Where the art of storytelling and the art of shock value meet

Rating: 10/10 (5 August 2004)

"The Exorcist" revolves around a 12 year old girl named Regan (Linda Blair) and her mother Chris (Ellen Burstyn) who live in a colonial-style Washington home. Chris is an actress, and she and Regan move around a lot. Things at the new home seem to be going well - until Regan begins to act very strange. She can't sleep, her bed shakes in the middle of the night, she has bouts of body convulsions, and these symptoms progress. Her mother goes to numerous doctors to find help, and even the doctors aren't sure what's wrong with her daughter. Chris finally comes to the conclusion that Regan may be possessed by the devil himself. She then goes to her last resort, and consults a Catholic priest to perform an exorcism on her daughter.
Often quoted as the scariest film of all time, "The Exorcist", while maybe not the scariest, is surely one of the best horror movies to come across the silver screen, ever. Based on the equally shocking novel by William Peter Blatty, the script here is stunning work. Blatty also wrote the script himself, and the translation to the screen is done with precision and the result is absolute brilliance. What's most remarkable about "The Exorcist" is its maneuvering of narrative progression with the shock value that only film could capture.
The film contains a multitude of subplots; a struggling actress, a helpless mother, a Catholic priest whose faith is in limbo, and a twelve year old girl possessed by the ultimate evil. In the beginning of the film, Regan is a seemingly normal young girl with an often absent mother. But, ever so slowly, we begin to see her personality transform over the course of the film, until she has become an entirely different person, possessed, and a monster - slapping her mother, masturbating with a crucifix, uttering every curse word imaginable, vomiting green slime; the transformation is done with subtlety, but the pace at which she morphs is perfect, and the final result is tantalizing yet in-your-face.
The acting is excellent, Ellen Burstyn gives a solid performance as the terrified, helpless mother who doesn't understand what's happening to her daughter. The audience sympathizes with her and is able to feel her fear and concern over the supernatural force that has grasped her daughter and won't let go. Linda Blair in the performance that defined her career (for better or for worse) is incredible as the likable little girl with a sweet and innocent face. Blair manages to evoke this innocence with ease, but what she manages to do even better is envision her possession of an unspeakable evil. She conveys the vile, evil nature of her possessed character, and is, in a way, a monster. Max von Sydow plays Father Merrin, and is excellent, as is Jason Miller as the "looks like a boxer" Father Karras. All the acting here is solid, I can't think of anything that was in need of work - the cast is perfect.
Friedkin utilizes a plethora of Catholic imagery and various symbolism throughout the film that add to the overall creepiness of the movie, and the religious message that is behind it all. I watched this when I was thirteen, and it scared the living hell out of me (literally). Watching a sweet-faced little girl go from normal human being into a foul-mouthed, disgusting "thing" is disturbing on so many levels. The special effects were extravagant for the time, and most of them still hold up well to this day. And the final scene between Regan and Father Karass is an absolute cinematic landmark— the culmination of a precise weaving of narratives with the shocking and the macabre.
"The Exorcist" is a shocking piece of cinema. It's superbly acted, gruesome, disturbing, and flat out scary on so many occasions. It may sound clichéd, but it is without a doubt one of the greatest horror films ever made. The artful manner in which the story is presented, combined with its strong cast and perfect balance between narrative and shock value is unmatched. 10/10.