Warner Bros. | 1973 | 132 mins. | R
The Exorcist is one of the few movies the genuinely scares me, no matter how many times I watch it. Needless to say, I’m among that group of people that believes that William Friedkin’s film is the scariest of all time. I’ll even go so as to admit that while I have watched the film in the dark, I much prefer to see it in the light of day. Of course, as someone who has watched countless films, I know this is the mark of a truly genre changing project; I’m sure most of us know at least one person who refuse to sit through The Exorcist to this day.
William Peter Blatty based the screenplay on his own best-selling novel, which in turn found inspiration from a newspaper article about a real-life exorcism. Under the direction of William Friedkin, the movie account of young Regan’s demonic possession is likely a lot scarier than the actual experience, as it should be in a work of mostly fiction. But it’s that element of “what if” that makes the movie all the more plausible, and thus, more alarming.
Regan, played by Linda Blair, begins the film as a seemingly normal kid. For unknown reasons she because possessed not only by subordinate demons but by the Devil himself. At first, she just acts strangely; then she starts uttering weird noises and making her bed shake. Before long she is disgorging green slime and rotating her head 180 degrees. Her mother (Ellen Burstyn), takes her to the best doctors in the area, but they are simply puzzled. At last resort, they suggest an exorcism. Understandably, the mother is discontented by the thought, but willing to do whatever it takes to save her daughter.
She calls a local Catholic priest at Georgetown University, Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller); a psychologist who doesn’t believe in exorcisms. Karras, who is questioning his own faith, soon becomes convinced of the devil’s power when Regan spits green slime in his face, starts speaking in tongues, and materializes words on her stomach. To assist the good Father, the Church brings in Father Merrin (Max Von Sydow), who apparently has lots of experience at exorcisms. Together the two priests exorcise the demon, but not without a terrible price.
The film is downright creepy from start to finish. Nearly every shot is dark and shrouded in mystery, ending with a terrifying final scene. The whole story is all the more terrifying because of the characters involved. Mom is just your average everyday mom, and the possessed one is a little girl. I mean, how are you supposed to really get your head around that?
What are the differences in the Extended Director’s Cut and the one that originally played in movie theaters? First, the filmmakers distribute the ten minutes-plus of added scenes a few minutes at a time here and there throughout the movie, and the scenes don’t really change much. They do, however, provide a bit more insight into the character of Father Karras, offer more on the “nervous disorder” diagnosis for Regan, and give the film a slightly different ending. Probably the most important addition is the famous “spider-walking” scene, a five-second segment that has Regan walking down a flight of stairs upside-down. The scene was in Blatty’s novel and in the initial screenplay, but director Friedkin had at first thought it came too early in the story and was just “too much,” thus, omitting it.
The new DVD transfer is crisp and clean. The blacks are perfect, and the grains are wonderful. Although, I can see that some might complain, in this case the grain adds to the overall feel of the movie.
The Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound track does its job well. The thuds are strong, and the dialogue is very clean and the background noise is tight.
We don’t get too much in the way of special features: an audio commentary by director William Friedkin as well as two theatrical trailers, three TV spots, and three radio spots.
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