It doesn't matter if you believe OR not in God and Satan.

Rating: 10/10 (31 December 2006)

I can't praise this movie enough. I am proud and lucky to have watched this movie on theaters. I watched it on it's re-release back in 1999 with the "new" scenes. The experience was amazing. I mean, watching the scariest and most popular mainstream Horror movie of all time is something that has no price.
"The Exorcist" deserves it's almost heavenly status (no pun intended) because it's truly a movie that deals with one of the most scary and prohibited topics in modern civilizations; that is, The Devil.
The story is simple but effective on every aspect. A young girl has been playing with an Ouija board and soon after strange things start to happen to her normal life and her surrounding. Her house is being attacked in lower portions by demonic spirits, for example. It's until her physical form is completely possessed by Pazzuzu, who is the ancient demon that takes physical form of insects. Pazzuzu, according to the history of humanity, has only been able to possess a few persons. Reagan McNeill is one of them. Her mother hires the best doctors, psychiatrists, scientific that money can buy but none of them can give a solution to Reagan's condition. That is until a priest takes on the case and recommends an exorcism. The roman ritual is applied to Reagan and the demon Pazzuzu finally leaves Reagan in the name of God.
But the story is more complex than that. We, as the audience, are taken into another level of faith and beliefs towards The Devil and God. The story also deals with clinical terms and methods. So it's up to you to believe if Reagan was actually possessed or had a sickness. Of course, the director does the necessary to make you believe that truly a demon possessed the young girl. Also, Father Karras who is an active part in the exorcism has issues with his faith for God and is truly a tormented soul for some events displayed in the movie. On the other hand, Father Merrin who is a veteran of exorcisms and once defeated The Devil has his faith at top level and manages to command the ritual. But the complexity of the story does not ends there. There are many references to Reagan's possible possession. It's mentioned that her family is Altheist and do not believe completely in God. We can assure that when Chris McNeill gets really angered when the Austrian home worker puts a crucifix under Reagan's pillow. Also, some strange events make the audience wonder if actually The Devil had something to do for example, with Burke's death.
My advice is : be objective with this movie because it will intrigue you, it will make you think, and if you give permission to it, ; it will scare the hell out of you. It has nothing to do if you believe in God or not; the visual experience is powerful and with the aid of a clever script you will experience something that no other movie can deliver. That is, justified fear.
The production values of this movie are excellent, impressive. The acting is top notch. This movie carried Academy Award nominations for Elen Burstyn in a powerful, dramatic performance as the mother who tried everything in order to cure her daughter. Her performance is impressive and truly demonstrates her acting skills because acting this character is sui generis. Jason Miller also delivers a powerful, sentimental performance. First, he cries the death of his mother and then he recovers his faith and faces The Devil in the roman ritual. A performance like none other. Max Von Sydow has little on screen time but delivers a solid, believable performance as the elder Exorcist who fights Pazzuzu for second and last time. Linda Blair will always be remembered for this role. Her performance is also impressive. Lee J. Cobb delivers a delightful performance as the clever witted detective who follows the murder of Burke and little by little gets intrigued by the demonic connections.
Please, watch this movie if you haven't or watch it again if you didn't like it. It has a lot to offer and truly has proved through time that it's one of the most influential and powerful movies of all time.
"The Exorcist" is more than a Drama Horror feature. It's almost a religious experience if you watch it with enough seriousness.
Some memorable scenes: Father Merrin's first encounter with the statue of Pazzuzu, Father Merrin's last battle against Pazzuzu, Pazzuzu making an appearance in the final exorcism; the statue is truly frightening in that scene, the infamous crucifix masturbation, the head spinning 180ª, the dialogs between Karras and Pazzuzu, the bed that gets elevated, Father Merrin's demise, Karras' possession, the nightmare sequences, etc.
God bless this movie.