Movie Notes: The Exorcist
= 4 stars
Starring Linda Blair, Max Von Sydow, Ellen Burstyn
Directed by William Friedkin
Synopsis
Regan, a young girl (Linda Blair) is possessed by a demonic, evil force and Father Merrin (Max Von Sydow) must perform an exorcism to save her.
The Good
- Extremely deft film making. The scary stuff is kept very short and brief, bursting on the screen after languid, suspense building passages.
- Creepy performances by Max Von Sydow and Jason Miller. Sydow in particular provides the gravitas essential to make some of the odder religious stuff believable.
- Linda Blair is genuinely convincing as the freaked-out, possessed Regan. One wonders what she had to endure as an actress, hopefully nothing that alerted the child protection agency.
- The religious elements are truly horrifying, especially if one has some respect for the church and its customs. Simple things like the tossing of holy water have a surprising amount of emotional power.
The Bad
- Some side plots are less interesting, in particular the priest’s suffering mother.
Conclusion
Horror is a tricky thing, as the line between scary and laughable can be quickly crossed over tiny, seemingly inconsequential details. This film mostly dwells on the truly frightening side, due to good acting and at times shocking exploitation of religious beliefs. It gets the details right. A truly scary movie experience.
IMDB: The Exorcist
Wikipedia: The Exorcist
Rotten Tomatoes: The Exorcist 88%