Simply the best horror movie ever

Rating: 10/10 (2 January 2007)

What makes The Exorcist scarier than all other horror films, is that unlike the rest of the lot, this film takes itself serious. Too many modern cookie cutter horror films have fallen into a predictable recipe of presenting some characters (most viewers start guessing which one's will live and die right from the get go) in really bad situations, apply some psychotic killers or sci-fi monsters, and let the blood fly. The Exorcist is head and shoulders above anything else in the genre, because it is presentation of what would happen if someone were possessed by the devil. Period. And that's scary. There are special effects, sure, but nothing more than needed to depict what would happen during an actual possession. The Rites of Exocism performed are fairly accurate. Compared to modern standards of whiz-bang effects and creative ways to show dismemberment, The Exocist comes off as slow and almost low-key as a film. But, great acting and hauntingly depressing scenes, remind us that nothing is more horrific than common people battling the ultimate evil.