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The Exorcist (1973) 8.0
Ratings:
8.0/10 from 197,327 users
Metascore: 82/100
Reviews: 958 user | 277 critic | 24 from Metacritic.com When a teenage girl is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two priests to save her daughter. Director:William Friedkin |
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Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Ellen Burstyn | ... | ||
| Max von Sydow | ... | ||
| Lee J. Cobb | ... | ||
| Kitty Winn | ... | ||
| Jack MacGowran | ... | ||
| Jason Miller | ... | ||
| Linda Blair | ... | ||
| Mercedes McCambridge | ... |
Demon
(voice)
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| William O'Malley | ... |
Father Dyer
(as Reverend William O'Malley S.J.)
|
|
 |
Barton Heyman | ... |
Dr. Klein
|
| Peter Masterson | ... |
Dr. Barringer - Clinic Director
(as Pete Masterson)
|
|
|
|
Rudolf Schündler | ... |
Karl
|
|
|
Gina Petrushka | ... |
Willi
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|
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Robert Symonds | ... |
Dr. Taney
|
|
|
Arthur Storch | ... |
Psychiatrist
|
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
Storyline
A visiting actress in Washington, D.C., notices dramatic and dangerous changes in the behavior and physical make-up of her 12-year-old daughter. Meanwhile, a young priest at nearby Georgetown University begins to doubt his faith while dealing with his mother's terminal sickness. And, book-ending the story, a frail, elderly priest recognizes the necessity for a show-down with an old demonic enemy. Written by Andrew Harmon <aharmon@erols.com>
Taglines:
Now... Open your eyes to... (1976 re-release) See more »Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated R for strong language and disturbing images | See all certifications »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USARelease Date:
26 December 1973 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Exorcist: The Version You Haven't Seen Yet See more »Filming Locations:
3600 Prospect Street, Georgetown, Washington, District of Columbia, USA See more »Box Office
Budget:
$10,497,444 (estimated)Opening Weekend:
$8,175,666 (USA) (22 September 2000)Gross:
ESP 1,343,229,032 (Spain) (29 June 2001)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
| (director's cut)Sound Mix:
70 mm 6-Track (1979 re-release)| DTS-ES (director's cut)| Dolby Digital EX (director's cut)| Mono (original release)| SDDS (director's cut)Color:
Color (Metrocolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
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Written by Krzysztof Penderecki
Courtesy of Candide/Vox Productions, Inc.
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
As advised by a studio executive, Director William Friedkin made several cuts to the movie prior to the release, citing that the scenes were unnecessary. This offended William Peter Blatty, the author of the novel and screenplay whom he had befriended, who thought these scenes formed the heart of the movie. Blatty even refused to speak to Friedkin for some time, but they eventually made amends. Many years later, when the immense popularity of the movie warranted a re-release, Friedkin agreed to re-evaluate some of the deleted scenes and put several of them back as a favor to Blatty, creating an extended "Version You've Never Seen". By his own admission, Friedkin tends to see this extended version as his favorite. See more »Goofs
Near the end of the picture, Father Karras's stole seems to disappear in Regan's room, but that's because he puts a blue pullover on top of it because it's cold in there. See more »Crazy Credits
There are no opening credits after the title. Although it is commonplace now, it was unheard of in 1973. See more »Soundtracks
"String Quartet (1960)"Written by Krzysztof Penderecki
Courtesy of Candide/Vox Productions, Inc.
See more »
"The scariest movie of all time". Some movie goers agree and some disagree. I belong to the former group, though I would like to rephrase it to "One of the scariest movies of all time". For those of you who have been living in a cave for the past twenty two years, the story is of a pre-pubescent girl, Regan (Linda Blair), possessed by a demon whom purports to be the Devil himself ("Now kindly undo these straps!").
In this day and age of schlock fest horror films being relentlessly released (or spewed out for want of a better term) by the big wig studios on a quest to cash in on the latest teenage trend, this premise for a horror story may not seem so scary to most. However, it's the road we take to arrive at this supposition that makes this film stand out from the rest.
The seeds of dread and fear are planted early with screen legend Max Von Sydow's Father Merrin receiving disturbing and familiar Omens of what is to come during an archaeological dig in Northern Iraq.
We're then taken to the setting where the real horror will begin in the Georgetown home of Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn), a successful divorcée film actress living with her daughter Regan. We're initially presented with a Regan who loves horses, has a close and loving relationship with her mother, is uncomfortable with the strained relationship between her parents and has the innocent demeanour and narrow vocabulary of every normal young girl.
The carefully crafted and ever so gradual change in Regan's personality, the strange drawings and figurines she creates, the emergence of Captain Howdy (Regan's imaginary friend) and strange outbursts ("You're gonna die up there") and so called physical convulsions force Chris to turn to doctors and eventually psychiatrists to try and get to the bottom of Regan's ever worsening behaviour. Her vocabulary becomes quite extensive with spine chilling, sudden maturity and her outbursts more terrifyingly violent. After exhausting all the "somatic" possibilities for Regan's troubles Chris desperately seeks help from world weary Jesuit Psychiatrist Priest Father Karras (Jason Miller) requesting an exorcism.
By the time Karras meets Regan, any semblance of the innocent young girl has completely vanished. Karras is grappling with his faith and subsequently doubts she is truly 'possessed'. Finally convinced that an exorcism is the way to go, he seeks permission from the Catholic Church, who grant him with the condition that he perform it with the help of the experienced Father Merrin.
Merrin arrives like a knight in shining armour for the ultimate showdown! A great screenplay by William Peter Blatty (based on his book), intelligent directing from William Friedken and outstanding performances from all the cast, particularly Ellen Burstyn as the traumatised mother make for a classic piece of horror that will stand the test of time. 10/10