The Power of christ compels you

Rating: Null/10 (18 April 2001)

Hollywood knows where to get you, with - your most vunerable places - your own vatican beliefs. The Exorcist came out in 1973, the same year as Jaws. It's the story of a young girl (Linda Blair) who's mother won't believe some of the stories she's been telling until she sees them comes true herself. The young girl is, formatically , possessed by Lucifer, from appearance to voice to behavior. After baffling the doctors the mother turns to the only thing left that can help her, The Catholic Church. This movie combines two scary elements, losing faith and the concept of the devil. The dialogue, to show good and evil, is a combination of authentic biblical quotations - some stated by actual priests - and obscene blasphemous lines. The writer (Blatty)knows exactly where to shock you... well, if you're seriously religious - that is. The 'Defiling a cross' scene is one major example. Nobody in good concience would ever do what the girl did in that scene. IT's JUST PLAIN WRONG. Then, of course, there's Mercedes MaCambridge's wonderful vocal effects. The woman, seriously, was put through some heavy hell to deliver the goods. She was actually tied down to replicate the feeling of Linda Blair being strapped down in bed in the movie. Yet, the outcome was wonderful. You wouldn't even know that it was a woman doing it during some moments. One of her best quotes was, "Do you know what she did? Your Catholic daughter?" She sounded like a refined male British actor! That combined with Dick Smith's state of the art make up effects makes this movie an ultimate hit. Also, the soundtrack shifts from dead silence to horrid clammering at some moments(contrasting good and evil). Mike Oldfield's Tubular bell's has been interperited as the main theme.