@@JamesVSCinema Max Von Sydow was only 43 years old when Exorcist was filmed. They made him look older. Kudos to hair and make up team which actually won the very first Academy Award for it. Exorcism scene was shot inside a meat freezer to achieve the condensation effect while talking. These days would have been CGI.
I think the vulgarity of the language that Regan uses in this movie is partially what makes it so shocking. It's still shocking by today's standards so you can only imagine what audiences thought in 1973.
I agree. I mean, kids these days do swear to a certain extent, but not to that extreme. Certainly, in the 70's, kids didn't swear nearly like Regan did when she was possessed.
Actually, they used woman named Eileen Dietz stand in for Linda Blair for the language and other disturbing scenes. Linda Blair was about 13 or 14 years old during filming. Producers and director thought that these scenes would be too disturbing for Linda. Eileen was about 15 years older than Linda. Plus, I think man's voice dubbing those words as Regan saying to her mother.
It was everything from the contorted positions regan was subjected to,the language, the cross scene, makeup was esp unlike anything. I love the character development & transitions of the characters in this
Its very hard to believe in superstitions these days but imagine being in a time when science wasn't very advanced. One would be so scared of ghosts and believe in Jesus Christ or other man made Gods to feel protected.
The makeup on Max von Sydow is the best old-man makeup I've ever seen. For years, I thought he was permanently seventy years old. Ellen Burstyn is the MVP of this film. If her performance fails, everything else falls apart. She carries the film (along with DP Roizman) until it's time for the exorcism.
Truly excellent makeup, but I'll credit another movie as well: When I first saw F. Murray Abraham as an old Salieri in Amadeus, and then they showed a scene of him as a younger, albeit mature man, my initial thought was "Wow, they really made him look young!"
It's better than any old person make up done nowadays. I also thought this man has always been old. When I watched the movie I thought the actor was old, and some years algo I just went: How come he has wlays been old? What's going on? lol
The book is fantastic and very well worth reading. It provides an enormous amount of backstory and the sense of visceral fear on each page is as strong if not stronger than the masterpiece of a film. One of the greatest literary adaptations ever.
At the beginning of the film, Father Merrin uncovers the head of a little figurine of the demon Pazuzu, whom he recognized because he had previously exorcised the demon several years before. So then he has a premonition later that another battle with Pazuzu is coming, with the clock randomly stopping and him almost getting ran over by the carriage. So to confirm his suspicions he goes to some old ruins where there is an old statue of Pazuzu and knows for certain when he sees the dogs fighting each other (the dogs of war have been unleashed). The dissolve to Georgetown right after is to show you where this battle between good and evil is going to take place.
The scene where Linda Blair recognized the collar and hugs the priest. She associated the collar with those who saved her. I would check the 3rd movie. Skip 2. I love James Earl Jones, but it was a cash grab. 3 Continues this story and what happened with Damian.
Goes to show, keep it simple. The spinning head was tested in a car to see people's reaction to know it's going to work apparently. Can you imagine that looking at you as you pull up at the traffic lights... They also did part of the filming in a walk in freezer for storing meat which is how they got the breath so visual. I think this movie affected everyone the first time around as people was used to hammer house of honor movies and this was soo next level. Then again it's still frighteningly good even by today's standards.
Yes today's films mostly use the 4 second rule, any image should only be on screen for a max of 4 seconds, it is a false way to make it appear there is action happening all the time when there isn't.
Max Von Sydow who plays father Mirren was in his young around his late 30s or early 40s yet the prosthetic makeup made him look elderly. As Max Von Sydow actually became old he looked as identical as he did here! Just goes to show how amazing the makeup was!
Definitely, when I saw him in “The Force Awakens”, I thought, “ How does he look the same way he did in 1974?” I was convinced he was the oldest person on Earth!
That’s true because I saw him on star wars and I was like what?? How old is he really? Only to find out that he was relatively young at exorcist and the makeup just did its magic
The reason the demon was speaking with a British accent was because it was mimicking the voice of Brook Dennings. At the party and completely sloshed, he kept using the word "cunting", which the demon copies. The implication is that the demon is telling Chris that it killed him.
Yes. Alot of reactors missed that. They missed the part where she channels the drunk man at the train station to Father Karras in his first visit. This is an actual demon inside of the girl and this movie portrays it perfectly.
The British accent she spoke in was Burke's voice. That's why she turned her head backwards well. She broke his neck and threw him out of her window. Also, that was the first time I heard the word "kcunt" use as a verb.😆😆😆.
come to NZ and you can hear it used as a noun, pronoun, verb, adverb, adjective...I was stunned when I moved her from South Africa...every second word.
Linda Blair, who played the little girl was actually nominated for an Oscar for her performance, along with Ellen Burstyn, who played her mother.. and the movie itself is one of the few (if not the only) horror films to be nominated for 10 academy awards, including Best Picture
There's something really unnerving bout the Exorcist. It's not outright scary with jumpscares or whatever, but once it sets in, it really starts to get frightening and tense
@@fyessssss Yeah, I think of Hereditary as the new Exorcist. Unlike a slasher, where you root for everyone to die (Midsommar), these 2 films invest you in a family nightmare
@@JamesVSCinema It's even more unnerving when you go to see it in a late night screening at the cinema and sit in a fairly empty movie theater in the dark and the sound and the editing and atmosphere begins to make you start to think maybe it isn't just a movie... Ha!
Where are all my 70’s & 80’s first generation, religious background babies at?!?! The arrival shot of Fr Merrin will always be one of my favorite shots. The lighting was perfection.
At the time of the screenings this movie actually caused people to pass out and some reportedly had heart attacks. There are a number of documentaries (some on youtube) about it, the Catholic church were strong supporters of this movie also. It wasnt just the fact that nobody had ever seen anything like this before, due to the times people were far less cynical and had more faith in religion so this was very realistic to many in the audience, giving it a much bigger impact that would be impossible to replicate now. Hence the heart attacks. The only thing missing from your experience however is the fact you have to watch these at home and not in a theatre. Two years ago I watched this in an old dusty 1930s cinema which is no longer in use on Halloween night. Quite an experience.....Part two in the series is missable although part three is entirely watchable.
My cousin worked at a theater when this was released. I can 100% attest that people were running out of the theater every showing. I was too young to see the film then but the manager and other employees were talking about how they were going to handle the liability issues, medical responses, ticket refunds, etc. Audiences back then had never seen anything like this and simply weren't able to deal with it . . . different times.
As a teen when this was released, I remember very clearly the hype about this movie. Of course due to curiosity, I HAD to go see it & it was no joke about how many people could not sit through it. James, I think you should check out "The Omen" too. Personally, I found it to be more disturbing than this one - it will have you sitting on the edge of your seat.
@@JamesVSCinema There's more to it then just that. Her head turns around cause it's what happened to Burke. He's asking the mother if she knew what Regan did to him before she threw him out the window.
I am 52 years old. I saw this movie when I was about 10 years old. I watch it every Halloween, and to this day it is the only movie that scares me. I love horror, but there is not a single horror movie that truly frightens me like the Exorcist.
The demon in this movie is named Pazuzu and he was actually worshipped during ancient Mesopotamian times. In that regard, he is a "real" demon in human history. The amulet of him they use in this movie is accurate. In the movie, the opening is in Iraq and the amulet is a warning to father Merrin that Pazuzu wants a rematch. Father Merrin has exercised Pazuzu put of another person in the past and Pazuzu gets his rematch through Regan. This is part of the reason Regan/Pazuzu sits wide-eyed on the bed after Father Karris finds Father Merrin dead, Pazuzu himself is a bit surprised he finally killed his opponent... Father Karris has major guilt because he is losing his faith in God and on top of that his uncle puts his mom in a mental home instead of a elderly care home to save money and she's traumatized by it and dies there before he can get her out. That's what Pazuzu uses against him in the movie. He defeats Pazuzu in the end but at a huge cost obviously... The book is great and goes into so much more detail than the movie as usual. I highly suggest you read it in your spare time. Here's a link on more information about Pazuzu and his role in Mesopotamian religion: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pazuzu
Man, this and Exorcist 3 are a fantastic double feature. We don't talk about the second one. Also, I've been to Georgetown multiple times and let me tell you, those stairs are pretty terrifying in person.
With 2 they were trying to latch onto Linda Blair basically being a celebrity and on the verge of becoming a sex symbol (that may sound creepy; which it is, but before you cast it as merely a thing of the past.... They pretty much did the same with Miley Cyrus). It's main focus seemed to be putting her in questionable attire and clomping through a terrible plot. The third however was deliciously spine tingling. It was not at all the same kind of movie, but was more artsy and jump scare based. The ending is a bit cringey, but the whole movie is a bunch of fun.
What are your thoughts on the new Exorcist trilogy that Universal Pictures is going to release in late 2023? It's not a remake though and Ellen Burstyn is going to star in it. I really hope they push the boundaries and make it rated X if their going to scare audiences to another level.
I noticed as well that they really focused on her innocence and her close relationship with her mom so that when the demon came into play it hit you in the face and made you feel for the characters! This is a great movie!!!
I really appreciate that you watched the theatrical cut. The later cuts did add some important scenes from the book, but also added some (to me) unnecessary "spooky" effects. This is the very first reaction I've seen to the theatrical cut and it was really a breath of fresh air. Thanks, James!
one of the things that's easy to miss is the exorcist's severe heart condition -- you see him popping nitro pills several times, and if i remember correctly, the spilled tin of pills is by his body when he dies.
I love how when Regan is being hypnotized she has her right hand in the air, the same as the demon statue in the beginning, also the demon was very cunning saying the fake holy water burned, to plant the seed of doubt in Karas mind that Regan is faking and not possessed.
You are not a typical “popular” reaction channel. They are alot of channels that seem uninterested in what they are reacting, but you seem real. I watch your videos and it’s like talking to a movie friend that i never had and have same mindset and same observational skills in film language and filmmaking. This movie is emotionally exhausting and it is one of my favorite movies in general. Great fucking channel
Yes. That’s answer to your question about, “was there any controversy around this film.” It was released on Christmas Day 1973. Surprisingly the church did not condemn the film but that could have been due to increased attendance. The film flirted with getting an X rating. So some dialogue and scenes were trimmed to get the R rating instead. I remember my dad and mom went to see it and mom was very disturbed by it. Very disturbed. Still, the film is a seminal film in horror history as showing just how far you can go with a film and get the audience to come with you. The directors cut was released in the mid 2000s by William Friedkin. It has a “sunnier” ending with the detective going to the movies with the priest who read Damien his last rites after going down the stairs at the end. That was meant to let the audience know that everything is going to be ok. Great film and it’s one every horror fan should see.
That scene at the beginning in Georgetown in the fall with the wind blowing & leaves falling really captures the feeling of the film. Those nuns walking by for some reason creeped me out ?! I watched this film as a kid back in the 70’s scared the hell out of me. Still does❤️
The "director" in the movie at the beginning is... William Peter Blatty who wrote the novel, he also wrote a sequel, "Legion" and adapted and directed it for the big screen, it's the real sequel to this one, "The Exorcist 3" a masterpiece too (in its theatrical version only, don't watch the last version)...
What I love is how they portray EVIL as a presence, a vibe which is extremely difficult to do ... other movies portray evil in terms of murders and hurting people but this one puts the fear in you just by projecting an evil presence into your heart ....
Mike Oldfield's debut album "Tubular Bells" is very famous, but it was not written for the movie. That tune has its own history. Oldfield is musical genius - he played all the instruments and recorded them himself on one a simple tape recoder.
It is about time that "The Exorzist" was on your list. I was 15 when read the book in 1974 and woke my family up for weeks just about every night, because I had nightmares. Then in 1976 with 17 I watched the movie and I went to the bathroom everytime a scary scene started (5 times at least). We were only 8 people in the big film theater and that made it even more scary. It took me till 1998 till I watched the film again and I appreciate the preformens, the editing, the story telling, the music, every picture frame, lighting so much more. It is a masterpiece. I watched "The Exorzist" for more than 20 times by now, but I never read the book again. The book is much more scary than the film, my imagination is worst.
It's interesting to me that they chose Pazuzu to be the demon. In the original Mesopotamian mythology while he was a King of Demons he also drove away other evil spirits, so they would often invoke Pazuzu to ward off other demons or spirits. His appearance at the end has always had a double meaning for me that I don't think the author or film makers intended, in that his physical appearance coincides with the demons being driven away and the possession ending.
Brilliant movie. Great story that slowly builds from eerie and unsettling to scary as hell. The effects are great, especially for the time and the acting.......flawless. Linda Blair, Ellen Burstyn, Jason Miller and Max von Sydow just puts in four amazing performances. This movie is almost 50 years old and still stands as one of the best, maybe even THE best, horror movies of all time.
That staircase has been a hot spot for tourists in Georgetown ever since. They put thin black rubber pads on each stair, and the stuntman who did the fall did it twice. Whatever they paid him, it wasn't enough. Love Regan kissing Father Dyer at the end and not quite understanding why she did it herself. Something in her knew that she owed a man in a collar a great deal. The actress who voiced the demon was from my hometown, Mercedes McCambridge. She'd recently recovered from alcoholism and deliberately went off the wagon for this part, drinking whiskey, smoking, gargling eggs, all to create the scariest voice ever.
Congrat, on being the first reactor of your generation to get Pazuzu's origin story and not just brush past it and blame the ouija board... And, thanks for not going ham on comparing this film to todays slop fest of senseless murder called horror... Thanks for listening/watching and not here for the jump scares but for the story... Cause I have tried watching other younger reactors and it is sad how they've been conditioned for the reaction and not the story...
Agreed. This demon was worshipped in Mesopotamia and Babylon, so being that the beginning of the film was set in Iraq it makes sense some statues of this demon would show up, because Babylon was where modern Iraq is now.
Young people are now obsessed with the "kill count" as some sick indicator of how good the movie is. I don't find what I call 1,000 ways to kill a teenager good entertainment. As far as I'm concerned - Joss Whedon dropped the mic on that subjecy with Cabin in The Woods.
@@Seereene1 I’m a little hard pressed to find teenagers that actually use a kill count as their indicator how good a movie is, because there certainly have been horror and thriller movies today that don’t have high kill counts (Hereditary for instance or Don’t Breathe). I think if the movie category was “Gore” then the movie should deliver on how many people die in brutal ways. All the Saw movies fell into this category, especially the later ones
@@Seereene1 as an 18 yr old who knows a lot of people the same age who like horror i don't know anyone who thinks the amount of kills a horror movie has makes it good. most popular horror movies today whether it be something like the conjuring or hereditary don't rely on kills at all. you seem to be confusing young people now with young people back in the 80s in the age of friday the 13th lmfao
Amazing to think that was Jason Miller's (father Damien Karras) first film and he was nominated for an Oscar. Not many people have had that honour. I only found out last year that he was the father of Jason Patrick from the Lost Boys.
In the scene where Regan's head turns backward to address her mother in that Mans voice - that was the Film Director's voice, the one she threw out the window and was found with his neck broken to the point where his head was backwards. Get it - The demon turns her head backwards, like the director's broken neck head and then uses his voice to ask if the mother knew what Regan had done... as in killed him.
Aaaah yes! This is a brilliant movie with some terrific (and horrific) performances. Definitely one of my top ten horror movies of all time. Also With fellow Swede Max von Sydow in brilliant old age make-up, he was in his early 40's when this was made.
This is one of my favorite movies. As many times as I’ve seen it it’s like I discover something new everytime, like when Karris is listening to the audio recording and you hear her yelling for Merrin
According to the DVD commentary, the beginning of the film, Father Merrin uncovers the head of a little figurine of the demon Pazuzu, whom he recognized because he had previously exorcised the demon years ago. So then he has a premonition later that another battle with Pazuzu is coming, with the clock randomly stopping and him almost getting ran over by the carriage. To confirm his suspicions, he goes to some old ruins where there is an old statue of Pazuzu and knows for certain when he sees the dogs fighting each other (the dogs of war have been unleashed). The dissolve to Georgetown right after is to show you where this battle between good and evil is going to take place. This movie is a slow burn, once it captures you, it doesn't let go.
I wasn't alive during the original release but my parents told me that it was probably the most controversial film ever released and people lined up for hours to watch it. At the time it was the highest-grossing film of all time then overtaken by Jaws in 1975.
Lines around the block, ambulances stationed outside of the theatre as people were fainting and getting sick. It just made me want to see it even more..lol
Mark Kermode, British Film Critic extraordinaire, claims this as his favorite film. He has seen it over 100 x, wrote a book and did a documentary on it. Linda Blair, who played Regan, is a lovely woman. She said she used to love watching Max Von Sydow come in mornings as a mid 40 year old tall healthy athletic man, disappear into makeup, and come out as the elderly Merrin (who had a heart condition - you saw him take nitroglycerin in the early part of the film). Kermode met her at a restaurant not long ago, and he was so nervous meeting her he could barely speak. This film was in Georgetown (DC area). I went to Catholic schools near there most of my life. driven by those steps many times. The nuns in my school said this was based on a young boy in a suburb of Maryland. I saw the film in Georgetown when it came out (i was in high school). slept with my light on for years.
One of the greatest films of the 1970's. I saw this at a midnight movie screening back in 1992 when it was the only place you could see it as it was unavailable in the UK on video. It was like discovering hidden forbidden treasure.
Same here. I saw it in the mid-90s in a late night screening in the West End as it was passed for release in London cinemas and as you say, it wasn't available at all on home video nor was it shown on TV in the UK then. It felt so atmospheric to see the iconic poster in the lobby and walk into the dark knowing we were watching something powerful and mysterious that had been buried since the 1970s!
Ahhh for the "video nasty" days again. So innocent. I still remember my old Dad bringing a copy of "The Evil Dead" home from a foreign business trip, felt like I had been smuggled a brick of cocaine!
@@iangrant3615 we probably saw the same original 35mm print that toured the late night cinema circuit for decades! I clearly remember it having the old "X" certificate rating at the beginning which got me very excited, haha.
I feel like so much of what made this film terrifying for my mom's generation is very cultural time period based? like back then americans were more openly religious, and certainly more openly catholic and I think that really tied into the very real fear people back then had about this movie.
I don’t disagree with you. But I think there are still quite a number of people who are religious in America nowadays too. They just stay more quiet for fear of persecution.
You are correct. Times are different now. Just like every era the subject of religion and spirituality change over time. People are not as deep into religion today. They may be spiritual and believe in something higher. But they don't believe it in as much as a Biblical way would. I'm not Catholic but I went to Catholic school as a kid and a Christian Academy so, this got to me as a kid. But as an adult, not so much. My beliefs are not the same, and I'm just mentally stronger than I was back then.
Nominated for 10 Oscars including Best Picture but won for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound Editing. The film was a box office success making $400 million dollars at the box office against a $13 million dollar budget. Adjusted for inflation it would have made $1 billion dollars. It's also said that movie is cursed as most of the cast and crew got into unexplained accidents before and during filming.
Father Merrin takes nitroglycerin for a heart condition. The demon, Pazazu, wants to battle the old ailing Father. Pazazu beckens Merrin's name in the reverse recording. It's aware Father Merrin is approaching even before he shows at the door 19:56 and demandingly bellows Merrin's name when he enters Regan's home. Paul Bateson appeared as the radiological technologist in the hospital scene. He was an actual radiographer. He was later convicted of murder and was a suspected serial killer
Oh man bro, I was totally stoked to see this video pop up; it is such an amazing film. How despite it being a horror, it was predominantly shot in the light. The sound design is downright core-shaking at times with the extremely unsettling voice work. The cinematography feels a bit odd to modern viewers with its long, drawn-out holds on certain shots, and yet in the end, you understand how it all added up and just how impactful the buildup had been... I have never felt like a "horror" film that relies on jump scares and gore as it's focus, is actually much of a horror film at all; that's all just action-slasher stuff (my opinion.) A film however, that truly captures and delivers the unsettling feeling of pure dread, which hangs onto your thoughts long after the film is over, is truly pure horror. The Exorcist certainly plants itself in your head.
Someone's probably mentioned it by now but a fun fact I always enjoy sharing: when Father Dyer, an actual priest, is giving Damien the last rites at the bottom of the stairs and his hands are trembling, they're trembling because right before he said "action," William Friedkin slapped the shit out of him.
I love how The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, plays homage to this movie * when The Conjuring shows the priest arrive to the young man's house, it is the same framing as the Exorcist movie poster
I saw this as a high school student when it first came out. We had to wait in line for over an hour in the cold, which only intensified the movie's effect. For me, the realistic medical scenes and the way they are filmed and edited began the feelings of disgust and horror and it just got worse from there. When we left the theater we were all shaking and the girl who was driving had to sit and have a cigarette until she stopping shaking enough to drive. I didn't sleep that night, and didn't watch any horror movies for years afterward.
This movie was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, and Best Picture, among others. It won two - Best Writing and Best Sound.
The theme is Tubular Bells and written by Mike Oldfield. As a side note, I had an uncle who was a priest and knew one of the priests involved in the exorcism. That is all the entire family was ever told. I asked my online photography students to recreate the best the could they cover shot to show them how the inverse square law works
This movie was nominated for Best picture , best actor(Jason Miller) , best actress(Ellen burstyn) , Best Chlid Actress (Linda Blair) , best screenplay(which they won), best director
Dude, people were literally fainting in the theaters during this movie. If not that, walking out a quarter ways in. They just couldn't take it anymore. Reporters were doing live shots from theaters talking to stunned patrons as they left the theater to get their reaction. Didn't stop lines from forming around the block with people waiting to see it. (This was before the era of the multiplex). It was quite the phenomenon. There's been nothing quite like it before or since. I saw it in a darkened theater in full surround stereo with all the horrific voices and beastial sounds coming at you from all around, and believe me it was terrifying. Several times I wanted to walk out myself.
"Was there a lot of controversy about this movie ?" I had to pause to laugh for a moment. Seriously, there's days of content to go through about the making of this movie, its impacts, and how it f'ed up Linda Blair's life. It's all worth digging into - this is the stuff of moviemaking urban legends.
It was a horror movie making experiment. The director was relentless. Whether it was appropriate to be viewed by the public later, was an afterthought. This is a stand alone horror movie for sure.
Dude, I just watched this for the first time as well like a month ago. Truly fucked up, and horrifying. The history of people seeing this movie in the theaters, and leaving halfway through, throwing up, screaming as they leave theaters is insane. But just imagine, this was like the first “legit” horror movie for their time. It’s truly disturbing. The crucifix scene….you know which one. Truly disgusting.
@@MichaelBrown101 I remember parents groups during that time wanting to prosecute or somehow punish Linda Blair's parents for allowing her to appear in the film. It was incredibly controversial.
The making of this movie is fascinating. They brought in massive industrial sized fans to cool the air so much in the house, you could see the actors real breath. Set people shaking the walls and floors and using bungie cords on the mother when she gets punched by her daughter. Apparently she did her own stunt, and got hurt in the process. All adds to the immersion. The full length version with the spider walk and the other deleted scenes is the greatest! The priest is the Dad to Jason Patric too which i only found out recently.
My father showed me this when I was 12 years old in 2000 when I said I wanted to see a more adult horror movie. I remember when Regan started growling it was the first time I had chills crawl up my spine. And my face was so close to the TV that time LMAO I never slept that night. The first movie that truly terrified me out of my mind. It's still so hard to top this one given how old this film is.
The great thing about all of the sudden cuts is that the scenes build so much tension... and then cut. There's no "payoff" for that scene other than the suspense itself. You're just left with an unnerved feeling that something's been left unresolved as you're forced to move on to what's next.
When William Friedkin's big screen adaptation of The Exorcist hit theaters in 1973, it instantly became a cultural phenomenon and must-see event. ... During a screening in New York, reports claimed several audience members ran from the theater in hysterics, while others fainted or vomited. I definitely believe it
This movie defined the tropes for possession movies. How they looked, how far you could go, what a demonically possessed person should look and act like. You can still see its influence in movies today. That, to my mind, is the difference between a good movie and a great movie.
It is the purest expression of cinematic horror. The Shining is for me the most impressive filmmaking within the horror genre, but The Exorcist is the most impressive horror film, if that makes any kind of sense at all. The Exorcist novel by William Peter Blatty is also excellent and really worth reading. The true power of the book and the film is that they approach the subject like a documentary or an investigation. We see each possible explanation presented and never fully disproved, so we are left to make up our own minds, which means we take from it whatever fears we went in with!
To this day my mom will not allow this movie to be shown in her house. I didn't see it till I was in my early 20's and it was rereleased in theaters for the 25th anniversary.
I thoroughly enjoyed your reaction and recap. This movie is so powerfully intense with the build up to an explosive ending. You are right, the acting is top tier along with the screenplay, score, visuals and unrelenting direction by the great William Friedkin. The different emotions the film gives you is extreme. This film has not only stood the test of time but it also is better with repeat viewings. Maybe someday you can view it again alone, in the dark with no distractions. You will get the total immersive experience. Thank you for your review.
There was an incredible story about the late and wonderful William Peter Blatty - the author and screenwriter of The Exorcist - that will always stay with me. When he worked at BMP, the Head of Television commuted from Brighton every day. On his work travels he started reading The Exorcist and found it unbearable, evil, couldn't finish it, and ended up throwing it off the Brighton Pier. Blatty learned of this, so he soaked a copy of his book in water and left it in the top drawer of the guy's desk for him to find.
I really love the history of when this movie was released to theaters. its sooooo amazing to see how much a movie , horror or not , can really drive many viewers to have the reactions the movie creators wanted. (and far more at that!) if we really break it down we see this movie is very simple and very "calm" unlike how many horror movies have a strong score at every moment or the side/main characters have too much filler and tropes . with this we see the basics of our characters who half of them , being mother and daughter , are highly relatable and dont need huge backstory to feel captivated by the viewers . we see our church characters who the audience trust to bring piece . once things crumble everything the audience feels safe about is now pure fear . and that is the most frightening thing of it all . the graphic content that gets worse and worse is all happening in the same home that just had a mother and daughter safe and happy . in my best opinion is horror movies need to take a moment and really think about how relatable can your characters be and be made that for a good portion of the audience and then let the spiral work and play . that is what can make things really REALLY stand out . thank you if you read this far and if my wording seems off please forgive i have a disorganized disorder
@@LukeLovesRose such a well written script. The book is great too, if you haven’t already read it. When it came out, my uncle who was just a youngster at the time, read it in one sitting. He was so scared he couldn’t sleep….so he pulled an all nighter and read it again.
Everyone say she was possessed by the Devil, but Satan doesn't tend to possess. Demons possess, the statue was actually a real Sumerian deity named Pazuzu. He in reality played both negative and positive roles. He could bring famines but he could also protect against other demons. Apparently, even demons can have beef with one another.🤷
First time I saw this, uncut, was on VHS in '82. I was 14 and it was just so shocking. The music, editing, cinematography, smash cuts, acting and special effects (remember... no CGI at all back then) were amazing. They actually refrigerated the set in act 3 to see the actors breath. Cool reaction. And I HIGHLY recommend watching the documentary The Fear of God by BBC. Amazing interviews and behind the scenes footage show what they all went through to film this masterpiece.
There are many documentaries (even on UA-cam) showing the absolute phenomenon this movie was and the hysteria it created. Keep in mind this came out in 1973. The world had never seen anything like this. An absolute classic.
Another fantastic reaction, James👏👏I know Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair received Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress nominations, respectively, for their performances. I thought the casting and performances were top tier across the board. ☮❤
Finally getting to this film! What are your favorite moments? Want to vote on what I should watch next? Click here! www.patreon.com/jamesvscinema FIRST TIME WATCHING JUJUTSU KAISEN & Squid Game Tuesday. Enjoy the day!
You like intelligent sci-fi horror, so if you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend Jon Dies At the End. Based on a more complicated novel. Same director as Phantasm, which would be a great reaction too. I’m 51 & lots of kids my age snuck into that one & were scarred for life! lol
When I growing up this film was denied a home video certiticate (or rating) as part of the moral panic of the 'Video Nasties' of the 80s. As a result it achieved legendary status amongst horror fans and I was forever fascinated with watching it but couldn’t. Instead having make do with the Leslie Nielsen spoof Repossessed or its sequels or reading the original novel. At age 13. Finally watching the film when it was re-released at the cinema and granted a home video, even with years of anticipation did nothing to diminish its power to get under your skin As a piece of filmmaking it taught me alot in terms of pacing, foreshadowing (the white eyed figures and the loud pounding in the Iraq prologue, the play fight between mother and daughter) and the power of sharp cutting between light and dark, loud and quiet. Even now having watched the film so many times it still gives me chills.
William Friedkin the director in the very interesting documentary called Leap of Faith said that the possession was orchestrated to attack the young priest as he was already questioning God's motives, Father Damian was the target.
The actress for Regan (Linda Blair) fractured her lower spine during a thrashing scene due to a mechanical failure. It later developed into scoliosis. The production team thought she was just acting at that moment and didn't realize she was in pain.
Though Linda Blair didn't win an Oscar for this, she was nominated! She _did_ come away from this role with a Golden Globe *and a broken back* from the scene where she's whipping back and forth in bed. (She explains it, along with the full dailies of the shot where it happened in the Shudder series Cursed Films.)
![NEVER AGAIN!! | NON-Horror Fan Watches THE EXORCIST (1973) *Reaction* [YouTube Edit]](/img/n.gif)
The power of Christ compels me ... to like and share this video!!
Hahaha noice!
@@JamesVSCinema Max Von Sydow was only 43 years old when Exorcist was filmed. They made him look older. Kudos to hair and make up team which actually won the very first Academy Award for it. Exorcism scene was shot inside a meat freezer to achieve the condensation effect while talking. These days would have been CGI.
Can I get an Amen!!?
@@latinguitar2 Amen! 😁
@@latinguitar2 Amen
I think the vulgarity of the language that Regan uses in this movie is partially what makes it so shocking. It's still shocking by today's standards so you can only imagine what audiences thought in 1973.
I agree. I mean, kids these days do swear to a certain extent, but not to that extreme. Certainly, in the 70's, kids didn't swear nearly like Regan did when she was possessed.
Hahaha yeah, it was the swearing that was shocking
Actually, they used woman named Eileen Dietz stand in for Linda Blair for the language and other disturbing scenes. Linda Blair was about 13 or 14 years old during filming. Producers and director thought that these scenes would be too disturbing for Linda. Eileen was about 15 years older than Linda. Plus, I think man's voice dubbing those words as Regan saying to her mother.
It was everything from the contorted positions regan was subjected to,the language, the cross scene, makeup was esp unlike anything. I love the character development & transitions of the characters in this
Its very hard to believe in superstitions these days but imagine being in a time when science wasn't very advanced. One would be so scared of ghosts and believe in Jesus Christ or other man made Gods to feel protected.
The makeup on Max von Sydow is the best old-man makeup I've ever seen. For years, I thought he was permanently seventy years old. Ellen Burstyn is the MVP of this film. If her performance fails, everything else falls apart. She carries the film (along with DP Roizman) until it's time for the exorcism.
Facts, when I was a youngin, I legitimately thought he was old.
Truly excellent makeup, but I'll credit another movie as well: When I first saw F. Murray Abraham as an old Salieri in Amadeus, and then they showed a scene of him as a younger, albeit mature man, my initial thought was "Wow, they really made him look young!"
And yet Proemtheus which was made in like 2012 has the worst old man makeup!
It's better than any old person make up done nowadays. I also thought this man has always been old. When I watched the movie I thought the actor was old, and some years algo I just went: How come he has wlays been old? What's going on? lol
@Gerald H I agree with you 100% on your comment about Miss Ellen Burstyn´s performance! Wow, such an amazing job!
This movie is almost 50-years-old, and it is still jarringly frightening.
It’s so unrelenting in its evilness
The book is fantastic and very well worth reading. It provides an enormous amount of backstory and the sense of visceral fear on each page is as strong if not stronger than the masterpiece of a film. One of the greatest literary adaptations ever.
@@planetwatch0000 luv Burke Dennings 😂😂😂
@@JamesVSCinema based on true story..Ronald Doe 1949 Maryland
@@JamesVSCinema The Fear of God The Making of The Exorcist...
At the beginning of the film, Father Merrin uncovers the head of a little figurine of the demon Pazuzu, whom he recognized because he had previously exorcised the demon several years before. So then he has a premonition later that another battle with Pazuzu is coming, with the clock randomly stopping and him almost getting ran over by the carriage. So to confirm his suspicions he goes to some old ruins where there is an old statue of Pazuzu and knows for certain when he sees the dogs fighting each other (the dogs of war have been unleashed). The dissolve to Georgetown right after is to show you where this battle between good and evil is going to take place.
That scene also represents good vs evil
The scene where Linda Blair recognized the collar and hugs the priest. She associated the collar with those who saved her. I would check the 3rd movie. Skip 2. I love James Earl Jones, but it was a cash grab. 3 Continues this story and what happened with Damian.
Man I love how old films just let scenes breath. Really helps to immserse the viewer and grow a sense of familiarity with the location
YES. Hit the nail in the head. I agree!
Goes to show, keep it simple. The spinning head was tested in a car to see people's reaction to know it's going to work apparently. Can you imagine that looking at you as you pull up at the traffic lights... They also did part of the filming in a walk in freezer for storing meat which is how they got the breath so visual. I think this movie affected everyone the first time around as people was used to hammer house of honor movies and this was soo next level. Then again it's still frighteningly good even by today's standards.
Yes today's films mostly use the 4 second rule, any image should only be on screen for a max of 4 seconds, it is a false way to make it appear there is action happening all the time when there isn't.
Max Von Sydow who plays father Mirren was in his young around his late 30s or early 40s yet the prosthetic makeup made him look elderly. As Max Von Sydow actually became old he looked as identical as he did here! Just goes to show how amazing the makeup was!
That’s so wild!!
Max started playing old, broken characters in the mid-1950s and kept it up for 60 years. No one else had that gravitas.
Definitely, when I saw him in “The Force Awakens”, I thought, “ How does he look the same way he did in 1974?” I was convinced he was the oldest person on Earth!
That’s true because I saw him on star wars and I was like what?? How old is he really? Only to find out that he was relatively young at exorcist and the makeup just did its magic
That’s incredible cause i never knew it was old man makeup, that’s how good it is
The reason the demon was speaking with a British accent was because it was mimicking the voice of Brook Dennings. At the party and completely sloshed, he kept using the word "cunting", which the demon copies. The implication is that the demon is telling Chris that it killed him.
Yes. Alot of reactors missed that. They missed the part where she channels the drunk man at the train station to Father Karras in his first visit. This is an actual demon inside of the girl and this movie portrays it perfectly.
The British accent she spoke in was Burke's voice. That's why she turned her head backwards well. She broke his neck and threw him out of her window. Also, that was the first time I heard the word "kcunt" use as a verb.😆😆😆.
come to NZ and you can hear it used as a noun, pronoun, verb, adverb, adjective...I was stunned when I moved her from South Africa...every second word.
I watched this on video when I was 12, was quite the education.
Linda Blair, who played the little girl was actually nominated for an Oscar for her performance, along with Ellen Burstyn, who played her mother.. and the movie itself is one of the few (if not the only) horror films to be nominated for 10 academy awards, including Best Picture
It should've won for Best Picture. It was such a ground breaking film that had a huge impact.
Jason miller was nominated too
There's something really unnerving bout the Exorcist. It's not outright scary with jumpscares or whatever, but once it sets in, it really starts to get frightening and tense
Unsettling for sure
Reminds of the same uneasy feeling you get when you watch Hereditary.
@@fyessssss Yeah, I think of Hereditary as the new Exorcist. Unlike a slasher, where you root for everyone to die (Midsommar), these 2 films invest you in a family nightmare
@@sarabrucker7847 The Shining is also on this side of the fence.
@@JamesVSCinema It's even more unnerving when you go to see it in a late night screening at the cinema and sit in a fairly empty movie theater in the dark and the sound and the editing and atmosphere begins to make you start to think maybe it isn't just a movie... Ha!
Where are all my 70’s & 80’s first generation, religious background babies at?!?! The arrival shot of Fr Merrin will always be one of my favorite shots. The lighting was perfection.
At the time of the screenings this movie actually caused people to pass out and some reportedly had heart attacks. There are a number of documentaries (some on youtube) about it, the Catholic church were strong supporters of this movie also. It wasnt just the fact that nobody had ever seen anything like this before, due to the times people were far less cynical and had more faith in religion so this was very realistic to many in the audience, giving it a much bigger impact that would be impossible to replicate now. Hence the heart attacks. The only thing missing from your experience however is the fact you have to watch these at home and not in a theatre. Two years ago I watched this in an old dusty 1930s cinema which is no longer in use on Halloween night. Quite an experience.....Part two in the series is missable although part three is entirely watchable.
My cousin worked at a theater when this was released. I can 100% attest that people were running out of the theater every showing. I was too young to see the film then but the manager and other employees were talking about how they were going to handle the liability issues, medical responses, ticket refunds, etc. Audiences back then had never seen anything like this and simply weren't able to deal with it . . . different times.
As a teen when this was released, I remember very clearly the hype about this movie. Of course due to curiosity, I HAD to go see it & it was no joke about how many people could not sit through it.
James, I think you should check out "The Omen" too. Personally, I found it to be more disturbing than this one - it will have you sitting on the edge of your seat.
The british voice that Regan speaks in after the crucifix scene is Burke’s, the guy who fell down the stairs
Makes sense now!
Dude, I was actually looking for that info! Thanks!
@@JamesVSCinema There's more to it then just that. Her head turns around cause it's what happened to Burke. He's asking the mother if she knew what Regan did to him before she threw him out the window.
The book makes a few things like that more clear. I definitely recommend. Very good read.
I never knew that, and now it makes sense, top comment
I am 52 years old. I saw this movie when I was about 10 years old. I watch it every Halloween, and to this day it is the only movie that scares me. I love horror, but there is not a single horror movie that truly frightens me like the Exorcist.
The demon in this movie is named Pazuzu and he was actually worshipped during ancient Mesopotamian times. In that regard, he is a "real" demon in human history. The amulet of him they use in this movie is accurate.
In the movie, the opening is in Iraq and the amulet is a warning to father Merrin that Pazuzu wants a rematch. Father Merrin has exercised Pazuzu put of another person in the past and Pazuzu gets his rematch through Regan. This is part of the reason Regan/Pazuzu sits wide-eyed on the bed after Father Karris finds Father Merrin dead, Pazuzu himself is a bit surprised he finally killed his opponent...
Father Karris has major guilt because he is losing his faith in God and on top of that his uncle puts his mom in a mental home instead of a elderly care home to save money and she's traumatized by it and dies there before he can get her out. That's what Pazuzu uses against him in the movie. He defeats Pazuzu in the end but at a huge cost obviously...
The book is great and goes into so much more detail than the movie as usual. I highly suggest you read it in your spare time. Here's a link on more information about Pazuzu and his role in Mesopotamian religion:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pazuzu
From a Book of Enoch’s & Genesis 6’s perspective, Pazuzu would be considered a Nephilim.
Merrin coming to the house is one of my favorite shots in cinema
Badass atmosphere right there
That's the cover art of the Blu-ray too!!
Man, this and Exorcist 3 are a fantastic double feature. We don't talk about the second one. Also, I've been to Georgetown multiple times and let me tell you, those stairs are pretty terrifying in person.
totally. the third one is this under-appreciated gem and the second one is um... it's something.
Legion is sssssooooo good. I hate Carp too 😆
The Exorcist 2 was a brave film. The studio was brave to call that nonsensical dumpster fire a sequel to The Exorcist and release it.
With 2 they were trying to latch onto Linda Blair basically being a celebrity and on the verge of becoming a sex symbol (that may sound creepy; which it is, but before you cast it as merely a thing of the past.... They pretty much did the same with Miley Cyrus). It's main focus seemed to be putting her in questionable attire and clomping through a terrible plot.
The third however was deliciously spine tingling. It was not at all the same kind of movie, but was more artsy and jump scare based. The ending is a bit cringey, but the whole movie is a bunch of fun.
@@billhicks6449 Wait, do you mean Linda Blair, not Tatum O'Neil?
I don't even like horror as a genre, but this film is so much more. It's visceral. It will never be equalled.
Thats a shiny hat you got yourself there.
Horror is my favorite genre, but I despise modern horror lol
What are your thoughts on the new Exorcist trilogy that Universal Pictures is going to release in late 2023? It's not a remake though and Ellen Burstyn is going to star in it. I really hope they push the boundaries and make it rated X if their going to scare audiences to another level.
William Friedkin will tell you it's not a horror movie.
I noticed as well that they really focused on her innocence and her close relationship with her mom so that when the demon came into play it hit you in the face and made you feel for the characters! This is a great movie!!!
I really appreciate that you watched the theatrical cut. The later cuts did add some important scenes from the book, but also added some (to me) unnecessary "spooky" effects. This is the very first reaction I've seen to the theatrical cut and it was really a breath of fresh air. Thanks, James!
one of the things that's easy to miss is the exorcist's severe heart condition -- you see him popping nitro pills several times, and if i remember correctly, the spilled tin of pills is by his body when he dies.
The Exorcist is really Karras, though. He ultimately gets the demon out of Regan. The movie isn't really about Merrin.
Those smegging pills give me a rotten headache!
“Until she rots and lies stinking in the earth” is one of the most evil and badass lines ever written to paper.
Shoutout to Max Von Sydow for having one of the greatest character entrances ever filmed here.
I love how when Regan is being hypnotized she has her right hand in the air, the same as the demon statue in the beginning, also the demon was very cunning saying the fake holy water burned, to plant the seed of doubt in Karas mind that Regan is faking and not possessed.
The mother is actress Ellen Burstyn, who played the mother in Requiem for a Dream. Two amazing performances 30 years apart.
One of the greatest films ever made. I’m not talking about just for horror but of any genre. They don’t make this kind of horror anymore.
Skip pt 2 and definitely watch The Exorcist III. It is one of the best psychological thrillers of all time, great cast and wonderfully filmed.
Plus it has Fabio in it.
Agreed! Brad Douriff really sells his villain part!
You are not a typical “popular” reaction channel. They are alot of channels that seem uninterested in what they are reacting, but you seem real. I watch your videos and it’s like talking to a movie friend that i never had and have same mindset and same observational skills in film language and filmmaking. This movie is emotionally exhausting and it is one of my favorite movies in general. Great fucking channel
Yes. That’s answer to your question about, “was there any controversy around this film.” It was released on Christmas Day 1973. Surprisingly the church did not condemn the film but that could have been due to increased attendance.
The film flirted with getting an X rating. So some dialogue and scenes were trimmed to get the R rating instead. I remember my dad and mom went to see it and mom was very disturbed by it. Very disturbed.
Still, the film is a seminal film in horror history as showing just how far you can go with a film and get the audience to come with you. The directors cut was released in the mid 2000s by William Friedkin. It has a “sunnier” ending with the detective going to the movies with the priest who read Damien his last rites after going down the stairs at the end. That was meant to let the audience know that everything is going to be ok.
Great film and it’s one every horror fan should see.
Why would the church condemn it?
That scene at the beginning in Georgetown in the fall with the wind blowing & leaves falling really captures the feeling of the film. Those nuns walking by for some reason creeped me out ?! I watched this film as a kid back in the 70’s scared the hell out of me. Still does❤️
The "director" in the movie at the beginning is... William Peter Blatty who wrote the novel, he also wrote a sequel, "Legion" and adapted and directed it for the big screen, it's the real sequel to this one, "The Exorcist 3" a masterpiece too (in its theatrical version only, don't watch the last version)...
Um no. The character, Burke Dennings, is the director in this film. William Peter Blatty had a cameo as a producer in this though.
Can we all just take a moment to appreciate how well directed this film is. The direction is superb. I can’t applaud it more.
Agreed!
the sound design is some of the best ever imo
@@helvete_ingres4717 Without a doubt. It’s incredible 👍
What I love is how they portray EVIL as a presence, a vibe which is extremely difficult to do ... other movies portray evil in terms of murders and hurting people but this one puts the fear in you just by projecting an evil presence into your heart ....
great reaction of a classic!! PLEASE watch next "The Others" with Nicole Kidman from 2001 great horror suspense movie with a GREAT TWIST!!
Seconded! Great performances, marvelous atmosphere, and a cool and clever story. :)
Love, love, love The Others
The documentary style is what makes this such a classic.
Mike Oldfield's debut album "Tubular Bells" is very famous, but it was not written for the movie.
That tune has its own history. Oldfield is musical genius - he played all the instruments and recorded them himself on one a simple tape recoder.
Plus he was about 18 when he made it.
And I have it...on vinyl!!!
@@Jett371 that doesn't make you special.
It is about time that "The Exorzist" was on your list.
I was 15 when read the book in 1974 and woke my family up for weeks just about every night, because I had nightmares.
Then in 1976 with 17 I watched the movie and I went to the bathroom everytime a scary scene started (5 times at least). We were only 8 people in the big film theater and that made it even more scary.
It took me till 1998 till I watched the film again and I appreciate the preformens, the editing, the story telling, the music, every picture frame, lighting so much more. It is a masterpiece.
I watched "The Exorzist" for more than 20 times by now, but I never read the book again. The book is much more scary than the film, my imagination is worst.
It's interesting to me that they chose Pazuzu to be the demon. In the original Mesopotamian mythology while he was a King of Demons he also drove away other evil spirits, so they would often invoke Pazuzu to ward off other demons or spirits. His appearance at the end has always had a double meaning for me that I don't think the author or film makers intended, in that his physical appearance coincides with the demons being driven away and the possession ending.
Brilliant movie. Great story that slowly builds from eerie and unsettling to scary as hell. The effects are great, especially for the time and the acting.......flawless. Linda Blair, Ellen Burstyn, Jason Miller and Max von Sydow just puts in four amazing performances.
This movie is almost 50 years old and still stands as one of the best, maybe even THE best, horror movies of all time.
That staircase has been a hot spot for tourists in Georgetown ever since. They put thin black rubber pads on each stair, and the stuntman who did the fall did it twice. Whatever they paid him, it wasn't enough. Love Regan kissing Father Dyer at the end and not quite understanding why she did it herself. Something in her knew that she owed a man in a collar a great deal. The actress who voiced the demon was from my hometown, Mercedes McCambridge. She'd recently recovered from alcoholism and deliberately went off the wagon for this part, drinking whiskey, smoking, gargling eggs, all to create the scariest voice ever.
Congrat, on being the first reactor of your generation to get Pazuzu's origin story and not just brush past it and blame the ouija board... And, thanks for not going ham on comparing this film to todays slop fest of senseless murder called horror... Thanks for listening/watching and not here for the jump scares but for the story... Cause I have tried watching other younger reactors and it is sad how they've been conditioned for the reaction and not the story...
Hey anytime! At the end of the day, story is always important!
Agreed. This demon was worshipped in Mesopotamia and Babylon, so being that the beginning of the film was set in Iraq it makes sense some statues of this demon would show up, because Babylon was where modern Iraq is now.
Young people are now obsessed with the "kill count" as some sick indicator of how good the movie is. I don't find what I call 1,000 ways to kill a teenager good entertainment. As far as I'm concerned - Joss Whedon dropped the mic on that subjecy with Cabin in The Woods.
@@Seereene1 I’m a little hard pressed to find teenagers that actually use a kill count as their indicator how good a movie is, because there certainly have been horror and thriller movies today that don’t have high kill counts (Hereditary for instance or Don’t Breathe). I think if the movie category was “Gore” then the movie should deliver on how many people die in brutal ways. All the Saw movies fell into this category, especially the later ones
@@Seereene1 as an 18 yr old who knows a lot of people the same age who like horror i don't know anyone who thinks the amount of kills a horror movie has makes it good. most popular horror movies today whether it be something like the conjuring or hereditary don't rely on kills at all. you seem to be confusing young people now with young people back in the 80s in the age of friday the 13th lmfao
Amazing to think that was Jason Miller's (father Damien Karras) first film and he was nominated for an Oscar. Not many people have had that honour. I only found out last year that he was the father of Jason Patrick from the Lost Boys.
@@TackJorrance Jason Miller is actually Jason Patrick's real life father.
@@TackJorrance Just to make it 100%that you understand it this time Jason Patrick's full name is Jason Patrick Miller Junior.
I didn't know he was Jason's father. That's cool.
In the scene where Regan's head turns backward to address her mother in that Mans voice - that was the Film Director's voice, the one she threw out the window and was found with his neck broken to the point where his head was backwards. Get it - The demon turns her head backwards, like the director's broken neck head and then uses his voice to ask if the mother knew what Regan had done... as in killed him.
Aaaah yes! This is a brilliant movie with some terrific (and horrific) performances. Definitely one of my top ten horror movies of all time.
Also With fellow Swede Max von Sydow in brilliant old age make-up, he was in his early 40's when this was made.
This is one of my favorite movies. As many times as I’ve seen it it’s like I discover something new everytime, like when Karris is listening to the audio recording and you hear her yelling for Merrin
Definitely an overpowering watch, one of the most important films ever made,
According to the DVD commentary, the beginning of the film, Father Merrin uncovers the head of a little figurine of the demon Pazuzu, whom he recognized because he had previously exorcised the demon years ago. So then he has a premonition later that another battle with Pazuzu is coming, with the clock randomly stopping and him almost getting ran over by the carriage. To confirm his suspicions, he goes to some old ruins where there is an old statue of Pazuzu and knows for certain when he sees the dogs fighting each other (the dogs of war have been unleashed). The dissolve to Georgetown right after is to show you where this battle between good and evil is going to take place.
This movie is a slow burn, once it captures you, it doesn't let go.
I wasn't alive during the original release but my parents told me that it was probably the most controversial film ever released and people lined up for hours to watch it. At the time it was the highest-grossing film of all time then overtaken by Jaws in 1975.
Lines around the block, ambulances stationed outside of the theatre as people were fainting and getting sick. It just made me want to see it even more..lol
Mark Kermode, British Film Critic extraordinaire, claims this as his favorite film. He has seen it over 100 x, wrote a book and did a documentary on it.
Linda Blair, who played Regan, is a lovely woman. She said she used to love watching Max Von Sydow come in mornings as a mid 40 year old tall healthy athletic man, disappear into makeup, and come out as the elderly Merrin (who had a heart condition - you saw him take nitroglycerin in the early part of the film). Kermode met her at a restaurant not long ago, and he was so nervous meeting her he could barely speak.
This film was in Georgetown (DC area). I went to Catholic schools near there most of my life. driven by those steps many times. The nuns in my school said this was based on a young boy in a suburb of Maryland. I saw the film in Georgetown when it came out (i was in high school). slept with my light on for years.
One of the greatest films of the 1970's. I saw this at a midnight movie screening back in 1992 when it was the only place you could see it as it was unavailable in the UK on video. It was like discovering hidden forbidden treasure.
Same here. I saw it in the mid-90s in a late night screening in the West End as it was passed for release in London cinemas and as you say, it wasn't available at all on home video nor was it shown on TV in the UK then. It felt so atmospheric to see the iconic poster in the lobby and walk into the dark knowing we were watching something powerful and mysterious that had been buried since the 1970s!
Ahhh for the "video nasty" days again. So innocent. I still remember my old Dad bringing a copy of "The Evil Dead" home from a foreign business trip, felt like I had been smuggled a brick of cocaine!
@@stewrmo LMAO!!
@@iangrant3615 we probably saw the same original 35mm print that toured the late night cinema circuit for decades! I clearly remember it having the old "X" certificate rating at the beginning which got me very excited, haha.
I feel like so much of what made this film terrifying for my mom's generation is very cultural time period based?
like back then americans were more openly religious, and certainly more openly catholic and I think that really tied into the very real fear people back then had about this movie.
Great point!
I don’t disagree with you. But I think there are still quite a number of people who are religious in America nowadays too. They just stay more quiet for fear of persecution.
You are correct. Times are different now. Just like every era the subject of religion and spirituality change over time. People are not as deep into religion today. They may be spiritual and believe in something higher. But they don't believe it in as much as a Biblical way would. I'm not Catholic but I went to Catholic school as a kid and a Christian Academy so, this got to me as a kid. But as an adult, not so much. My beliefs are not the same, and I'm just mentally stronger than I was back then.
I heard someone say none of their Jewish friends found this film scary, so yes the horror is very entrenched in Christianity 😅
@@ineverreplyback I don't necessarily mean physical persecution, but yes, that's what I'm talking about.
Nominated for 10 Oscars including Best Picture but won for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound Editing. The film was a box office success making $400 million dollars at the box office against a $13 million dollar budget. Adjusted for inflation it would have made $1 billion dollars. It's also said that movie is cursed as most of the cast and crew got into unexplained accidents before and during filming.
Father Merrin takes nitroglycerin for a heart condition. The demon, Pazazu, wants to battle the old ailing Father. Pazazu beckens Merrin's name in the reverse recording. It's aware Father Merrin is approaching even before he shows at the door 19:56 and demandingly bellows Merrin's name when he enters Regan's home. Paul Bateson appeared as the radiological technologist in the hospital scene. He was an actual radiographer. He was later convicted of murder and was a suspected serial killer
Oh man bro, I was totally stoked to see this video pop up; it is such an amazing film. How despite it being a horror, it was predominantly shot in the light. The sound design is downright core-shaking at times with the extremely unsettling voice work. The cinematography feels a bit odd to modern viewers with its long, drawn-out holds on certain shots, and yet in the end, you understand how it all added up and just how impactful the buildup had been... I have never felt like a "horror" film that relies on jump scares and gore as it's focus, is actually much of a horror film at all; that's all just action-slasher stuff (my opinion.) A film however, that truly captures and delivers the unsettling feeling of pure dread, which hangs onto your thoughts long after the film is over, is truly pure horror. The Exorcist certainly plants itself in your head.
PLEASE WATCH PART 3 BEFORE HALLOWEEN. Please. Part 2 is garbage but 3 should have been part 2. The timing is perfect before HALLOWEEN. Enjoy
Someone's probably mentioned it by now but a fun fact I always enjoy sharing: when Father Dyer, an actual priest, is giving Damien the last rites at the bottom of the stairs and his hands are trembling, they're trembling because right before he said "action," William Friedkin slapped the shit out of him.
@@habitsrabbit so he'd have that reaction
I love how The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, plays homage to this movie * when The Conjuring shows the priest arrive to the young man's house, it is the same framing as the Exorcist movie poster
I saw this as a high school student when it first came out. We had to wait in line for over an hour in the cold, which only intensified the movie's effect. For me, the realistic medical scenes and the way they are filmed and edited began the feelings of disgust and horror and it just got worse from there. When we left the theater we were all shaking and the girl who was driving had to sit and have a cigarette until she stopping shaking enough to drive. I didn't sleep that night, and didn't watch any horror movies for years afterward.
I like how the filmmaker gets us used to seeing Regans face, so the change is more affective
"Why is it British?!"
Most important question about the film.
🤣
😂😂😂
This movie was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, and Best Picture, among others. It won two - Best Writing and Best Sound.
The theme is Tubular Bells and written by Mike Oldfield. As a side note, I had an uncle who was a priest and knew one of the priests involved in the exorcism. That is all the entire family was ever told. I asked my online photography students to recreate the best the could they cover shot to show them how the inverse square law works
I grew up a block away from the the block that the priest goes to visit his mom where the kid is jumping on the car. I saw them filming that scene.
This movie was nominated for Best picture , best actor(Jason Miller) , best actress(Ellen burstyn) , Best Chlid Actress (Linda Blair) , best screenplay(which they won), best director
Dude, people were literally fainting in the theaters during this movie. If not that, walking out a quarter ways in. They just couldn't take it anymore. Reporters were doing live shots from theaters talking to stunned patrons as they left the theater to get their reaction. Didn't stop lines from forming around the block with people waiting to see it. (This was before the era of the multiplex).
It was quite the phenomenon. There's been nothing quite like it before or since. I saw it in a darkened theater in full surround stereo with all the horrific voices and beastial sounds coming at you from all around, and believe me it was terrifying. Several times I wanted to walk out myself.
"Was there a lot of controversy about this movie ?"
I had to pause to laugh for a moment.
Seriously, there's days of content to go through about the making of this movie, its impacts, and how it f'ed up Linda Blair's life. It's all worth digging into - this is the stuff of moviemaking urban legends.
It was a horror movie making experiment. The director was relentless. Whether it was appropriate to be viewed by the public later, was an afterthought. This is a stand alone horror movie for sure.
Dude, I just watched this for the first time as well like a month ago. Truly fucked up, and horrifying. The history of people seeing this movie in the theaters, and leaving halfway through, throwing up, screaming as they leave theaters is insane. But just imagine, this was like the first “legit” horror movie for their time. It’s truly disturbing. The crucifix scene….you know which one. Truly disgusting.
Yeah this was unapologetic in its horror. Which I loved!
@@JamesVSCinema exactly. They really had a little girl doing and saying those awful things…really unheard of in it’s time.
@@MichaelBrown101 I remember parents groups during that time wanting to prosecute or somehow punish Linda Blair's parents for allowing her to appear in the film. It was incredibly controversial.
The making of this movie is fascinating. They brought in massive industrial sized fans to cool the air so much in the house, you could see the actors real breath. Set people shaking the walls and floors and using bungie cords on the mother when she gets punched by her daughter. Apparently she did her own stunt, and got hurt in the process. All adds to the immersion. The full length version with the spider walk and the other deleted scenes is the greatest! The priest is the Dad to Jason Patric too which i only found out recently.
Linda Blair (Regan) was in fact nominated for supporting actress for her role in this movie.
My father showed me this when I was 12 years old in 2000 when I said I wanted to see a more adult horror movie. I remember when Regan started growling it was the first time I had chills crawl up my spine. And my face was so close to the TV that time LMAO I never slept that night. The first movie that truly terrified me out of my mind. It's still so hard to top this one given how old this film is.
The great thing about all of the sudden cuts is that the scenes build so much tension... and then cut. There's no "payoff" for that scene other than the suspense itself. You're just left with an unnerved feeling that something's been left unresolved as you're forced to move on to what's next.
More like Top 3 horror films of all time, man. The Exorcist, The Shining, and TCM. Nothing else matters. Billy Friedkin was UNTOUCHABLE in the 70s.
When William Friedkin's big screen adaptation of The Exorcist hit theaters in 1973, it instantly became a cultural phenomenon and must-see event. ... During a screening in New York, reports claimed several audience members ran from the theater in hysterics, while others fainted or vomited. I definitely believe it
This movie defined the tropes for possession movies. How they looked, how far you could go, what a demonically possessed person should look and act like. You can still see its influence in movies today. That, to my mind, is the difference between a good movie and a great movie.
Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: "You don't scare me! Work on it!"
William Friedkin: "Hold my beer..."
It is the purest expression of cinematic horror. The Shining is for me the most impressive filmmaking within the horror genre, but The Exorcist is the most impressive horror film, if that makes any kind of sense at all. The Exorcist novel by William Peter Blatty is also excellent and really worth reading. The true power of the book and the film is that they approach the subject like a documentary or an investigation. We see each possible explanation presented and never fully disproved, so we are left to make up our own minds, which means we take from it whatever fears we went in with!
Can`t imagine how that Movie must left you back in totaly shock 1971 ... it even still works nowdays and we`ve seen almost anything :)
To this day my mom will not allow this movie to be shown in her house. I didn't see it till I was in my early 20's and it was rereleased in theaters for the 25th anniversary.
I love how stairs are used in this movie!
I thoroughly enjoyed your reaction and recap. This movie is so powerfully intense with the build up to an explosive ending. You are right, the acting is top tier along with the screenplay, score, visuals and unrelenting direction by the great William Friedkin. The different emotions the film gives you is extreme. This film has not only stood the test of time but it also is better with repeat viewings. Maybe someday you can view it again alone, in the dark with no distractions. You will get the total immersive experience. Thank you for your review.
There was an incredible story about the late and wonderful William Peter Blatty - the author and screenwriter of The Exorcist - that will always stay with me. When he worked at BMP, the Head of Television commuted from Brighton every day. On his work travels he started reading The Exorcist and found it unbearable, evil, couldn't finish it, and ended up throwing it off the Brighton Pier. Blatty learned of this, so he soaked a copy of his book in water and left it in the top drawer of the guy's desk for him to find.
I really love the history of when this movie was released to theaters. its sooooo amazing to see how much a movie , horror or not , can really drive many viewers to have the reactions the movie creators wanted. (and far more at that!)
if we really break it down we see this movie is very simple and very "calm" unlike how many horror movies have a strong score at every moment or the side/main characters have too much filler and tropes .
with this we see the basics of our characters who half of them , being mother and daughter , are highly relatable and dont need huge backstory to feel captivated by the viewers . we see our church characters who the audience trust to bring piece . once things crumble everything the audience feels safe about is now pure fear .
and that is the most frightening thing of it all . the graphic content that gets worse and worse is all happening in the same home that just had a mother and daughter safe and happy .
in my best opinion is horror movies need to take a moment and really think about how relatable can your characters be and be made that for a good portion of the audience and then let the spiral work and play . that is what can make things really REALLY stand out .
thank you if you read this far and if my wording seems off please forgive i have a disorganized disorder
He’s British at the head turn scene because the demon is using Bert Dennings voice (the guy whose neck he snapped, then threw out Reagan’s window)
@@LukeLovesRose such a well written script. The book is great too, if you haven’t already read it. When it came out, my uncle who was just a youngster at the time, read it in one sitting. He was so scared he couldn’t sleep….so he pulled an all nighter and read it again.
Everyone say she was possessed by the Devil, but Satan doesn't tend to possess. Demons possess, the statue was actually a real Sumerian deity named Pazuzu. He in reality played both negative and positive roles. He could bring famines but he could also protect against other demons. Apparently, even demons can have beef with one another.🤷
First time I saw this, uncut, was on VHS in '82. I was 14 and it was just so shocking.
The music, editing, cinematography, smash cuts, acting and special effects (remember... no CGI at all back then) were amazing.
They actually refrigerated the set in act 3 to see the actors breath.
Cool reaction. And I HIGHLY recommend watching the documentary The Fear of God by BBC. Amazing interviews and behind the scenes footage show what they all went through to film this masterpiece.
The other great religious horror is The Omen (1976). I'd love to see your take on that.
15:22 "I can see why my parents probably didn't let me see this"LOL
Skip the sequel and go straight to the 3rd one. It's in my top 3 horror flicks of all time.
I love the slow burn that is this movie... And that is how it is done...
This was one of those times when the whole crew, cast, writers and director all had the same goal and view ....and just let go!
There are many documentaries (even on UA-cam) showing the absolute phenomenon this movie was and the hysteria it created. Keep in mind this came out in 1973. The world had never seen anything like this. An absolute classic.
Another fantastic reaction, James👏👏I know Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair received Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress nominations, respectively, for their performances. I thought the casting and performances were top tier across the board. ☮❤
hands down my favorite Horror movie of all time, its THIS and Shining for me.
Ayo can't wait to see this reaction James putting out some great content.
My man! Happy to hear it
Finally getting to this film! What are your favorite moments?
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FIRST TIME WATCHING JUJUTSU KAISEN & Squid Game Tuesday. Enjoy the day!
You like intelligent sci-fi horror, so if you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend Jon Dies At the End. Based on a more complicated novel. Same director as Phantasm, which would be a great reaction too. I’m 51 & lots of kids my age snuck into that one & were scarred for life! lol
He also directed Bubba Hotep
When I growing up this film was denied a home video certiticate (or rating) as part of the moral panic of the 'Video Nasties' of the 80s. As a result it achieved legendary status amongst horror fans and I was forever fascinated with watching it but couldn’t. Instead having make do with the Leslie Nielsen spoof Repossessed or its sequels or reading the original novel. At age 13.
Finally watching the film when it was re-released at the cinema and granted a home video, even with years of anticipation did nothing to diminish its power to get under your skin
As a piece of filmmaking it taught me alot in terms of pacing, foreshadowing (the white eyed figures and the loud pounding in the Iraq prologue, the play fight between mother and daughter) and the power of sharp cutting between light and dark, loud and quiet.
Even now having watched the film so many times it still gives me chills.
William Friedkin the director in the very interesting documentary called Leap of Faith said that the possession was orchestrated to attack the young priest as he was already questioning God's motives, Father Damian was the target.
Imagine how audiences 50 years ago reacted to the "Lick Me!" scene lmao. Still shocking
The actress for Regan (Linda Blair) fractured her lower spine during a thrashing scene due to a mechanical failure. It later developed into scoliosis. The production team thought she was just acting at that moment and didn't realize she was in pain.
Though Linda Blair didn't win an Oscar for this, she was nominated!
She _did_ come away from this role with a Golden Globe *and a broken back* from the scene where she's whipping back and forth in bed. (She explains it, along with the full dailies of the shot where it happened in the Shudder series Cursed Films.)