Honest, no frills, minimal gore yet horrifying.

Rating: 9/10 (6 June 1999)

Though the film was made a good 8 years before I was born the stringent banning of it in the UK prevented me from seeing it for many years I finally caught The Exorcist, aged 14 on a dated VHS copy of the film. My friend and I instigated a horror sleep over, no girls, just him, me silence and a few shockers to while away the hours. After Halloween and Aliens, The Exorcist was the main event, 2am start. For the next two hours I was mesmerised by the tightly told story, the presence and threat of evil and the respite that there good should always triumph. Every time there is a slight noise from poor Regan's bedroom you don't know what to expect and the film's build up emphasises the sickly sweetness of Regan before her possession which makes you like her more and brings the contrast with the evil being she becomes. Linda Blair's performance stands out along with Father Karras, the character of which is brilliantly written. The psychological games between Karras and the demon are beautifully insinuated and even with minimal screen time, Karras' mother is used to torment the ailing priest in an exceptional scene. The BBFC have recently given the film a video release, citing that the film will not have the same effect today as it did on 70's audiences when compared to 90's horror films. If the BBFC is right, people my age must be in a sorry state to have a higher regard of fear for Scream's Ghostface than the force of true evil. The Exorcist prods with a mixture of subtlety and power at your very perception of the lines of good and evil, it's up to you to watch it appreciatively and open minded.