“The Exorcist” is a horror movie classic that gained an immense cult-like following from early release in 1973 to now; it’s made a noticeable footprint in the modern horror movie genre and has captivated audiences and critics alike for years now. Its popularity has been admired and parodied multiple times, like in “The Simpsons”: Season 29, Episode 4 “Treehouse of Horror XXVIII.”
My appreciation for the movie had been shown in multiple things.
The movie prayed on the human feeling of vulnerability to perceive a threat more quickly than you can distinguish whether it’s real or imagined.
The camera work added so much depth to the feeling of paranoia that the movie gives off.
The music was so perfectly timed and fitted for certain scenes and never overused. There was a classic walk on a windy day with piano playing in the background, it summed up the scene perfectly and gave a perfect horror vibe. It proved that the movie didn’t need the music to add the on-edge effect. The rumors that the set was cursed also added much more depth to how real the movie felt. Many cast and crew members such as Linda Blair, were injured, some died and unusual accidents delayed shooting. It was led to believe that the film was cursed. I would say this psychological thriller/horror was truly more disturbing than averagely scary slasher movies.
With the pros of “The Exorcist” there were cons that I found to be slightly irritating, many just being that as a watcher I’m not in this scenario so I’m not on high alert and panicked like the characters, so it causes me to rationalize and knit pick at every decision they make.
I found when characters would make semi-stupid decisions, like go into the attic, in the middle of the night after hearing footsteps, even though she knew no one was in there. I also found some scenes that were meant to give context but it just ended up just making it kind of boring. The beginning scene was uninteresting and may tempt readers to stop watching “The Exorcist.”. The characters were also under-written, and there were arguably too many to keep track of and their importance to the script. The story beyond the first act was also poorly paced.
I would 100 percent recommend “The Exorcist” to anyone who enjoys a good class horror movie, especially if you enjoy that rush of adrenaline that most slasher horror movies don’t provide.
