spews forth enough perversions to make even the strongest willed feminist go into shock (whether it is Satan himself or not is really up in the air), so her mother enlists in the help of two priests (one being that of the above mentioned) to perform an exorcism on the girl. This film has been pegged as being the scariest movie ever made. I will admit that this is just as much a classic now as it was when it first came out, but scary it is not, haunting yes, but scary no. In actuality this film needs not be scary, that is half the fun. Nothing jumps out of the dark and there is not creepy music blaring in the background, there is just a dark atmosphere that sucks you in and eats at the back of your head like a termite in a lumber yard. I think that the cold breathe that comes from the mouths of all who enter the girls room is more effective than the moving furniture and the projectile vomit, although that does add to the overall effect. The one problem I have with this film is that aside from the haunting nature and the great acting there is very little logic and understanding in the events that happen, little to nothing is explained and almost every scene seems like it has been cut short, some scenes even seem to be put in there for no reason. Other than that this is the horror film of all horror films that have been made in the past, present and furture and easily ranks itself as one of the best in my books any day. It is always nice to see a film done with style and originality in a genre that is usually known for its amateur filming and usually laughable acting.