The Exorcist - Film Review [Scare Fest 2023]

Every generation has their horror films that were defining. The big question is always whether said films are able to stand the test of time. While there are some that are staples of a certain era, there rarely are ones that are able to still maintain relevance far beyond the release. The Exorcist was birthed out of one of my favourite decades for cinema and one that I would consider the most experimental when focusing on the studio output. There was a shift in focus during that decade where the studios just let filmmakers try things instead of forcing narratives and those telling them into a box. That choice led to many films that are now considered some of the greatest of all time. The Exorcist decided to take an interesting approach by telling a horror story that also doubled as a complex human drama. By this time in film history, most of the notable horror was ghost tales and monster movies. The Exorcist took what the horror genre was and shook it up a bit. Friedkin brought a maturity to the genre similar to what Hitchcock was able to do with such films as Psycho and The Birds. The Exorcist decided to take it a step further and blend some real complex human drama into the mix which turned it from a simple horror picture to something that stays with you past the initial viewing.

The Exorcist is a film that most are aware of so I won’t go deep into what the film is about, but the simple version is that the film follows a woman and her daughter as they are stricken with the presence of a demon. The demon takes over the daughter leading to the mom and a couple priests to take on the demon and try to rid it of its power. The Exorcist is one of those films that I can’t really sum up perfectly with a simple plot summary because it’s more of an experience. You won’t truly know what The Exorcist is until you witness it. At face value, many see this film as a horror film but I would beg to differ. The Exorcist has some horrific elements, but I feel the film is so much more than just a horror movie. Much of the film is set in one room and it really is just a dialogue between two entities, that being the priest and the demon. In many ways, this film takes on more of a drama structure as opposed to one found in horror films. There are still horrific elements, but much of the films strength comes from the script, character work and how it all comes together to take you on a ride as this otherworldly power struggle occurs. The Exorcist decides to ditch some of the cliches of the genre and take the story to another level of complexity and quality that was not as common at that point in time for the genre. Now we have arthouse horror that covers those bases, but at that period it was much less common. The Exorcist could possibly be considered the first "Elevated Horror" film.

The acting for one is stellar in this film. Linda Blair’s performance as Reagan is probably the best child performance in the history of horror films at least, maybe even in the history of film as a whole as well. In a genre where things like good acting is looked past in favour of more violence or nudity, The Exorcist is a shining example of what can be done with a strong concept, especially if the acting is top notch. Everyone is fantastic in this film, but Linda Blair is the clear standout being able to balance both the scared child side and the much more sinister and demonic nature of the other half of Reagan.

The concept itself isn’t entirely bold, especially in terms of modern cinema. It’s quite simply an argument between two powerful entities that occasionally has something truly creepy or terrifying occur. The presentation is one of the strengths of the film as it pulls you in and doesn’t let go. This film has somewhat of a downward spiral approach to its structure that is quite unnerving to most who view it. The film starts out quite normal but gets worse and more intense as it goes on until it hits the apex during the final ten minutes. The Exorcist is best described as a journey into hell and I would even attribute the structure of Dante’s Inferno to be a huge inspiration to how the film played out.

An element that everyone also loves that I agree with is the score. The Exorcist is a film that balances the loud and the quiet nicely and the score is a contributing factor to that success. The film is booming and overwhelming when it needs to be, but it also slows down from time to time for a downbeat moment. The way the film utilizes the sound design and the music accompanying it helps take the audience on this thrilling and evil ride.

The Exorcist is a film that many know and love. There isn’t too much that could be said about it as the film has been acclaimed for a while for good reason. The Exorcist is one of the most important films that fall into the horror genre for many reasons, from the genre defining performances to the elevated nature of the story and the characters in it that helped show the strengths of the genre if people utilized it correctly. The Exorcist is one of those horror films that is more of an experience than it is a easy to digest movie. There’s life before The Exorcist and there’s life after The Exorcist. It’s not just a fantastic horror film, but also a fantastic film in general especially for those who want to get into making films. The impact that The Exorcist left on the world is immense and the acclaim that it has gotten over time is completely warranted and earned. The Exorcist might possibly even be the greatest horror film ever made!

The Rating