"The Exorcist" stills frightens since '73!!!

Rating: 9/10 (15 February 2006)

Novelist William Peter Blatty & director Willam Friedkin collaborated to create one of the most frightening, thought-provoking, & shocking films of all time. "The Exorcist" challenged the questions of religious faith, mental illness, & validity of demonic possession. In 1973, the film caused quite a stir with moviegoers such as heart attacks, anxiety episodes, vomiting, & theater walk-outs. The public at large was simply terrified by the film's strong adult content, horrific scenes of demonic possession, & strong language.
"The Exorcist" is the story of the demonic possession of young Regan Teresa MacNeil. Regan is daughter to Chris MacNeil, successful actress & divorcée. The MacNeils moved to Washington D. C.'s Georgetown area to start over as well as be on location for a film Chris is shooting. All seems well until Regan's behavior & physical appearance begins to take a strange & ugly turn. Somehow, an African demon named Pazuzu & several of his minions escaped from the attic & found their way to poor unsuspecting Regan's bedroom & entered her body. Things really begin to go bad when Regan urinates slime on the floor in front of friends during a party held by Chris. Regan tells party guest Burke Dennings that he would die in her room. The following night Dennings was found dead having fallen out of Regan's window & suffered a severe broken neck so that his head was turned completely around, facing backwards. Lt. William Kinderman, lead police investigator, questions Chris about the murder with little to go on. Kinderman next questions Fr. Damien Karras. Karras gives the detective not much to go on either other than sarcasm & standoffishness. Karras is a priest who has lost his faith & is thinking of leaving the priesthood. Karras cares for an ill mother who needs to be institutionalized. Tired & wayward, Karras lives a life of inner turmoil, alcohol dependency, & guilt for his mother's condition. Fr. Karras meets with fellow Jesuit & longtime friend Fr. Dyer to talk about his lost faith & consideration of leaving the priesthood. Unbeknownst to Karras, his faith or lack thereof will be surely tested to the breaking point soon enough. Worried & distraught, Chris takes Regan on a painful journey of hospital tests that reveal nothing concrete. As a last ditch effort, Chris has a hypnotherapist visit the home to help Regan. While under hypnosis, the secret of Regan's behavior is revealed in demons possessing her soul, lead by Pazuzu. From here on in, Regan's possession racks her body with ulcerated sores, foul smells, blistered skin, a very mature & evil speaking voice, & superior strength. The demon's true form has surfaced, turning Regan into a twisted, hideous, & frightening entity. Desperate to help her sick child, Chris enlists the services of the cynical Fr. Karras to see, authenticate, & possibly perform an exorcism. Karras sees Regan & believes her condition to be "psychological" in nature. Karras audio taped & used fake holy water with Regan during his session. After another session with Regan & more strange behavior displayed, Fr. Karras believes that Regan is in need of an exorcism. During the night, Fr. Karras is summoned by her Chris' assistant to show her a message of "Help me" written on Regan's stomach. Fr. Karras now knows that this sweet child is trapped inside herself & needs assistance to be set free.Karras goes to the Archbishop to get his blessing & was turned down. The Archbishop agrees to let Karras perform the ancient ritual under the guidance of weathered Jesuit priest & archaeologist Fr. Lankester Merrin who has performed exorcisms in the past & is the most experienced in the field. When Fr. Merrin arrives, the possessed Regan calls out to the priest & bears down for battle. Fr. Merrin & Fr. Karras conduct the ritual of exorcism with little results. Regan curses, raises her bed off the floor, shakes the room, moves objects, twists her head in a complete turn, & spews green slime in buckets. Regan's demons lie & curse the two priests in hopes of breaking their faith & their will. Fr. Merrin tells Fr. Karras not to listen to the Devil's words & stay strong. But Fr. Karras is afraid, afraid of his diminished faith & the guilt of his mother's death. Regan speaks to Fr. Karras in his mother's voice to shake him even further but resists. The two Jesuits continue the Exorcism Rites, slowly wearing down the defiant Regan. Fr. Merrin, tiring fast, stops to take his nitroglycerin pill for his heart condition. Taking a break, Fr. Karras leaves the frail Merrin alone with Regan. The weary Merrin proceeds to counsel Regan with disastrous results. Fr. Karras returns to the bedroom where he finds Fr. Merrin dead lying next to the bed of a jubilant Regan laughing evilly. Angered by Reagan's treachery, Fr. Karras attacks the demonic Regan & begs her to allow her possession to enter his body in order to release the girl from her curse. The demons leave Regan & invade Fr. Karras who leaps out of her bedroom window, falling to his death with a fractured skull. Shortly thereafter, Chris & a recovered Regan leave Georgetown to begin again. Karras friend & fellow priest Fr. Dyer stops by as Chris & Regan prepare to leave. Chris tells him that Regan remembers nothing about the possession, killings, or the exorcism. Fr. Dyer says goodbye to the MacNeils, forever changed by the events of Regan's possession.
"The Exorcist" will scare you, no matter how many horror films you have seen or how tough you think you are. The realism of Regan's possession will stay with & disturb you beyond anything you have ever witnessed. Do not watch this movie alone or with the lights off. WARNING: YOUNG CHILDREN & PERSONS WITH A WEAK CONSTITUTION SHOULD NOT WATCH THIS FILM!!!!!!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!