Best horror film ever made

Rating: Null/10 (26 October 1999)

OK, so I wasn't around when "The Exorcist" first came out, so I may not be able to appreciate it the way people did in the 70s when ambulances were standing by outside screenings, but I am almost the odd one out of all my age group as far as opinion on this legendary film goes.
People say it is funny. WHAT IN THE NAME OF SANITY? Unthinkable power, perfect performances, and truly gripping, dramatic, harrowing imagery that plays games with the mind, along with suspense that turns the stomach around like a roundabout. People say that "Scream" is the best horror movie. WHAT IN THE NAME OF LIFE ITSELF? Some teenagers playing around with the 'rules' of horror movies? Just a well-made post-modern teen comedy flick that is a bit on the cheesy side. I suppose, though, that the problem with today's audiences is that they expect 'thrills-and-spills', while older audiences expect (and expected when this film came out for the first time) power. "The Exorcist" is packed with the latter, while "Scream" is high on the former.
Critic Mark Kermode may have overrated the film just a tad when he described it as 'the greatest movie ever made', but he was MUCH closer to the truth than the Church of Scotland official who said that he'd rather take a bath in pig manure than watch it.