Exorcist comes back after 27 years to haunt us again!

Rating: 10/10 (27 September 2000)

Exorcist, a movie which is nearly 27 years old, has come back to haunt us again! And it seems people who see it for the very first time seem to be as much shocked as the viewers who saw it in the early 70s.

Exorcist, I believe in many ways, is a good horror story. First a little girl's soul being taken over by devil is quite original in its own terms. Innocence falling victim to evil forces. The screenplay, based upon that theme, is quite terrifying. However, there are some parts I have to criticize: 1) There are some scenes in the movie that are left out of context. For instance, the scene in the church where it is showing the statue of Virgin Mary having being tampered with. This scene lasts only about 2-3 seconds and is out of context. Who has done it? And why? Is it the devil? Isn't devil busy taking over Regan's soul? 2) Now here what bothers me most about this classical horror picture: After they tie Regan to bed, she totally transforms from a human being into a demon. I mean she looks just like a demon; she doesn't look anything like a human being. Her eyes, her face, her voice, I mean she totally becomes a demon-like creature. What I don't understand is that they still treat her like as if she is a sick person. I mean try to recall the reactions of the characters that witness a transformation of a man into a werewolf standing next to them. Do they get scared and run away, feeling the presence of an evil being or do they try to speak to the newly transformed creature as if he is the same being. The girl is completely gone, there is almost nothing left of her but they insist to speak to her as if she is still conscious. The way doctors look at her after all that transformation is utterly ridiculous. They seem barely in shock. It is a demon they are looking at!!! But they look as if it is normal, like something they see everyday! Instead they should be more shocked, more scared, more in the awareness of the fact that the being they are dealing with is not a girl anymore, it is a demon. My guess is that, in the original screenplay, the transformation she goes through is not very outstanding, not very conspicuous; she preserves 75% of her original looks, and that's why all the other characters around her treat her as if she is really sick. But when they were shooting the movie they must have gone way too far than what is in the original script in terms of creating her looks. There is no way, anyone can perceive that being as a sick little girl, it is a demon-creature. That is, I think is the mistake, which is bothering me most.
What I like most about the movie? The performance of the mother is just amazing. And the unforgettable score, "Tubular Bells" by Mike Oldfield. Here's another criticism: They don't play that score often enough; they should have played it more often. And what about the 11 minute restored parts? I have seen this movie years ago so I am not sure but I guess the only additions are the sudden flashes of devil's image in background, in the dark and the image of devil's statute on the wall of Regan's bedroom. My personal feeling is that these scenes are either totally new or restored because I don't remember seeing them when I have first seen the movie.