The Exorcist
★★★★
No matter how you end up feeling about The Exorcist, it's a film that will stay with you forever. It's shocking and horrific, but at the same time thought-provoking and challenging. It had been a while since I had seen the film and the first time I saw it, it was frightening. This time around, I wasn't nearly as scared. Once you have peaked behind the curtain, the film looses its impact. I don't want to take away from how revolutionary this film was for its time, but watching it for the second time, William Friedkin's direction felt a bit more manipulative. I know that all horror is manipulative in one way or another, but a lot more of Regan's (Linda Blair) possessed scenes didn't necessarily drive character arcs that are so prevalent in other scenes.
What I really marveled at was the acting foremost. Ellen Burstyn, Blair, Jason Miller and Max von Sydow are all terrific. I can't imagine the emotional toil it took on them to make this film. All the actors say so much without saying much at all and have to physically commit to their character's plights. The cinematography completely adds to the unknown and the special effects are particularly astounding as well. I also appreciated Friedkin's commitment to the exorcism scene. It is brutal and long and just like the characters, you want to take a break from the exhaustion.
I don't know if its because I have two girls of my own now, but the scariest scenes for me was when Regan is having all the hospital tests performed on her. My children have never had to go through something as gnarly as those procedures, but I've been a part of surgeries where there is nothing that you can do. And that's what Friedkin taps into so well with this film; the feeling of helplessness as a parent when you can't do anything to help your child. And when you have to put your trust in something that you may not completely believe in, whether it be medicine or faith, that can be the scariest thing of all.
