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Movies / On DVD / The Exorcist
The Exorcist

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The Exorcist (1973)

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Reviews Counted:40

Fresh:34

Rotten:6

Average Rating:7.8/10

Consensus: The Exorcist rides its supernatural theme to magical effect, with remarkable special effects and an eerie atmosphere, resulting in one of the scariest films of all time.

Rated: R

Runtime: 3 hrs 40 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Theatrical Release:Dec 26, 1973 Wide

Synopsis: Arguably the scariest motion picture ever made, William Friedkin's THE EXORCIST was unleashed on an unsuspecting American public in 1973. The film quickly became a nationwide sensation, leading to... Arguably the scariest motion picture ever made, William Friedkin's THE EXORCIST was unleashed on an unsuspecting American public in 1973. The film quickly became a nationwide sensation, leading to religious boycotts, fainting, and a huge box office return. Oscar nominee Linda Blair beat out hundreds of other child actors to land the role of Regan MacNeil, a 12-year-old who is possessed by the devil. After exhausting all other practical options, Regan's mother, Chris (Ellen Burstyn), acknowledges the supernatural nature of her daughter's condition and recruits Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller) to stage an exorcism. Aided by the mysterious Jesuit exorcist Father Merrin (Max von Sydow), Father Damien must confront not only the supernatural phenomena in front of him, but also his own inadequate faith and displaced guilt over his mother's recent death. Friedkin brings William Peter Blatty's Oscar-winning script to shocking life by establishing a realistic, everyday tone before allowing the terror to creep in. The performances of Burstyn and Miller further help to ground the supernatural events. Like THE GODFATHER before it and JAWS shortly after, the breakout success of THE EXORCIST helped to transform Hollywood into the blockbuster behemoth of American culture. [More]

Starring: Ellen Burstyn, Max Von Sydow, Linda Blair, Jason Miller

Starring: Ellen Burstyn, Max Von Sydow, Linda Blair, Jason Miller, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty Winn, Jack MacGowran, Rudolf Schundler, Gina Petrushka, Robert Symonds, Vasiliki Maliaros, Titos Vandis, Wallace Rooney, Mary Boylan, Eileen Dietz, Mercedes McCambridge

Director: William Friedkin

Director: William Friedkin
Producer: William Peter Blatty
Composer: Jack Nitzsche
Studio: Warner Bros.

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Nov 2, 1999

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Reviews for The Exorcist

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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The overall film has a well-developed sense of atmosphere that most films of today are missing.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
11/18/08
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Friedkin and Blatty seem to care nothing for their characters as people, only as victims—props to be abused, hurled about the room, beaten and, in one case, brutally murdered.

Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment 4 Comments
08/24/08
Jay Cocks
Jay Cocks
TIME Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The Exorcist is not an unintelligently put-together film, which makes one all the more impatient with it.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment 5 Comments
03/19/08
Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
11/13/07
Susan Granger
Susan Granger
www.susangranger.com

If movies are, among other things, opportunities for escapism, then The Exorcist is one of the most powerful ever made.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
09/21/07
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A story whose archetypal pull and sheer visceral power can't be negated by even the worst audience behaviour.

Full Review Source: eye WEEKLY | comment Comment
09/21/07
Gemma Files
Gemma Files
eye WEEKLY

There's something elemental about The Exorcist.

Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | comment Comment
09/21/07
Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

There is nothing dated about The Exorcist, which remains an effective excursion into demonic possession more than a quarter of a century after it was first unveiled to the public.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
09/21/07
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The film is an intense rollercoaster ride, a marvel of audience manipulation, with director William Friedkin pushing all the right buttons to make this a genre landmark.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
09/21/07
TV Guide's Movie Guide

An expert telling of a supernatural horror story.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
09/21/07
Variety Staff
Variety Staff
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It stimulates and rewards, time and time again.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
09/21/07
Andrew Collins
Andrew Collins
Empire Magazine

This is the dark frightening place where modern horror cinema began.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
09/21/07
Channel 4 Film

This 1973 horror thriller is highly instructive as well as unnerving.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
09/21/07
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Totally ludicrous.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment 12 Comments
11/18/06
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

One of the few horror films that hold up well, The Exorcist is still scary due to the visual and sound effects, but it's also well-written by Blatty, well-directed by Friedkin, and well-acted by Ellen Burstyn as the mother and Linda Blair as her daughter

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
10/09/06
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Arguably the most troubling factor is the lack of true redemption in the twist ending, which resolves the demon possession without allowing good to triumph over evil.

Full Review Source: Decent Films Guide | comment 1 Comment
10/10/05
Steven D. Greydanus
Steven D. Greydanus
Decent Films Guide

No review available.

comment Comment
10/10/05
Chuck O'Leary
Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily

No review available.

comment Comment
09/26/05
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

provocative, thoughtful horror

comment Comment
02/26/05
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Barbarism and exploitation here parade as something deeper. Abominable.

comment 1 Comment
09/17/04
Jake Euker
Jake Euker
F5 (Wichita, KS)
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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