A horror masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (27 October 2017)

What can be said about this unsurpassed horror masterpiece that hasn't already been said? Perhaps the fact that it is so grounded in realism makes it the perennial kind of its genre. Some may look to the themes it so masterfully explores whether it be religion, faith, humanity, philosophy or ethics that puts it on a pedestal by itself. The spine-tingling score, one of the most memorable villains of all-time, the ominous pacing of the film - all reasons that separate this film as one of the single greatest horror films ever made.
As for the performances? They are all superb and each are vitally important to the film, since so much of it is the build-up of plot, characters and setting. In fact, the titular event doesn't even occur until much later than one would think. And this is because we have a director in William Friedkin who trusts his audience to be patient in understanding the ambiguity (a little paradoxical) of the subject matter at hand. As one doctor after another continues to feed BS diagnoses to Chris MacNeil, Friedkin forces us to confront our biggest fear: the unknown. Author Andrew Smith once wrote: "People fear what they don't understand and hate what they can't conquer."
Linda Blair as Regan MacNeil delivers one of the most chilling performances of all-time, transforming from a sweet, innocent and cheerful little girl to the definition of evil incarnate. The images of her slowly degrading condition have that raw power to stay so firmly entrenched in your mind. Ellen Burstyn as Chris MacNeil tragically conveys a mother clinging to whatever hope she has left in saving her doomed daughter. Max von Sydow and Jason Miller also give memorably powerful performances as the two Fathers, Lee J. Cobb is superb as Lt. Kinderman - to single out just one person out of this superb ensemble performance would be fatal, every individual in this film is superb!
With images that have that rare power to subside and remain in your memory, The Exorcist is that special film that succeeds in being so realistic with subject matter that can be considered far from. The only other perfect horror film I can recall seeing (at least in my humble opinion) is Psycho. And though you can't compare apples and oranges, the images, music and deeper themes portrayed from both somehow manage to just stay with you; there's no other way to really put it. The Exorcist transcends the horror genre and becomes an experience, with images of beauty and terror that can never be forgotten. A deserved title of being deemed a 'classic'.