An experience 'beyond comprehension'!

Rating: Null/10 (29 June 2000)

To realistically and justifiably sum up my views and emotions after viewing The Exorcist for the first time I would have to say that the experience was (to borrow from the tag line)'Something beyond comprehension'. Taking the classic confrontation between good and evil away from a bestial netherland setting and into the modernised confines of suburban Washington DC, The Exorcist is probably one of the most plausible supernatural feature films of all time. Beyond the graphic depiction of the evil exemplified in the movie is a very strong and poignant connotation. Be it the importance of Religion in our path of life, the existence of supernatural beings in the world or probing further into the context; the obliteration of the American dream.
To say that The Exorcist is a horror film out to give the audience a cheap scare is pure idiocy. Each and everyone of those who saw the movie over a quarter of a century ago walked out of the theatre and learned a bit about themselves... they learned to better themselves! Unfortunately some pressure groups would force feed the media with phoney tales of suicides linked to the movie, but when a protestor gets that desperate... its just par for the course! Having lived in the UK all my life I am aware of the profound affect that The Exorcist had on audiences when released in March 1974, but I know for a fact that whatever reports were made by the press about audience members dying were unbearably blown out of proportion! In 1974 the media wanted BBFC chief censor Stephen Murphy out of the job! Not only because of passing The Exorcist with a theatrical certificate, but with passing Straw Dogs, A Clockwork Orange, Last Tango In Paris and other controversial motion pictures that were released almost back to back from 1971 to 1974, causing the media to fight back! Now, there is an up and a downside to this circumstance. First of all had The Exorcist not caused the moral panic it did back in 1974 I do not believe that the popularity of the movie in the UK would be what it is... soaring! And the fact that it did lead to the video ban in 1986, allowing its re-release to entrap a new generation of cinema goers. Moving all preferred connotations to one side for one moment, it is all important to merit The Exorcist for what it actually is, a superb example of tour de force film making! With a beautifully written screenplay from the evenly stunning novel by William Peter Blatty, director William Friedkin was able to visualise and handcraft the movie scene by scene with the patience and persistence of his perfect cast. The pace and overall build up of the movie illustrates characterization not apparent in your average horror movie. To conclude The Exorcist experience is something that you will share longevity with... you will question the experience, constantly look back on the experience and eventually recur the experience - like it or not! You never see The Exorcist only once! That's why my friends, it is an experience... 'beyond comprehension.'