'May the power of Christ compel you!'

Rating: 8/10 (6 August 2008)

Friedkin has produced possibly the most controversial film of all time with his petrifying tale of a girl being possessed by the devil. This film was released in 1973 and quickly became the most feared movie of all time. No-one had ever seen such scenes of religious slander and coarse sexual language. I find it simply extraordinary how this film could have possibly been released to the extremely touchy audience of the early 70s. Afterall, this film is terrifying compared to any modern horror film i have ever seen and this is quite possibly the scariest film of all time however, this doesn't make it the best horror film of all time.
The story follows the story of a girl being possessed by the devil and her devastated mother trying to get her exorcised. This leads to a climatic ending.
This film is renowned for its spectacular imagery created by the make-up. Linda Blair was made to look as horrifying as possible with her famous make-up. Furthermore, the editing at times was brilliant. Unexpected flashes of weird faces are sure to terrify the audience without them even anticipating it. Such psychological horror is what all horror films should utilise rather then the 'gore gore gore' prerogative most contemporary horror films go by. Such psychological horror is what makes a brilliant horror movie.
Moreover, the film has many cool subtleties that you would expect from a 70s film such as the fact that early in the film Regan hints towards using a ouiji board which of course prepares the audience for later in the film and possibly provides some sort of reason for this satanic possession.
Anyway, despite the films obvious horror value, I feel that although it may the scariest film of all time it is far from the best horror film. What film gains with scares it lacks with enough substance and thought. For example, the shining is most probably one of the most thought provoking films of all time alongside psycho's amazing plot twist at the end. Therefore, as a film the exorcist isn't particularly breath-taking but because of its controversial and shocking theme it is slightly over-rated. Sometimes we should step back and look at a film as a film not a theme.
Horror seekers should see this simply because it is a milestone of cinema. A powerful film of visceral proportions.
8.2/10