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I think the film has been built up over time too much so that inevitably when I finally saw it, I would be disappointed. There are so many stories and rumors about this film and it’s making. That this film has been made into almost a modern legend. Many people can account abut the first time they saw it and how scary it as for them. It’s Like remembering a part of your very own personal history.

It’s a good film but it’s not a film that is a favorite or even a favorite for me of the genre. It is revolutionary in many ways and a definite must see for any true film fan. I was satisfied after seeing it twice. The film sets a chilling mood. The atmosphere of the film jumps from wholesome to terrifying that it is hard to pinpoint the exact moment it happens. The film puts it’s foot down and challenges all other films to a gauntlet. It mixes Human emotion, Spectacular effects and violence with a bit of shock value To make a substantial film that still haunts peoples subconscious.

I don’t Love the film, I will admittedly say I prefer THE OMEN, but I respect the film enough to say it is unforgettable and a well made film. There are so many memorable moments and scenes. There are dazzling set pieces that are both realistic and scary. The film is truly one of a kind. It has a certain magic that none of the sequels ever even comes close to. They never even have the spirit this film has.

Though it is epic in scope it feels small scale in it’s intimacies with characters and situations. As I have said the film is a marvel and not easy to forget. I agree that it is noteworthy and a shining example of it’s genre.

The multilayered story of a young girl who is possessed by a demon and the two priests who try to get the demon to leave her body without killing her. Each one has there own reason for doing the exorcism and their own personal histories that still haunt them to this day. All of the characters involve din the story has an arc there are no insignificant roles in the film.

I am not in love with the film as much as others do. One of the reasons might be that I heard about the film before I saw it. The hype around it, helped it to gain in my mind over the years a huge reputation. So that once I finally saw it for the first time it was on the big screen when it was re-released. I was 20 years old Still working at a movie theater. So I should have loved it more as I didn’t have to pay for it nor did I have anything invested in it so I should hae had a easier time with the film. I still was left disappointed by the film.

I could see what enticed other viewers and admired the film for what it was but it wasn’t a film that left me in awe like I expected it to but the film is far from a disappointment. I can agree that it is a classic especially considering when it was made and the climate around that time. So the film comes off as advanced.

The Exorcist is certainly THE horror film as it makes every other so-called horror film look like pretty innocuous. I love horror films and have watched tons and tons of them over the years but The Exorcist is the only one that I could say really scared me. Most horror films have their shock moments where you jump, or little creepy moments that make a viewer uneasy but the fear that The Exorcist elicits is something much different. It is a really deep, penetrating, lasting fear that doesn’t shake off easily like most horror films where you watch it, get your kicks from it, and then forget about it within a few days. I have seen the Exorcist over twenty times now probably and after 15+ years of watching it, now that my nerves have settled and I no longer lose sleep over this film, I just marvel at how brilliantly effective it is. It is not just a great horror film (clearly the best horror film ever made actually) but it is a great movie movie. It is one of my untouchables, that is my top 5 favorite movies ever.
The Exorcist has been voted the “scariest movie of all time” on so many polls that that statement alone should be sufficient to hook in those few who have never seen it. Why is it so effective and so scary? One of my heroes is the author and theorist John Gardner who said in his book “The Art of Fiction” that the most valuable quality of good fiction, above any stylistic gimmicks, above any soapbox pedantry and all that other peripheral stuff, is to create in the mind of the viewer what he calls a “vivid and continuous dream.” Then it is through that vessel that everything else follows. But in order for a work to achieve that it is conviction that counts most. Verisimilitude, even in the most out-there fantasy creation, is key. It is this quality that seperates The Exorcist from virtually every other horror film, and most films period, that I’ve seen. It’s a magical experience to see a film like The Exorcist that takes itself and its subject so seriously. There is no humor, no moments of levity, no ironic winking at the audience from the actors or the filmmakers as if to say, “just kidding.” And most of all The Exorcist is not a dialectical film like the atrocious The Exorcism of Emily Rose. It is not a timid film trying to play both sides while afraid to commit to either one. What The Exorcist depicts is expressed as an absolute – demons exist and can possess people and can be driven out by the ritual exorcism. It doesn’t matter if you believe in these things in life or not. You do not have to be a Catholic to accept this within the context of the movie. Because of this vivid, dream-like reality that the movie establishes you will believe it for two hours. Conviction, an honest commitment to a story and to character, and verisimilitude makes The Exorcist incredibly engaging and allows the audience to really invest in what is happening and to the characters and to be moved by drama. It moves you like the best dramatic narratives, in the way that great works of literature or films do, which is why I believe that it does transcend into something beyond just being a horror film. It is really something special.
For a movie that has so much horrific imagery, levitation, throat swelling, demonic voices, the scariest moment for me comes about halfway into it after the mother has taken her daughter to neurologist who, after all kinds of tests, can find nothing wrong with the girl so the doctors recommend a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist also fails to explain what’s wrong. Finally the mother takes her daughter to the Barringer clinic where teams of doctors, specialist, also fail to come up with any medical reason for the girls behavior. The moment comes when the team of doctors sit in a conference room with the mother and subtly tell her that they cannot help the girl and that the mother, a non-believer, might want to seek out a Catholic priest. There is something really terrifying about seeing these men and women of science, of reason, with their vast body of knowledge, basically throw up their hands, concede defeat and suggest that the ancient ritual of exorcism might be the only recourse.
For me The Exorcist is almost painfully and unremittingly intense for most of its running time. It is hard to stress just what a harrowing experience watching this film for the first time is. It is not a fun movie in the way that some slasher movies are or other supernatural films like Poltergeist or The Innocents are. It is not a happy movie. You will not feel good after watching The Exorcist. Someone described it once as the cinematic equivalent of being attacked by a wild animal. It is a movie that picks you up and takes you on a harrowing, terrifying journey and leaves you wrung out exhausted, but at least with a seed of hope planted, at the end. How many films can do that though, honestly, and stay with you, move you and scare you, and last almost 40 years when most films have a very short lifespan. The Exorcist is such a unique, miracle of a movie. A great, great film!