31 Days Of Halloween: The Exorcist (1973)

Hello, Bloggers, here is my second review of the day. For this review, I figured I'd discuss a film that many other people claim to be the "scariest movie of all time". Now, this film is very scary, but I wouldn't call it THE scariest movie ever. A film that I give that title will be reviewed in the end of the month and I'm not announcing what that is until then. So, for my second review, I will review the classic The Exorcist.

                                   Story:
                           The Exorcist is about a 12-year-old girl named Regan (Linda Blair) who lives with her agnostic mother Chris (Ellen Burstyn) and is possessed by a powerful demon named Pazuzu. At first, Chris turns to science to try to find out what is wrong with her daughter. Eventually, she has nowhere to turn but to a young priest named Father Karras (Jason Miller) who lost his faith, and a veteran priest named Father Merrin (Max Von Sydow) to exorcise the demon from her daughter's body.

                            What I Liked About It:
                          Now, what I really liked about this film was how the general conflict of good vs. evil was done in the form of two priests fighting an evil demon. As this demon, who is in possession of an innocent little girl, tries to take a hold on the two priests and even get a hold on Karras' psyche and guilt, both he and Merrin refuse to give up on saving this little girl and to me, that was very inspiring. But to me, what makes this film so scary is how science isn't able to prove what is wrong with Regan, which to me, shows how it is possible for such dark forces and demonic beings to exist, so it not only demonstrates the battle between good and evil, but the conflict of science vs. faith. Plus, this movie makes you too scared to not go to church, as this powerful demon possesses the daughter of a woman who has no religious beliefs, but eventually turns to two priests and gains her faith. Just like Father Karras, who regains the faith he lost as he performs this exorcism. Plus, the look of the demon that stays with you and that deep demonic voice he speaks in is pretty shocking. Oh, and I really love the film's famous "Tubular Bells" theme song.

                          What I Didn't Like About It:
                          Nothing.

                          Consensus:
                      Overall, The Exorcist is a powerful and heavily dramatic horror film that definitely deserves its title as one of the greatest horror movies ever. I feel it not only works as a scary horror film, but as a film that possibly restores your faith as you witness good trying to triumph over evil and makes you believe that it is possible for such dark forces to be real.

Rating: 5/5