Good, but overrated. Read the book instead.

Rating: 6/10 (13 March 2006)

Maybe it's because I didn't see it in theatres. Perhaps it's because of my age. It might even be because I had overly high expectations after reading the book. Whatever the reason may be, the fact is I don't think that this film is nearly as good as it's reputation would tell you. It is certainly a well-made film, all the actors involved are great, the effects aren't bad, and Friedkin directs the film superbly. I especially enjoyed the hidden "faces" that show up in numerous scenes. Is it scary? Not as far as I'm concerned it isn't. Perhaps a devout Catholic would think differently, but I wasn't frightened in the least. I don't believe in these occurrences, and that takes away any scare factor that there may have been, unless you're afraid of projectile vomit. Though the actors work well with what they have, the characters are all very flat. Very few of them are fleshed out, which is a shame. For a much better experience, read the book. The characters are all more fleshed out, more occurrences are explained, and it still leaves room for your beliefs.
5.5/10