Still powerful after all these years...just not quite as much.

Rating: 9/10 (8 September 2009)

My review is not perfect, as I never saw this film on the big screen. This, combined with the extreme reactions on the part of the audiences must have really heightened the fear in the theater. I remember reports at the time of people leaving the theaters before the movie finished as well as the furor it caused because it was so scary. Well, tonight I watched in on my computer. Sure, I've got a huge computer screen, so it wasn't a claustrophobic experience but it sure wasn't like being in a theater. Keep this in mind--theater patrons probably were much more scared--especially because the film was extremely terrifying compared to anything previously seen--making ROSEMARY'S BABY look like a Disney film!
Now before anyone sees this movie today, I sure wish they'd insert a "kids: don't try this at home" warning. No, I am not specifically talking about performing exorcisms but following Father Damien's example in how he treated Father Merrin when Merrin's heart stopped. This character, who supposedly had an MD began hitting Merrin on the chest harder and with more intensity than George Foreman could have! Darn it, if the heart attack didn't kill Merrin, those "Mortal Kombat" style punches sure did. KIDS: DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME!!!
As for the film, there are so many, many reviews already that I don't feel like doing an in-depth analysis--especially since there are already so many good ones (as well as a few stupid ones, but I won't go there). The bottom line is that this film was exceptionally well done and the special effects were amazing and ground-breaking--and generally impress even today. As far as how scary the film is, I wasn't so much scared as emotionally impacted--some of the not so scary moments still were hard to watch--such as the impact of Regan's "illness" on her loving mother. Scary-wise, it is possibly the scariest film of all time, but I still think FREAKS has a certain visceral scariness that beats all other films. Still, THE EXORCIST is a darn scary and exceptionally well made film from start to finish. However, I think the most evil thing about this film isn't the demon, but that they went on to make some god-awful sequels--so bad, even demons would probably avoid the theaters!!
One final comment. While the film is exceptional, part of me felt uncomfortable with much of the film as they had a young child saying and doing so many gross and abusive things (masturbating with a crucifix, using VERY colorful language and the like). While an adult can elect to be in a film and say and do these things, in the case of a child it seemed awfully exploitative--even if the parent says it's okay.