October Edition #31: THE EXORCIST

Director: William Friedkin
Screenplay: William Peter Blatty, based on his novel
Starring: Ellen Burstyn, Jason Miller, Linda Blair, Max von Sydow
Release Date: 1973


In December of 1973 William Friedkin’s adaptation of William Peter Blatty’s THE EXORCIST was unleashed on a movie going public that would have no idea what had just hit them. Seeming to break every taboo that existed in film’s up to that time, it incited such terror in its’ audience that it has been reported that patrons would literally run screaming from the theater in the middle of the movie, some of them passing out or vomiting in the lobby, and in one instance it allegedly caused a woman to go into labor. With that kind of word of mouth it’s no wonder that lines for the movie wrapped around the block and it eventually went on to become one of the highest grossing movies of all time, and is still considered by most to be the scariest. So why in God’s name have I never given this flick the time of day?

Let me start off by saying that this is not going to be a review. Countless tracts have been written about THE EXORCIST since its release, highlighting its’ thematic resonance, cultural impact, and undeniable ability to scare the shit out of generations of film-goers. There is nothing I can add to that conversation that hasn’t probably been said a thousand times before. Instead I’ve opted to discuss why it has taken a rabid horror junkie like such as myself so long to see this flick.

 I really oughta put an asterisk on this entry, because technically speaking, I have seen THE EXORCIST. Well, in bits and pieces, that is. I must have seen the climactic exorcism a solid dozen times during its’ numerous airings on TNT when I was a kid, and every now and then I’d catch snippets of the very beginning. I know the entire story of the possession of innocent young Regan MacNeil beat for beat, and I’ve even seen all of the sequels, but I have never before today sat down and watched this movie from beginning to end. So, given the immense amount of over saturation THE EXORCIST has received since its’ release nearly forty years ago and the undeniably iconic status it has achieved, how does the film stack up?

The answer is, remarkably well. I was worried going into this that the movie would fall flat for me because, as I’ve stated, everyone knows the plot, the imagery and the music so much so that any impact it might have had was going to be lost. But good film-making knows no boundaries, and if a film is truly impactive it will work its’ magic regardless of  an audience’s prior knowledge of all of its tricks.

Let me be clear, though: THE EXORCIST did not scare me. I remember being frightened by the mere mention of the movie as a kid. It was that one movie I felt I was not supposed to see, otherwise I might suffer in burning torment for all of eternity. I think it might have been residuals of these feelings from childhood that kept me from THE EXORCIST for so long. I remember when it was re-released to theaters back in 2000 I had planned on going to see it with a group of my friends, but I ended up grounded and couldn’t go and then when it came out on DVD later that year I talked myself out of  giving it a watch. I rationalized that it was because the movie was too old-fashioned and would bore me to tears, but on a deeper level I know it was because of an deep-seated religious terror that anyone who has ever had a problem with this movie can understand. I wasn’t so much afraid of THE EXORCIST as much as I was made uncomfortable by it.

But I got over all of that years ago, so for the last half decade or so I can only chalk up my resistance to finally watching THE EXORCIST to pure laziness. Now that I’ve finally gotten it out of the way, I’m sorta sad I never watched it sooner. Mainstream Hollywood films were a different beast in the early 70’s, as directors were given free reign to take enormous risks with their films, bringing to life stories of stark realism that usually didn’t have happy endings but almost always had something important to say. It was a grimly pessimistic time, and it was the last time a film could be made without worries of screen testing for audience approval, product placement, and the general micromanaging that occurs on nearly every flick released nowadays that renders every project as bland and lifeless as the last.

Every frame, every performance, every single sound in THE EXORCIST is produced with genuine feeling. You can see it from the very first frame, a hellish close-up of the sun rising in the Iraqi desert, the camera lingering on each speck of dust and every bead of sweat clinging to Max von Sydow’s Father Merrin as he wanders through an Iraqi town experiencing an oppressive sense of foreboding doom that rubs right off onto the audience. Once the action moves to the MacNeil residence in Georgetown the Oscar-winning sound design takes over for the visuals in creating a sense that every single object is possessed of an otherworldly evil. Ordinary objects like door hinges, telephones, even x-ray machines are imbued with an almost sentient malevolence through the use of sound effects to overwhelm the viewer. Even if you have no religious beliefs, the world as presented in THE EXORCIST is a terrifying place where everything seems out to get you.

In creating a relentlessly oppressive mood that keeps drawing you in, THE EXORCIST is a resounding success. Even though I knew every last detail of the story going in the film was still able to sink its’ hooks into me until the final bitter frame. While I may never be able to identify with anyone who passed out while watching it, I cannot deny its sheer visual and sonic power to assault the senses. How much of the films’ power can be attributed to its iconic status is up for debate. Would I have reacted the same way if I weren’t aware of the importance of the sights and sounds I was seeing on our popular culture? Who knows? What matters is the movie still works as a solid story, and still has the power to disturb. With the exception of PSYCHO, how many other nearly forty year old films can make that claim? None that I know of.

I’m glad I finally watched THE EXORCIST, and I feel that in time I’ll have more to say about it. But today is Halloween, and I don’t want to spend all of my favorite day of the year writing. So, while I apologize for the hasty wrap-up, let me end by saying that if you for some reason haven’t checked out THE EXORCIST, give it a shot. It is not the personification of pure evil so many have claimed it to be. In fact, though it does end on a somber note, it leaves you with just enough hope that maybe there is some good in this world worth saving. You just have to stare long into the darkness to find it.

My Rating:
10/10