The Exorcist:
This is the film that shocked and jolted audiences, and was able to even frighten people like Stephen King. Rob Zombie said this was one of the many films to scare him as a young kid. In Washington DC, Chris MacNeil, a big-time actress and atheist, finds something strange with her usually sweet daughter Reagan after playing with an old ouija (wigi) board, and finds that possibly she has been possessed by a demon, possibly even the Devil himself. Aftert trying every scientific test in the book, Chris, as a last resort, calls two priest to exorcise her daughter... The performances in this film are incredible. Academy Award-winning actress Ellen Burstyn (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Requiem for a Dream) plays Chris. Her performance as a confident actress and loving mother quickly switched to a distubred, troubled woman trying to find help for her daughter. But this switch is not abrupt or noticeable, it's a believable and gradual switch, and it's brilliantly played by Burstyn. Jason Miller plays Father Damien Karras, a young priest at the Georgetown University in DC. He has lost faith in God after the sudden death of his elderly mother. He is a troubled and intellectual man, who begins to fall apart during the exorcism of Reagan, and builds a teacher-student relationship with Father Merrin. It's truly a powerful perofrmnce, and one that drive the film, up until Damien's selfless sacrifice at the end. Ironically, a few years later, the main character, also named Damien, from The Omen was portrayed as the Devil's son, not a holy man. At the time only in his mid-20's, Max von Sydow plays Father Merrin, the wise, old priest who teams with Damien to exorcise Reagan. It's incredible that someone so young delivers a performance that is so convincing, he really gets into character of the old, wise priest, and he's so convincing in the role, I was convinced he was actually 60-something-years-old. Lee J. Cobb plays a police detective who thinks Reagan is involved in a murder, and later becomes involved with the exorcism. The performance that really makes the last half of the film is the young Linda Blair as Regan. She, at first, plays herself, a sweet, quiet young girl, but, during the second half, she convincingly plays a putrid, sick, disgusting, vile, cruel, vulgar, and evil demon, who just happens to share the same body. Mercedes McCambridge provided the voice of the demon, and she provides a truly strange voice, with no identifiable gender. Father William O'Malley (yes, a real priest) plays Damien's friend Joseph Dyer, a fellow priest who is trying to help his friend through his tough times. The writing and direction is great. William Peter Blattey (former priest) wrote the bestselling novel, and helped with the film, and the realistic handling of a possession is astounding. William Friedkin (The French Connection) directs the film beautifully, with great cinematography. The special effects in the film are impressive, having to invent new animatronics and techniques to pull off the iconic spider crawl and head spin scenes. The haunting muscial theme by Jack Nitzsche is truly creepy and has a sinister sound. The Exorcist may not be the scariest film right now, but it's truly disturbing, convincing, and beautiful, and has some amazing performances and special effects. 5/5 stars,
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