The Exorcist

As a cult classic, The Exorcist may not have been one of the best horror films I've ever seen, but it still deserves recognition and attention. The truly frightening scenes could be counted on one hand, but the transformation of Regan and the special effects were terrifying in their own right. The beginning was a bit drawn out, incomprehensible to me at times, but later the plot began to build up to the very finale. In short, one of those films that over time has found its rightful place among the must-see films of a lifetime. (08/20/2014)

During the scene when the bed shakes with Regan, I felt a very chilling sensation in my stomach for the first time, which showed me how confusing the previous cautiously stepping freezing had been. Because a kind of tension comes, sneaking in through the back door, unseen and unheard by anyone, and when you let yourself be lightly enticed, it strikes fully. And when the vomiting or the escalated conclusion easily overcome all the deaf moments from the first half, it's a win. This girl deserves her place among the classics. (06/13/2006)

"I think I've lost my faith..." The book itself caused such a public commotion that Warner Bros snapped up the movie rights to it almost immediately. As well as the author, they chose a rising star in directing. William Friedkin. The Exorcist was everywhere in the press and on all people’s lips, mostly in a negative way. Which, as we know, is the best way of advertising. And the crowds just kept coming, the box office takings were huge. But for all the controversy, the bans, the movie theater operators’ arrests for unauthorized screenings, people fainting in the audience, moralist outrage and tales about the director terrorizing the crew at the time, they forgot about the movie as such and what it brought (not only) to the genre. The wide range of Academy nominations change nothing about that. Although in today’s world The Exorcist has aged in terms of shockingness, but it still works perfectly on the worrying basis of “what if". Chipping away at the certainty that nothing paranormal in our world exists. The five years younger, no less phenomenal Medusa Touch works with very similar “fears" of a direct encounter with the irrational. Or at least, that’s what I think... The best moments? Apart from the very well known ending, the muted dream sequence got to me most. But I was very disappointed by the absolute refusal to exploit the ingenious main musical theme. I simply can’t think why it was used so little in the movie. The Exorcist is proof that you need “just" three things for a good horror. A director with a skill for building up and gradually thickening the atmosphere, a good screenplay and, primarily, good actors. It’s a shame that such a conjunction occurs in this genre once in a blue moon. If you’re lucky. It’s good that The Exorcist at last received recognition from a filmmaking point of view. Both the movie and Friedkin certainly deserve it. (02/09/2008)

I first saw this movie when I was 15 years old... I didn't sleep that night. Then I bought the book, read it, and discovered that it was probably the exception to the rule where the adaptation is better. I went to the movie theater to enjoy the director´s cut. I knew The Exorcist by heart, I knew what to expect from it, when what scene was coming (the few skipped ones didn't have to be there, just a digital remaster would have been fine), but I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO FU***** SCARED IN A MOVIE THEATER! As far as horror movies go, it's an inimitable thing that makes me smile at almost every movie that calls itself a horror movie. The exorcism scene is like a heart attack. Without a doubt the best horror film of all time. (01/15/2008)

This film is incredibly bold, atmospheric, and intense for its time. What couldn't be achieved with visual effects is resolved with brilliant camera work and the constant feeling of escalating tension, culminating in the literally heart-stopping exorcism sequence. It is an exceptional thing, but very difficult to watch. (11/28/2004)