One scary masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (16 October 2003)

The Exorcist has been called the scariest movie of all time and I'm inclined to agree with that. The Exorcist is the best movie that William Friedkin ever made, and that includes The French Connection. It's hard to describe the atmosphere of the film without seeing for yourself. You get the feeling that something isn't right. Even in the beginning, before you have even seen Linda Blair, you get this feeling of dread. Not many films can do that.

I wonder sometimes why Linda Blair never went on to fame and fortune after The Exorcist. She does a fabulous job as Regan. Her performance is even more amazing considering her age (12) at the time. She had to endure some serious tortures for the role and her acting in the film is shocking. The rest of the cast: Max Von Sydow, Ellen Burstyn, and Jason Miller all turn in credible and emotional performances. Special attention must go to Jason Miller (Father Karras) since this was his first film.
The subliminal effects, makeup effects, and sound effects all turn The Exorcist into something otherworldly. When you watch this movie, you get the feeling that Satan might very well exist and he might even have had a hand in making this movie. At the very least he had a hand in destroying Linda Blair's career.
Bottom Line: This masterpiece should be on every movie fan's shelf. If you haven't seen it yet then you've really missed out.
Oh yeah, in the new version with restored footage, the spider walk scene scared the living @%#$ out of me. And I'd seen the movie countless times.