Film Review: The Exorcist (1973)

drax(76)

Published in

Movies & TV Shows

Words

958

Reading

5 min

Listen

Play

(source:tmdb.org)

What came first – the chicken or the egg? One such debate is catalysed by the rise of Christian fundamentalism in late 20th‑century America, a process many deem crucial for the arrival of the right‑wing reaction embodied by the likes of Reagan and Bush. At least some liberals and progressives tend to see the main culprit in a newly‑found, widespread belief in Satan, in many ways fuelled by high‑budget, prestigious, and enormously popular 1970s Hollywood horror films. Others may say that those films only exploited already existing spiritual and cultural trends, building on anxieties caused by the Vietnam War, Watergate, a decaying economy, rampant crime, and the energy crisis. Whatever the answer may be, the films that sparked that debate are extraordinary, and that includes The Exorcist, the 1973 horror film that enjoys a reputation as one of the most popular, iconic, and influential examples of the genre.

The plot is based on the popular 1971 novel by William Peter Blatty, itself inspired by an allegedly true story about a rare case of an exorcism performed on a teenage boy two decades earlier. It begins with a prologue set in Hatra, an archaeological site in Iraq, where Father Lankester Merrin (played by Max von Sydow), an archaeologist and Jesuit priest, discovers a menacing statue of an ancient Mesopotamian deity he suspects to be a real‑life demon. Chris MacNeil (played by Ellen Burstyn), an actress and single mother, has arrived to shoot a film in Washington, D.C. Soon, strange noises and similar phenomena begin in her home, but the most disturbing development is what happens to her 12‑year‑old daughter Regan (played by Linda Blair), a previously perfect girl who begins to shake violently, deliberately wet herself in public, and shout obscenities. Pills fail to calm her, while invasive diagnostic procedures find no physical cause for her condition; in desperation, Chris turns to Father Damian Karras (played by Jason Miller), a Jesuit priest and psychiatrist. Initially sceptical, Father Karras comes to the conclusion that Regan is possessed by a demon and that the only remedy is an exorcism ritual. Lacking experience and spiritual strength due to his recent doubts in faith, he requests help from Father Merrin.

The Exorcist is best known for iconic images involving Regan twisting her head, vomiting, shouting obscenities, and defiling herself with a crucifix in the most degrading way possible, while speaking with a deep, malevolent voice provided by Oscar‑winning veteran Mercedes McCambridge. These scenes are shocking and unpleasant, an effect heightened for the audience half a century ago, still unaccustomed to the new, realistic make‑up and special effects that made them possible, as well as the incredibly lax censorship standards of the time which allowed such disturbing and controversial content to be linked to a 12‑year‑old girl. However, what made this film truly scary was William Friedkin’s “cinéma vérité” directing style, in many ways compatible with his previous work in The French Connection. Instead of trying to create an atmosphere of anxiety with jump scares, manipulative editing, and similar conventional horror tricks, Friedkin approaches the story of demonic possession as if it were a banal part of everyday life. There is hardly any music in the film (with Mike Oldfield’s popular ‘Tubular Bells’ theme being barely noticeable), and the realistic approach is perhaps most visible in the scene showing an extremely unpleasant cerebral angiography procedure in hospital. This scene, which apparently caused the most nausea and discomfort among first‑time viewers, adds to the macabre realism with the presence of Paul Bateson, a lab technician who would later be sentenced for a murder that inspired Cruising, another of Friedkin’s films.

This realistic approach makes the plot and its premise even scarier for the audience because it happens in a modern, urban, and ‘hip’ setting populated by enlightened and presumably progressive people like Chris and the artists and intellectuals who visit her drawing room. If this could happen to them, it could happen to anyone watching. The realism also works to underline Blatty’s bleak conclusion about the state of the modern world. Made only four years after the moon landing, The Exorcist shows how decades of rationality, science, and progress are powerless against an old, irrational, inexplicable, and unexpected Evil. And even the Catholic Church, the only force in this film’s universe able to confront such Evil, has its own potentially fatal weaknesses – the physical frailty of Merrin and the spiritual frailty of Karras – which makes the outcome of the final showdown with the demon far from a foregone conclusion. Blatty’s script for this film received a well‑deserved Oscar.

The Exorcist, like many iconic films, benefited from a great cast. Ellen Burstyn is excellent in the role of a seemingly stereotypical 1970s modern independent woman, but her talents shine when such an ordinary woman is thrown into an extraordinary situation. Twelve‑year‑old Linda Blair is remarkable in a physically and emotionally demanding role performed under a great deal of make‑up; she received an Oscar nomination but, as in many such cases, largely failed to transcend this role later in her career. Von Sydow, who also employed considerable make‑up to make his character look three decades older than the actor, delivered a strong but brief performance. The biggest acting revelation of the film is Jason Miller, an accomplished playwright and former Catholic seminary student, who delivered a powerful performance in his first screen role. His subsequent career, like Blair’s, failed to reach the same heights, but their performances in The Exorcist were enough to secure their places in history as part of an extraordinarily important piece of cinema.

RATING: 7/10 (++)