Exorcist (Director’s Cut)
What defines scary in a horror movie? While many would maintain that such factors as gore, cool monsters, and cheap shock tactics fill the bill, perhaps the most important feature would be in how far said film goes to be outright DISTURBING, leaving the viewer with a feeling of dread that can sometimes linger even for years afterward. Thus was the case with many viewers upon the release of this seminal classic in 1973, scoring several Oscar nominations including Best Picture, but more importantly rocking and shocking America’s consciousness in such a way that its impact continues to be felt over 40 years later with the continuous references in other works as well as lesser quality films dealing with similar subject matter. It certainly immortalized Linda Blair as an all time screen icon for her unforgettable portrayal of a sweet, innocent, likable little girl that becomes possessed by an ancient, incredibly evil entity that claims to be (but isn’t really) The Devil himself, but in actuality is a demon known in a number of mythologies. The being’s natural and longtime nemesis is one Father Lankaster Merrin (Max Von Sydow, expertly made up to look decades older than he actually was at the time of filming), first seen at the beginning of the movie during an archaeological dig in Northern Iraq, finding a trinket with the demon’s face and subsequently seeing several signs that tell him that he must prepare to face off with it one last time. Subsequently, the demon comes into the life and soul of Blair’s Regan McNeil, who summons it by unwittingly playing with a Ouija board by herself (highly unadvisable) and as the film’s meticulous first hour of buildup and character development unfurls (rare in the genre even today), she starts to display more and more outlandish behavior and is even brought in and given a series of tests to which the doctors can find nothing wrong and nothing to explain her behavior. In an interesting development, it turns out that Regan and her mother (Ellen Burstyn, a portrait of a woman suffering horribly watching her child suffer) are both avowed atheists (which may explain what made them easy targets) with Burstyn even being a famous movie actress carrying on an affair with the sleazeball director of the film she’s acting in (Jack MacGowran, who died during filming under what was said to be semi-mysterious circumstances). When the director winds up having his head twisted nearly clean off and thrown out the window (after a possible rape and / or molestation attempt on Regan), Burstyn is forced to set aside her atheism and attempt to make arrangements for The Catholic Church to sanction an exorcism with the help of Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller, the true male star…and hero…of the film, despite being nominated for an Oscar in the SUPPORTING category), an intense yet depressed Georgetown psychiatrist suffering through an awful crisis of faith after the death of his mother whom he felt responsible for, all leading up to him summoning his courage to team with Merrin to face the demon head on. The awesomely supernatural elements notwithstanding, much of the movie’s bread and butter is achieved through great use of DRAMA, featuring a cast that is much better than the horror genre deserves, with not just the names already mentioned but also Lee J. Cobb (one of the greatest actors to ever live…look him up) in a part summarily beneath him as the police detective investigating the case who also seems to be extremely lonely in his own life, inviting Karras out to hang with him and watch movies after questioning him. For the great acting and drama on hand, in the end it’s the scares that matter, as much psychological as physical, with Burstyn’s and her house staff’s anguish over Regan’s condition, and Karras having dreams and hallucinations after his mother’s death, which are only amplified after meeting the demon who seems to know all about it and mocks him mercilessly. And of course the very gutsy Blair herself, from her infamous crucifix bit or spiderwalk or puking green pea soup or any one of several other shocking moments that makes one wonder how she had the literal maturity to go through with any of it, both gruesomely entertaining and saddeningly heartbreaking to watch given the empathy we’ve established as viewers with this sweet little girl we met in the early scenes. Some have even opined the (not totally invalid) theory that Regan’s behavior is a metaphor for her burgeoning sexuality, with the exorcism tactics representing a sort of punishment for such (not that I agree with that). Of course, the most profound element of the film and story is the renewal and affirmation of one’s own faith in the Christian sense, with the big exorcism showdown one of the most intense sequences in movie history, beautifully built up to as it is, and the gut wrenching yet moving and uplifting ending a testament as to why so many believe in God and Jesus Christ and always will, masterfully directed by William Friedkin and excellently written by original novel author William Peter Blatty (who snagged an Oscar for Adapted Screenplay from his own book). In the end, not just one of the greatest horror movies, but one of the greatest of ALL movies, bringing the writing and acting to the table first and foremost in order to scare people in a way done right…
10/10