Powerful, scary and beautifully filmed

Rating: 9/10 (5 November 2003)

Well, where do you start with a movie with as much hype as this one has? I still remember the trading of pirated copies being passed around my 6th form common room and the talk of how this film sent people crazy but in all honesty if you think its gonna make you jump out of your skin or scare you in a conventional "Scream"/"Halloween"/"Friday 13th" kinda way then you will be disappointed by this film.
What this film does, almost uniquely, is scare you more after its actually finished. It plays on your mind and leaves you feeling unnerved and unsure for days (and nights) after.
The film itself is a masterpiece and there is no denying it. There are exceptional performances from all of the major roles, with Linda Blair stealing the show for her surprisingly convincing portrayal of Regan. The scenery and musical score only add atmosphere and tension to Friedkin's masterpiece which still today has an unnatural edge to it. But what makes this film stand above most is its use of light and dark. Its simple yet powerful use of lighting gives it an eerie raw quality not seen since the days of Boris Karloff.
My recommendation to anyone watching this is to watch it once, then watch a "making of" documentary and then watch the film again. Only then will you truly appreciate how great a film this is. What Friedkin put his cast through is almost as disturbing as the film itself but the outcome is what makes The Exorcist simply one of the greatest horror movies of all time.