The things that make The Exorcist such a special horror film .....

Rating: 10/10 (19 August 2015)

Friedkin creates this very normal and upper class liberal American milieu - the last place where you would imagine an exorcism to take place. He does this through a lot of character build up. It is to his credit that he did not leave out any of the characters in the book like the immigrant housekeepers or the alcoholic movie director. You would think something like a demon invasion or exorcism would never happen to such happy, rich, normal and successful people. The characters are the sort you would find in a Woody Allen film and into this milieu enters Demon Pasusu. Hence, Chris' (Ellen Burstyn) shock at the gradual changes that her daughter undergoes is very believable.
Secondly, Friedkin manages to portray the limitations of science (in the form of the doctors) in a very scathing manner - the doctors come across as completely banal with their ridiculous explanations as to why Regan (Linda Blair) is going crazy. Through this veritable negation of scientific explanations for Regan's condition, Friedkin lends credence to the presence of an unexplainable evil.
Demon Pasusu's antics are scary but Friedkin only shows us some of it. In fact, he does not even show some of it, it is only when the doctor tells Chris that her daughter has been using foul language that we realize that something is seriously wrong with Regan. The impact of Pasusu's on Regan's personality is very gradual. It is one of the best build ups in a horror film.