The Exorcist Review: William Friedkin Redefines Horror with Classic Possession Film

   December 1, 2024

Review: While The Exorcist may feel like a dated recollection of visual ideas from a newer generation of filmmakers, William Friedkin’s daring and mannered horror film is still about as sturdy as anything made since. A tentpole movie release that paved the way for every audacious genre picture that came after it.

The Exorcist (1973)
The Exorcist (1973), directed by William Friedkin

It’s difficult to judge William Friedkin’s The Exorcist fifty years later given the influence it has instilled in the horror genre since it hit theaters in 1973. To be quite honest, The Exorcist seems rather tame by today’s standards – less straightforward scares and gory imagery than your run-of-the-mill Shudder release, and less vulgar language than even the latest Deadpool movie – but considering the time period, and the limitations in visual effects and understood guardrails that came with it, The Exorcist still remains one of the canonical releases in horror movie history.

And while I wouldn’t place it among my favorites in the genre, it did grow in my estimation on a rewatch. The story bounces around, from northern Iraq to Georgetown to detail the the ethereal, otherworldly struggle we have with quantifying existential forces. I generally roll my eyes at movies that feel the end to portray their main characters as liars on front of their peers, but this one rings true.

Chris MacNeil’s daughter Regan (Linda Blair) is possessed by the demon Pazuzu, and although we empathize with her circumstances, no one else believes this is an existential issue. It’s not until she meets Father Karras that another figure actually believes the details of the possession that she’s telling.

Watching The Exorcist through a modern lens may be tough because so much of this movie has been run through the horror system, each element being diluted to commercial tidbits to provide jump scares to audiences. The Exorcist, in contract, is a genuinely unnerving movie, using religion and fame to form a unique and introspective intersection for its characters. Chris (Ellen Burstyn) and Damien Karras (Jason Miller) are developed beyond what you’d expect from a modern horror flick, and the ideas here are baked long enough to gather a worthy reaction.

So while The Exorcist may feel like a dated recollection of visual ideas from a newer generation of filmmakers, William Friedkin’s daring and mannered horror picture is still about as sturdy as anything made since. It’s shot effectively from beginning to end, and the contents of this film are absurd and exactly as you’d expect from a certified classic.

Score: 7/10

Movies like The Exorcist (1973)

Horror movies like The Exorcist include The Pope’s Exorcist (2023), Saint Maud (2020), and Birth/Rebirth (2023).

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