The Exorcist (1973)

Want to see it?

Seen it?

0
1
2
3
4
5
Rate this movie.

Buy it now on DVD

Starting at $14.19

Want to buy it?

Write a review

Discuss it

Add to lists

Recommend it

Get recommendations

Watch trailer

Directed by William Friedkin.

Starring Linda Blair, Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Kitty Winn, Jason Miller.

Watch trailer

Novelist William Peter Blatty based his best-seller on the last known Catholic-sanctioned exorcism in the United States. Blatty transformed the little boy in the 1949 incident into a little girl named Regan, played by 14-year-old Linda Blair. Suddenly prone to fits and bizarre behavior, Regan proves quite a handful for her actress-mother, Chris MacNeil (played by Ellen Burstyn, although Blatty reportedly based the character on his next-door neighbor Shirley MacLaine). When Regan gets completely out of hand, Chris calls in young priest Father Karras (Jason Miller), who becomes convinced that the girl is possessed by the Devil and that they must call in an exorcist: namely, Father Merrin (Max von Sydow). His foe proves to be no run-of-the-mill demon, and both the priest and the girl suffer numerous horrors during their struggles. The Exorcist received a theatrical rerelease in 2000, in a special edition that added 11 minutes of footage trimmed from the film's original release and digitally enhanced Chris Newman's Oscar-winning sound work. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

[more]

Reviews and discussions

Re:Ask the Doctor...
by Dr_Gor in HORROR MOVIES 101

loved it.

"Rizzo, are you saying that you thought The Exorcist was TOO scary? ... I happen to agree with you. When I first saw this movie in the theaters during it's initial release, I was TERRORIZED out of my wits and mentally scarred forever. The first time I saw this in the theater I was 13 years old and I can remember curling up into a fetal position and wishing I wasn't there. But I kept my eyes open and watched the whole thing and I did not sleep at all that night... I was afraid my bed would start shaking... A couple of other movies that might be too scary for their own good are The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Night Of The Living Dead and Psycho ... < GOR > " [More]

Re:Ask the Doctor...
by SkyPilot in HORROR MOVIES 101

liked it.

"Great points risselada, although at the time I wasn't trying to say that a movie can fail by being too scary. I was wondering if there were films you guys have seen that suffer from striving for "too much" plausibility. I think some of the criticisms leveled at Blair Witch run in this direction. "They should have hired real actors," "why did the camera have to shake so much," etc. " [More]

Re:Ask the Doctor...
by Dr_Gor in HORROR MOVIES 101

loved it.

"This was very intriguing to me. Is it fair to say that "authenticity" in this context is close to "plausibility," the implication that the truly horrifying fantasy is framed by plausible, mundane, or recognizable experience? Part two: are there movies that demonstrate what you would consider to embody the ideal tension between plausibility and fantasy? (I was going to use the word "balance" but chose "tension" instead, because what's "balanced" about fright and suspense?) Part three: Can you think of horror movies that fail by being too plausible? (Is there such a movie?) I think it's a lot easier to think of horror movies that aren't plausible enough to truly horrify--this seems to be part of why "bad" horror movies get laughed at.[/quote] Part 1: Dealing directly with Stoker's Dracula , the story does seem to gain a BIT of plausibility when you learn that there actually WAS a 15th century Romanian 'General' or 'Warlord' of some kind named ... " [More]

Re:Ask the Doctor...
by Risselada in HORROR MOVIES 101

is neutral about it.

"To you think a horror movie can fail by being too scary? I bet some people would say so. If something is so scary it's no longer even enjoyable. I think some people like to be scared and then laugh at it, realizing it's implausable. When I see a movie that truely scares me, it's because it feels entirely plausable. And sometimes even though it was well executed to scare, I would say I wish it wasn't so scary. Maybe my somewhat recent viewing of The Exorcist would be an example. " [More]

Gabriel
by adventurousgirl5 in adventurousgirl5 Blog

hasn't rated it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"This movie is pretty sweet for action fans.And for the girls that like to see a hot angel without a shirt. This movie is about a angel named ''Gabriel'' he has to destory evil dark angels to save lifes humanity. The one thing is kind of disappionting they use ''F''word to much thats kind of a drag. U may hate it or love it. But hey its a movie. " [More]

Re:Movies that surpassed the book
by Dr_Gor in The Film Library

loved it.

"The first one that pops into my mind is JAWS . The Peter Benchley novel was quite popular among us school-kids in about the 5th or 6th grade... a couple of years before the movie came out... It was quite a bit different from the movie. There were some extremely nasty sexuall parts which led me to believe that none of the teachers or adults had read this novel, as we were all allowed to read it sitting at our desks... (same with The Exorcist !) ... (and Helter Skelter !) ... Anyhow, in the novel, Chief Brody's wife, Ellen, has a very brief but torrid affair with Matt Hooper (!) , from the time he arrives on the Island untill the three men get in the boat together... Chief Brody finds out about this affair just before the men set sail... which leads to much tention aboard the ship tosay the least... Thankfully, all of this is missing from the movie... Also, the ending was quite different and the character of 'Quint' was quite a bit different as well ... " [More]

Scarry as HELL
by rocket_tank in rocket_tank Blog

liked it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"I watched this movie several times, my first time i was little, i was born in 87 and iam not for sure how old i was but my brother bought it on pay per view and it was the unedited cut or whatever where she spiderwalked down the stairs backwards, but this was by the far the scariest movie i had ever seen, i really liked it but scarry. I am a catholic so this was scary for me cuz i know if could happen, unlike some of thoughs other horror movies. " [More]

Zombie
by Dr_Gor in Dr_Gor Blog

loved it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"I was 19 years old during the period of late '79- early 1980. And it is during that time that I wandered into a seedy, downtown Denver 'movie-house'. The only thing I knew about the movie I was about to see was the name on the marquee... "ZOMBIE"... I was STUNNED! This Movie Was PHENOMENAL! Up to this point, the 'goriest' movies I had ever seen would be "Night Of The Living Dead" and "The Exorcist" ... (I had not yet seen "Dawn Of The Dead" which was released the year before...) ... and some B-movie Drive-In fare like "Last House On The Left" and "The Toolbox Murders" and "Driller Killer" and "The Drive-In Massacre" and, of course, "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" ... This movie (for me, at the time) outdid them ALL! From the FANTASTIC 'comic book' story line to the AMAZING, 'in your face'', "GORE FX"! ( "excuse me, Miss.. ... " [More]

Wow what a movie
by kristen13 in kristen13 Blog

loved it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"I first saw this movie when I was 8 yrs. old. It scared me so much!! I still have a hard time watching it after all this time. I think it is a great film. It has all the requirements for a horror film. Dark, Creepy, and Disturbing!! I recommend you watching it at night with all the light off and hopefully with a thunderstorm outside. " [More]

A Very Special Day ...
by Dr_Gor in HORROR MOVIES 101

loved it.

"Today is 1/22/08. I noticed the Full Moon in the early morning sky on my way to work and suddenly I remembered! Today is the 49th birthday of the best actress of the past several generations! In my humble opinion, she is the most talented and stunningly beautiful actress in my lifetime! That's right... Linda Blair is 49 today. Barely a year older than me, she has litterally been the object of my dreams ever since my first viewing of The Exorcist (!) at the age of 13 ! I guess you had to be there... Anyhow, as a tribute to one of the most talented and beautiful actresses of all time and if I was going to be a 'stalker' she is the one I would pick, I would like to present my list of my favorite Linda Blair movies, which means ALL of them that I have seen, in chronological order... PS: I will refrain from commenting on these movies (as much as I can) and let you look at the SPOUT reviews or the IMDB reviews in order to keep this as short as possible.. ... " [More]

[More reviews]

Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

loved it.

Numerous viewers allegedly vomited, fainted, or just walked out, but that only helped William Friedkin's film version of William Peter Blatty's best-seller become an early-'70s blockbuster and horror milestone. Flush from his Oscar for The French Connection (1971), wunderkind Friedkin decided on a "realistic," no-holds barred approach to Blatty's reportedly fact-based novel, pushing horror special effects into new dimensions of gruesomeness (and the film way over budget in a bizarrely trouble-plagued shoot). The Exorcist went on to break The Godfather's box-office record, as Watergate-weary audiences piled in to watch the furniture fly and Linda Blair's head spin. Critics were split over whether Friedkin had taken the Rosemary's Baby (1968) mode of subtly suggestive supernatural horror into the realm of gross reactionary exploitation or whether The Exorcist disturbingly tapped into repressed fears of the unknown (including female sexuality). Regardless, bolstered by ten Oscar nominations, The Exorcist helped set the standard for R-rated horror grisliness and raise the bar for blockbuster profits. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

Tags: exorcism , horror , demon , possession , demonicpossession
View all