Horror at its best

Rating: Null/10 (11 November 2002)

In 1973 Director William Friedkin brought William Peter Blatty's novel 'The Exorcist' to the big screen. It was a runaway success that would remain a landmark of horror films for decades to come. Even now, almost thirty years later, the film hasn't lost its ability to terrify and shock audiences from around the world, eliciting a variety of responses to its underlying themes, its uninhibited dialogue and graphic scenes of possession. Horror films come by the dozen, but there are only a handful of these films which exist as examples of what a good horror should be, and 'The Exorcist' is one of them.

The film works for a number of reasons. Firstly, the cast was perfect and the characters portrayed very realistically. In films such as these there is always the risk of the cast overacting to portray certain characters, but in 'The Exorcist' they hit the nail on the head. The actors timing is impeccable, the dialogue delivered effortlessly and the direction and editing superb. One of the reasons the film is so effective is that you believe the characters you see on the screen are real and that you can relate to. The film makes you believe that something like this could very well happen in real life and makes you wonder just how vulnerable you are yourself to circumstances beyond your control or understanding. The thought of something else being in control of your body and mind is the real source of terror in this film and it is this concept that is communicated effectively to the audience through Linda Blair's outstanding portrayal of Regan McNeil. Although her screen time as the possessed young girl is minimal it was extremely effective. Never before, and in my opinion never again, has there been such a terrifying evil captured on film. Throughout the entire movie, the slow pacethere is an air of suspense which deepens the plot and enhances the effect it has on the viewer. The films pace

The lack of out-of-this-world visual and special effects was a blessing in disguise for this film. At the time, they had to rely on minimal visual effects and outstanding make-up to bring the demon to life as such, and it worked brilliantly. The end result was such a convincing depiction of possession that it left people frozen in their seats when the film was first seen. And today, decades later, it has the same effect. So, in my opinion, 'The Exorcist' remains the most terrifying horror film ever to be made and should be seen by all those who would like to see what a real horror film is all about.