A horror masterpiece!

Rating: 10/10 (5 November 2017)

In Georgetown Washington, an actress named Chris Macneille (Ellen Burstyn) is visiting the place as she is staying in a house while filming a movie with her 12 year old daughter Reagan (Linda Blair) whom have a bond together as mother and daughter. Yet someone strange things have been happening lately, there was first the death of a filmmaker that Chris knows by the name of Burke Dennings (Jack MacGowan) to all the way to her daughter acting strange even with voice changing, bed shaking and all sorts of weird things going on. A priest/psychiatrist named Father Damian Karrass (Jason Miller) has trouble with finding his faith especially after his mother (Vasiliki Maliaros) died. Reagan's mother is convinced that some kind of evil demon spirit is inside her body and no doctor can help her daughter, she decides to call forth on Karass to help with her as Karass joins up with elderly priest Father Lankester Merrin (Max Von Sydow) to help take care of the evil demonic spirit within the girl's body.
A fantastic and unique cinematic work of horror! William Peter Blatty who co-wrote the script wrote his novel back in 1971 inspired by a 1949 case on exorcism and became a bestselling book and was optioned by Warner Brothers for film rights. There were many directors who were considered to direct the film like Stanley Kubrick to Arthur Penn when William Friedkin who made The French Connection was hired as he liked the script and filming began. Jack Nicholson and Paul Newman were considered for the role of Karass but luckily Jason Miller who had never acted before after doing a play was offered the role as he accepted it. Marlon Brando was offered to play Father Merrin but went to Max Von Sydow which this is one of his finest roles ever. Dick Smith with Rick Baker whom Rick was uncredited in co-doing the special make up effects worked on the film's excellent make up effects especially on the infamous vomit sequence which was done with pea soup to the iconic make up that Blair wore on her face. The film also co-stars Lee Cobb as Lt. William Kinderman whom Kinderman would be one of the main characters for this movie and in Exorcist III yet in 3 was played by George C Scott.
The film had some problems like some accidents/injuries on the set with a couple of deaths that occurred. But it took from August 1972 for 200 days to film. Yet some stuff which was filmed like the infamous spider-walk sequence was cut from the film for pacing issues and later some of the footage for the director's cut was released in 2000 in theaters in it's theatrical re-issue called "The Version you Never Seen". The film was released in December 26 1973 to mixed reviews but huge Hollywood profit and became the highest grossing R-rated film of all time and the highest grossing horror film until Jaws came along in 1975. It made a huge profit and a pop culture phenomenon it became among the public and American film history, it spawned sequels with one being good and a whole slew of rip-offs/imitators over the years.
The film is a study in realism and the supernatural in pure terror with fantastic performances even Linda Blair as Reagan whom became an iconic horror character and actress. Friedkin's direction is fantastic with great use of darkness, light and color throughout the film and the script by Blatty is just outstanding. The film shocked the audiences with it's shocking profanity and disturbing imagery even the infamous masturbation sequence which made audiences shocked but the most disturbing sequence to me is the hospital sequence in which Reagan gets carotid angiography that made audiences faint and still makes me squirm as i recalled seeing this movie 30 years ago with my family when i was a kid on video and that scene made me squirm and turn green.
What can i say, it's a cinematic horror masterpiece and i'm not religious as i am a Buddhist and this is an excellent work of horror.