The American supernatural horror film starring Linda Blair, Ellen Burstyn, Jason Miller and Max von Sydow follows a performance of exorcism when darkness consumes a child.
The Exorcist, like most memorable Hollywood movies, gains its power from the way it mixes opposites: new-style realism and sexual radicalism, old-style horror and religion.
Less a cleverly spun story than a disjointed collection of shockeroos, surrounding a few ghoulishly effective moments with overcooked plot twists and in-your-face vulgarity.
Without a doubt, "The Exorcist" is a touchstone in horror, seemingly incapable of taking a wrong step. Watching with the lights off is strongly encouraged. Turning them back on immediately afterwards will be a necessity.
When I first saw The Exorcist, I saw only the literal side of the story. But as I watched it again, I began to view the movie as a dark fairy tale about a parent whose child is experiencing a painful trauma.
William Friedkin's adaptation of William Peter Blatty's novel, with a screenplay by the author, is a dead-serious meditation on the struggle between good and evil.