"You're telling me I should take my daughter to a witch doctor, is that it?"

Rating: 10/10 (29 October 2006)

When I reflect back on the movies of the 1970's, I'm struck by how many of them helped reinvigorate their respective genres. There was "Star Wars" for fantasy, "Alien" for sci-fi, and "Jaws" for the shark crowd, though I don't think that's really a genre. For horror fans, "The Exorcist" was the one that had everyone talking in 1973, and not only talking, but lining up around the block to get a chance to see it. In fact, the first time I tried, the person directly in front of me in line was the last one allowed in for that showing.
When I finally did get to see it, the experience left a marked impression. It was fascinating, horrific, sensational and scary all at the same time. Having read the book, I wondered how much liberty would be taken with the story, but it was pretty much all there. At the time, hands down, it was the most frightening film I'd ever seen.
The movie played last night as part of AMC's Halloween Fest, and though largely sanitized for TV, the impact of the film is still alive and well. It's a movie that plants a nagging seed of doubt in one's mind - what would happen if Satan himself could take over the body and soul of an innocent young girl? The gradual unfolding of the parallel stories in "The Exorcist" are built on credible real life situations, so that by the time Linda Blair's demon face appears on screen, you're ready to grab the holy water and say a prayer.
Now if you're a younger viewer born of a more recent era, I'll grant that the film might not have the same effect. Though Blair's possession makeup was visually stunning at the time, special effects since then have far surpassed that effort. But it had to start somewhere, and as a precursor to virtually everything that followed, this was the one to top. And when Regan's head spins, yikes!, but I thought mine would too. For 1973, that was an incredible piece of work, with visuals that stay with you long after the film is over.