Is this really "The Scariest Movie of All Time??"

Rating: 10/10 (29 October 2006)

For me, yes. The Exorcist is easily one of the best horror films. Period. It is truly brilliant in every way. Some people pass it off as having cheap scares, bad effects and so on. People seem to forget that back then they didn't have such top-notch effects. The scares in this movie aren't cheap, either, they are genuinely scary. Be it the insanely creepy score, the white, demonic face that appears or suspense that is built up, almost the whole movie is scary. The acting is top-notch from everyone. To mention names would be unfair as every actor does such a good job. The fact that Jason Miller, Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair were overlooked at the Oscars is a travesty.
There is really no need to explain the plot, as every fan of the cinema should know of it.
Now, to today's movie-goer this would seem boring and out-dated. This is because this has no gore or sex. This movie relies on psychological thrills. It's all about character development and tension. And no other horror (apart from Hitchcock's Psycho) does it better. Regan's change from normal girl to demonic child is brilliant. By the time a damaged Father Karras arrives she is taken over.
Now, to the scare factor. For me, this rates 10/10. The demonic face that appears throughout is enough to give nightmares for weeks (it sure gave me nightmares)!! Some of the sounds and words that come out of Regan's mouth are frightening and chilling. The head-twisting scene, the spiderwalk and the crucifix scenes are all disgusting and un-nerving. But William Friedkin handles them with confidence. He really does a brilliant job as director, I'm amazed he didn't win the Oscar. Thank God the sound did, though, as the score was amazing.
I could go on and on about this, but I won't. I will just finish by saying, this is an extraordinarily good movie.
5/5.