The Exorcist

Rating:
Summary: The Version You Shouldn't See
Review: Friedkin's retooling of his 1973 horror classic was the closest thing he's had to a box-office success since . . . well, 1973 - which pretty much explains why he did it.

The original version was based on fundamentalist Cathaholic Wm. P. Blatty's take on the oh-so-original theme of Good v. Evil. (If I could expunge one story from the culture it would be Good vs. Evil - having, in the simplistic outlook it encourages, done untold damage over the centures. Just look at how George W. is exploiting it even now!) While it is doubtful that Friedkin actually TOOK this material seriously, he made a brilliant move in PLAYING it deadly seriously. (At least the first time around.) In my opinion “The Exorcist” is a great movie. An essentially meaningless one, but great nonetheless.

Amazingly, this most blasphemous and profane shocker was produced and promoted with the full cooperation of the Roman Catholic Church - who evidently aren't above putting the fear o’ God into people by any means. (The Church has condemned movies for far less than what we see here.) Back in '73 this only leant a greater air of credibility to the whole affair.

For a while it seemed that even if nobody believed in God anymore, it was easy for people to believe in Satan.

Its the execution that raises the original "Exorcist" to the level of popular art. Unlike Blatty, Friedkin didn't feel that anyone was actually going to learn anything from this story. (This is evident from the parts of Blatty's text that were rightly deemed expendable.) Friedkin's "Exorcist" was made solely to scare the wee-wally out of people like they’d never been scared before. A noble ambition as ever there was.

Notice that it is paced like a drama - not a horror film.

And the actors are extremely credible. Ellen Burstyn's typically brilliant performance is one of the film's chief assets, and it's really her part that we are made to identify with - a wise decision, considering. After all, who REALLY suffers the most in this movie?

The extreme care with which events are built up goes right out the window in the new version. A lot of the added footage would have made a great DVD extra - but it was all (every frame of it) on the cutting room floor for intelligent reasons. (This includes the "spider walk," which was originally left out for the sound reason that it was too extreme a manifestation of posession to be taking place so early in the film.) The scenes at the end are especially dreadful and pointless.

The beautiful sound design of the original version is ruined by the kind of graceless hack Dolby cattle-prods commonly heard in much Hollywood junk these days. “Creepy” music now overlays scenes that were far more effective without it.

You will spot every one of the "subliminal" add-ins, as they are very obvious. They undermine the carefully constructed naturalistic tone that helped the original version work.

The old "Exorcist," while incredibly graphic for the time, still achieved a lot of its effects through subtle means. The new "Exorcist" is a hyped-up and dumbed-down sorry excuse to make a buck - a mere curio derived from a great moivie. I feel confident that the original will continue to exist - since Warner Bros. probably knows that it can squeeze a few more cents out of the fact that there are now TWO versions of this cash cow to exploit. Perfect for the DVD market. (Imagine what they could do with the many re-edited versions of the ridiculous but interesting sequel on DVD!)

Basically, it's a version of “The Exorcist” in which many of the things that I loved about “The Exorcist” are now either missing or deformed.

Rating:
Summary: 5 twisted, messed up stars
Review: WOW!! This is one chiller that really lived up to all the hyp., but I don't think the "Virsion You've Never Sceen" makes this twisted, unforgetable classic any better or any worse.

I still think it was totally right for someone in Hollywood to pick this project back up and repalay it in all the movie theaters across the nation so more of the younger generation are aware of it, and so they can get a tast of some real horror with brains.

Rating:
Summary: A Classic Realistic Horror Film.
Review: When a 12 year old little girl (Linda Blair in a Oscar Nominated Role) has been Possessed by a Demon, who is Control of her Body. When a Down on his Luck Pyschiatrist Priest (Jason Miller in a Strong Performance, who was also Oscar Nominated), who tries to help the Possessed Little Girl. The Psychiatrist Priest gets help from a Professional Exorcist Priest (Max Von Sydow) to Removie the Evil Spirit out of her.

Directed by Oscar-Winner:William Friedkin (To Live and Die in L.A., Rampage, The Guardian) brings an Strong, Realistic Horror Film was Based on a True Fact. Based on the Novel by William Peter Blatty, who win an Oscar for Best Adapated Screenplay from his Novel makes this Horror Film an True Classic. This film also Win an Oscar for Best Sound. The Film was Oscar Nominated for Best Director, Best Actress-Ellen Burstyn, Best Art Director(Set Decoration), Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing and Best Picture. This film was Good Supporting Performance, including-Kitty Winn and Lee J. Cobb.

The First DVD has both Widescreen and Pan & Scan with Dolby Stereo 2.0 Surround Sound. The Special Edition DVD has Commentaries Tracks by the Director, the Novelist and the Original Sound Effects, a Documentary, Deleted Scenes and More. Well, the Newest Studio Cut by William Friedkin added 11 Minutes of Footage in the New Exorcist DVD with an New Digitally Widescreen Transfer and an New Remastered Soundtrack in Dolby Digital 5.1 Expended Surround Sound. DVD Extras are:The Original but Added Commentary Track by Director:Friedkin. Production Notes, Traliers and Radio Spots. Watch for William Peter Blatty in an Unbilled Cameo. This is a real horror classic. Grade:A.

Rating:
Summary: Good Horror Flick, Scarey and all....
Review: Well, I first saw this flick when I was 16, back around the late 1970's. We were babysitting, the kids put to bed, and we were watching the cable...it was so scarey, we were hiding behind pillows and changing the channel when it got tooo intense. It was nervous-breakdown scarey. Later, at home, I put a bible under my pillow. When it first came out, people were vomiting in the theaters, and running out in terror. Every year it's a good watch on tv, and for about the first 5 years, I'd still put a bible under my pillow afterwards.
I saw this latest version on DVD in 2001, expecting horrifying new footage, but not much has changed. If anything, other horror movies have surpassed this vintage movie on the gore and freakish-ness. Perhaps I've seen it too many times, I grew tired of the "endless wrestle with the devil in the bedroom" antics, nowdays a filmmaker would probably provide more of a variety of settings.

If you've never seen it before, it will FREAK YOU OUT. Quite alot of psychology has gone into the making of this movie to get under your skin and terrorize you. Not much gore, unless you count pea-soup vomit. But still there's so much unnatural stuff going on, subliminals, spiderwalks, etc--it will definitely disturb you. It is a classic, and probably psychologically scarier than many modern "horror" flicks.

I've also really liked the book. It seemed rather beautiful, poetic and well written, could not put it down. Alot of the psychology of the priest and what he was going through.

I wonder what it would be like if David Lynch remade the Exorcist, with all his surrealist bag-o-tricks.

Rating:
Summary: The Scariest Movie Of All Time!
Review: This movie is about a twelve year old girl named Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair) who starts to act strangly. Her mother, Chris (Ellen Burstyn) takes her to different doctors day by day and do numerous tests on her (spinal taps...etc.). They find out that nothing is medically wrong with her and consult her to find a priest. Since Chris is not a big religious person, she goes to a Jesuit priest, Damien Karras (Jason Miller). He tells Chris that her daughter is possessed by an evil force and needs to have an exorcism. After seeing "Help Me" on her stomach, he pleads to the Catholic Church to approve of the exorcism. Father Merrin helps Damien proceed in the exorcism as Regan's body starts to turn into a demonically figure. When they find out it's a demon named Pazuzu (Mercedes McCambridge) who is possessing Regan, Father Merrin starts to doubt his fight for her life as Damien starts to doubt his faith. As the demon takes full control of Regan, the exorcism starts to go downhill. Father Merrin and the demon have already fought once before and Pazuzu now knows all of Father Merrin's weaknesses. Pazuzu ends up killing Father Merrin and now Damien is on his own for the fight. When he sees there is nothing else to do, he tells the demon to come into him. And he does, then after fighting within hisself and the demon, the demon throws him out the window and he dies. Now Regan is freed from the evil force of Satan....or is she????

Rating:
Summary: You're gonna die up there....
Review: This is what Regan says to an astronaut attending the party in the novel. This is one of those rare films that captures the essence of the book. If you haven't read the novel...please do so! As a child the imagery of this film terrified me. As an adult the idea of a demon/entity taking over me is disturbing. I especially like the scene where Dectective Kinderman is questioning Regan's mother about Burt's death.

Rating:
Summary: Besides Stephen King's It, this is the scariest movie
Review: The Excorcist is probably one of the scariest movies ever made, with some of the most unforgettable scenes ever cought on film. If you are under the age of ten, i suggest not watching it because you will be scared out of your mind, that's not a promise, thats a guarantee, other than that I suggest to everyone to watch this movie, i really do. Although the focus of the movie is on a girl "possessed"by Satan, it really is a movie about faith and whether or not a catholic priest really has it. I can't give away the ending but this movie will raise many a question as well as hairs while being viewed.

Truly this is a timeless classic and would make a great dating movie, this movie hopefully would chase the girl or guy for that matter into your arms, it is that scary. I have yet to try it out, but hopefully i can convince her to watch it. Any who I really suggest you viewing this movie, it is some scary stuff and I'm pretty sure you won't leave without feeling a little different after watching it. See my listmania list and other reviews for other great movies.

Rating:
Summary: An Absolute masterpiece of Terror and the Macbre.
Review: In 1973, Audiences around the world were scared out of their
Wits when they saw a film about a young girl possessed by
The Dark one. Still terrifying today, even though the special effects are good and not CGI, it's been a Horror favorite among
Fans of Horror for years and if your a Horror lover, then add
this DVD to your library.

Other similar movies i would recommend: The Evil Dead, Evil Dead
II, Poltergeist, The Shining, Roland Emmerich's Making Contact
and Hellraiser.

Rating:
Summary: A Good Story Gone Better
Review: The Exorcist Was a great movie. This one's even better. One of the deleted scenes was the vamous "Spider Walk." That I think was the scariest part of the movie. Other scenes of the movie are'nt that amusing. The oringinal plot was a great movie. The deleted scenes in the book like "The Spider Walk." The book said that when she came down the stairs she flicked her tongue like a weird snake. But in the movie she got down the stairs and spit out blood. If you find my review helpful vote for me. Thank You!

Rating:
Summary: STINKS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: Stupid!Stupid!Stupid! Dumb, pointless hard to watch without falling asleep. Bad acting.This has to be the worst movie ever!!