The Exorcist (1973)

Nearly 50 years after its release, The Exorcist is still considered one of the scariest movies of all time. Join us as we discuss whether or not this film stands the test of time.

Tags: Demonic Possession

Show Notes:

The Exorcist (1973)

• Directed by William Friedkin 

• Written by William Peter Blatty 

• Based on Blatty’s novel of the same name from 1971

• Starring Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, Jason Miller, and Max Von Sydow

• Synopsis: When a young girl becomes possessed by an otherworldly entity, her mother calls on the Catholic church for help.

• More Info: When The Exorcist hit theaters in 1973 it took the world by storm. It was a box office juggernaut with movie-goers lining up for entire city blocks to see the film that everyone was buzzing about. Rumors of viewers fainting and vomiting stoked the fires of intrigue about the film. As it turns out the rumors appear to be true - a psychiatric journal even released a paper on what they called “cinematic neurosis” about the film and the reaction that it was inducing. You can watch old newsreel footage of audience reaction and how the theaters dealt with it on YouTube (watch here http://bit.ly/2pfyHIo.) Not only were audiences in awe, but the critics weren’t shy about praising this controversial film. The Exorcist was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and is now a part of the National Film Registry. The film’s reputation has held strong for nearly 50 years, and it kicked off an entire subgenre of demonic possession films (as well as 4 more films in The Exorcist franchise).

• Our Discussion: We discuss whether the extreme scenes in this movie are still as stunning today. And aside from its shock and awe tactics, we discuss what else this movie does or doesn’t have going for it. We also pose the question, why do people keep feeding Regan pea soup?