The Exorcist (1973)
Director: William Friedkin
Starring: Ellen Burstyn, Jason Miller, Linda Blaire, Max Von Sydof
Primary genre: Supernatural
Secondary genre: Horror
Nominated for: Best movie, director, actress, supporting actress, supporting actor, screenplay based on material from another medium, art direction, cinematography, editing, sound
Won: Sound, screenplay based on another medium
The best horror film of all time, William Friedkin’s The Exorcist scarred cinematic audiences for life back in 1973 opening the door for an army of 70s satanic paranoia flicks like The Omen (1976), The Sentinel (1977) and The Amityville Horror (1979). Taking into account the year of its release, watching it on the big screen must have been a monumental and life-defining experience. Shocking even to this day with its slowly demonic possession of a teenage girl in the suburb of Georgetown, Washington D.C., Friedkin’s movie created the de facto blueprint for this type of motion picture and so far, half a century in, none has come close to its thrills and suspense. This explains how it is one of the handful of genre movies which have been nominated and won Academy awards. The Exorcist transcends beyond the banal level of a horror flick with its engaging story, and fascinating setup that feed a cinephile’s craving for deep analysis.
The advantage of this book adaptation is how it manages to present an intriguing plot and surround it with deeply flawed characters who must navigate supernatural shenanigans through willpower alone. You won’t find the typical bravado here, just a mother reaching her wit’s end. Despite all of Chris’ wealth and fame, there isn’t any cure or explanation for her daughter’s quickly deteriorating condition causing experts of all sorts to scratch their heads. This case of a modern urban world torn apart by an incomprehensible and obscene evil has Friedkin framing Chris’ slick (and aristocratic) house as an intimate, withdrawn from the world, prison; the more Regan is possessed the more isolating the environment is.
Relying on mind-bending and human-logic-defying tricks, the battle for an innocent soul does not rest in the fiery pits of hell but at the hands of Father Karras, the son of Greek immigrants and a guilt-ridden priest who (in a nice twist) does not believe anymore as he inclines more towards the investigation of mental health rather than the presence of ghouls and goblins. When Max Von Sydow comes into play his entire story is highlighted sporadically with minimal exposition for his iconic hero tasked to take down the forces of darkness.
“I cast you out! Unclean spirit!”
The opening contains powerful visuals emoting an eerie sense of absolute dread in the distant sandpits of the Middle East; the atmosphere is so ominous you can cut it with a knife. Invoking powerful imagery in a dynamic ten-minute setup that does not look out of place in today’s slicker filmography, each frame is carefully crafted to invoke suspense, terror and drama, further elevated by Owen Roizman’s immersive cinematography. The delicious and wicked looking desert sun of a Middle Eastern dusk is a foreboding sign that in the absence of light, darkness prevails. Of course, this will not prevent our demonic force to conduct trouble during the first half of the day.
Stylistically distancing itself from the Hammer flicks that bore a Grand Guignol aspect and Hitchcock’s high concept thrillers, each shot has blink-and-you'll-miss-them background details warranting a second (or a third) viewing. Sublime flashes or carefully placed images of Pazuzu throughout the household are the stuff of nightmares tapping into our primal fear of the unknown and the supernatural. The (often) surrealistic horror that comes courtesy of a very nasty and malevolent spirit still retains its grotesque panache over decades of evolving filmmaking. Regan’s head twisting or specific interactions … with a holy cross remain as impactful as they did back in 1973 unglossed by hypersaturated color filters and copious amounts of CGI rendering, elements of the contemporary directing. This is horror at its most raw and most restrained and thus, highly effective courtesy of incredible makeup effects that converted a young Linda Blair to a virtually unrecognizable creature.
The Exorcist has stood the test of time remarkably, remaining a masterpiece decades later its release. Without causing a controversy it is the best horror film out there easily.
The best horror film of all time
+Friedkin’s slick direction
+Visceral images of terror
+Blaire as possessed Reagan
+Make up effects
+Jason Miller, Max Von Sydow
+Top notch cinematography
+Sound design
+Superb atmosphere of dread