We've seen the devil appear in various forms throughout this countdown, but none is as frightening as the interpretation of Satan in William Friedkin's "The Exorcist." This is one of those films that you weren't supposed to watch as a little kid, but we did anyway. Was this a good decision? That would depend on the person. I know someone who is absolutely traumatized by this film and can't even stand to so much as have it come up in conversation. It's that bad. But is "The Exorcist" really that terrifying of a movie? Yes it is, in every way imaginable. Friedkin presents us with a tale that is merciless, unrelenting, and every bit as terrifying as the title would suggest.
The film follows Regan MacNeill (Linda Blair) and her mother Chris (Ellen Burstyn), as strange occurrences begin to follow her day to day at their home in Georgetown, Washington D.C. Strange sounds are heard coming from the attic, Regan complains of her bed shaking, and across town, a Madonna is vandalized at a local church. Father Merrin (Max Von Sydow), a Catholic Priest on an excavation in Iraq discovers a small statue resembling the statue of a demon he defeated long ago called Pazuzu. He believes that it will return in some form. The shape it takes on is that of Regan, after she'd been communicating with someone named Captain Howdy through a Ouija board. Chris, an actress filming a movie in Georgetown, passes a seminary everyday and often sees a young priest, Damian Karris (Jason Miller). After dealing with the death of his mother, Karris has lost his faith in God. As Regan's mother becomes more and more concerned over her daughter's strange behavior, she finally takes action consulting medical doctors after seeing her bed shaking one night after a party. The doctors tell her that the solution she is seeking, is not one of medical science, but the ancient religious ritual of exorcising any sort of presence from one's body.
I don't want to ruin anything for anybody, but the characters realize that there's something terribly wrong with this girl in this scene.
How would anyone react in that situation? Even though Chris has shown Regan no religious beliefs, she spends the entire fame shouting religious profanities and taking the name of Jesus and God in vain, if you believe in that sort of thing. The first two acts of the film are her's, making her character her own and spending the time creating enough material and spouting enough dialogue to make you lover her or hate her. She is an actress and has a very social life. The party sequence in the film is the moment when Friedkin tells us that the issue plaguing Regan can no longer be ignored and it has invaded her life. Also, it's a chilling scene in which Linda Blair shows her stuff too. The charming, funny, and silly little girl we meet at the beginning of the film is completely gone. Blair has a blank face, monotoned voice, and a stare that goes straight through the camera.
I however would like to think that this film is not in fact about Regan and Chris, but instead is about Father Karris. We meet him at a point in his life in which his faith is hanging on to him by a thread and that then it is finally severed. During this trying time, he must fight the battle to end all battles. Jason Miller provides the priest with great youth and sense of direction, even though the character is lost. More often than not, I thought his character was far more interesting than the MacNeills. Karris gave me the perspective of an outsider looking in. He himself doubted the need for an exorcism and questioned the process, a fact which the audience knows in not true - the girl is possessed (after all, there wouldn't be a movie if she was imagining the whole thing).
Merrin (Max Von Sydow) begins the exorcism on Regan (Linda Blair).
Father Merrin is the great last hope. Von Sydow has an eerie vibe about him that makes my skin crawl, no matter what film I may see him in. His low spoken dialogue and weariness about everything made me feel like there really was no hope for this girl. He arrives to help her but finds himself powerless, having to band together with Karris, as does the audience. Our only hope to come out of this movie unharmed are these two men. Friedkin does something that very few directors can accomplish. During the exorcism sequence, he doesn't hold back, taking the audience hostage. Very rarely can I say that a filmmaker is dangerous and when I do, people are somewhat confused by the statement. I need only to point to this scene as an example of a filmmaker being absolutely relentless and terrifying. Well done, Mr. Friedkin. The makeup effects on this film are superb. The work was dine my Dick Smith, legendary effects man who worked on the film with fellow artist Rick Baker, who would later go on to become a legend as well. The combination of terrifying makeup effects and practical illusions add to the horror on the actors faces.
To clarify, this review is for the original theatrical cut of the film, which isn't features a different ending and alternate scenes than on the extended director's cut (which in my opinion, is just a bit better). William Friedkin's powerful direction, a powerhouse performance by Jason Miller and Linda Blair, and terrifying makeup effects by Dick Smith make "The Exorcist" an unforgettable film. It's one of those that scared the crap out of us when we were children, but we felt compelled to watch anyways because the damn thing is so terrifying. If you say that this movie doesn't scare you in the least bit, you're flat out lying.
8.5/10
Rated R
Directed by William Friedkin
Written by William Peter Blatty
Based on the book by William Peter Blatty
Suggested edition: 40th Anniversary Blu-Ray featuring the original theatrical cut & the extended director's cut
8.0 of 10 stars on IMDb
87% on Rotten Tomatoes
No comments:
Post a Comment