ADDED TO 'GREATEST FAVORITES': The Exorcist (1973)

Directed by William Friedkin

The mystical sound of the Adhan (a traditional Muslim prayer chant) opens The Exorcist from the very second the title is displayed on screen. It makes sense to hear this. After all, as the film begins, we are fading into the scorching sun and arid landscapes of Iraq, and perhaps this was Friedkin’s sole intent, but I can’t help sense a tone of dread in this chanting. It sounds more like a call to arms, not in the spirit of a Jihad, but to announce the presence of a very true evil among us. No matter what one’s faith, if present at all, one that everybody can agree that said evil must be stopped at all costs.

It is a call to arms that is, perhaps, first heard by Father Merrin (the great Max von Sydow). He is in Iraq on an excavation mission, where he is seemingly followed by the image of Pazuzu, and all of its unsettling inertia. Before we know it, we are in Georgetown with Chris (Ellen Burstyn) and her pre-teen daughter, Regan (Linda Blair). Regan seems typical for her age, sweet yet childishly mischievous. But her deviant antics become not only more frequent, but more outlandish, vulgar, and violent. Chris does everything to get Regan back to her normal self, consulting what seems like every doctor and psychologist in the city. No matter what treatment, though, whatever ailment Regan is undergoing won’t budge. Finally, a group of doctors suggest a last-resort treatment: an exorcism from the Catholic Church.

Enter Damien Karras (Jason Miller) a local Catholic priest, psychologist by trade. He wanders the world around him with indifference, simultaneously aware of his duties as a priest but also of his limitations as a man. By his own admittance, his faith is on its last legs, which are trembling in weakness – this is only made worse by the recent death of his mother. He is contacted by Chris to save her daughter, to which he is hesitant – to him, if somebody wants an exorcism, they’d need to go back in time to the 16^th Century. But interactions with Reagan convince him of demonic evil afoot.

For the longest time, my reaction to The Exorcist has always been disappointingly lukewarm. As the years have gone on, it was a film that I wanted to love, let alone like, more than I actually did. Then I noticed something: all these years, I had been watching the Extended Cut. As I did the research, nearly all my criticisms were to blame on the additions in this cut.

On that note, I would like to get my criticisms of the Extended Cut out of the way. The vast majority of the additional scenes, though interesting to watch for curiosity’s sake, add next to nothing. Friedkin had perhaps a little too much fun with those pop-ups of Pazuzu’s face, and the frequent appearances of such a terrifying image become laughable, with the exception of the appearance during Reagan’s hospital tests (the one scene that I wish would have stayed in the Theatrical Cut). On top of everything else, this particular cut is scarred by an ending that is tonally awkward and completely out of place (why would anybody think it’s a good idea to put an homage of Casablanca in a film like this?).

Very recently, I have decided to watch the original Theatrical Cut. Not only did I save myself 10 minutes, but I was also now able to see just what the hell everybody was talking about. From the slower than slow-burn tension in the first act, to the chaos of the second, capped off by the all-out warfare in the third, the experience of watching The Exorcist can only be described as painful.

I would give anything within reason to go back to 1973, where no filmmaker dared even think about showing what we saw in The Exorcist. To experience the shock of such horrifying deeds for the first time must have been extraordinary and singular for its time. What we see and hear is beyond revolting, but not once does it come off as distasteful or an act of arbitrary shock value (with the arguable exception of the infamous spider-walk, only in the Extended Cut). Rather, it further corners the viewer into a do-or-die confrontation with the devil itself, a concept that is otherwise dismissed as fantasy, which would be the case of The Exorcist if it were a lesser film.

To confront the devil is to face the concept that true evil is not only among us, but a force that cannot be fought on the physical realm of our reality. And in that reality, the modern age where the black and white of old has been shoved to the side by a seemingly infinite amount of grey shades, where technological and scientific advances have an explanation for everything, perhaps pure, inexplicable evil is a force that mankind will never be able to even comprehend. To fight an enemy without being unable to understand it, I think this is perhaps the most terrifying aspect of The Exorcist. No hyperbole; it brings be the greatest sense of relief that this is just a movie.

Friedkin creates a spiritual battlefield out of the world in The Exorcist. Something as miniscule as dogs fighting or two people arguing with each other implies a greater conflict boiling outside Chris and Regan’s home. Not only does this make The Exorcist all the more unsettling, but all the more impressive, considering the vast majority of the action is set within the confines of said house. I’ve noticed the best of horror tends to take place in some kind of enclosed setting, whether it be the Overlook Hotel, the Nostromo, or Outpost 31. Contrary to those films, though, the door to escape in The Exorcist is wide open, but how terrifying that the greater good of humanity depends on confronting the devil, in turn remaining in that house.

It would be a shame if such potential of a film like this were wasted due to incompetent performances, technicality and/or writing. Thank the heavens above that no such incompetence is to be found in The Exorcist. Performances are all exceptional. Burstyn is very believable as the action-oriented but ultimately desperate mother in peril. Blair’s fearless conviction as the possessed Regan is so convincing that one may wonder if there’s some malicious spark within her. Jason Miller beautifully embodies the faith-imperiled priest, coming out as the true star of the film. For Father Merrin, I couldn’t think of a more perfect fit than the great Max von Sydow. Finally, there’s Mercedes McCambridge’s voice work as the demon within Regan, which can only be described as chilling ("In here, with us" is one of the most terrifying lines in movie history). She's exactly what I expect a demon to sound like.

To this very day, the makeup on Blair is terrific, and still remains terrifying even after being shown, referenced, and parodied all over the place, though the makeup job on Sydow also deserves recognition (allegedly, he wears more makeup than Blair for the old-age look). Cinematography takes a mostly static and sometimes documentary-style look. Instead of this making The Exorcist visually boring, it simply makes the whole premise, one that is complete fantasy to most of us, all the more believable.

As far as horror films are concerned, my heart will always lie with The Shining as my favorite, and I don’t think anybody would argue that Kubrick’s masterpiece earns its ranks as a truly remarkable achievement in horror. But in the greater scheme of horror films, The Exorcist very potentially stands as the greatest of the genre. Like what 2001: A Space Odyssey did for science fiction, as well as The Godfather for crime and gangsters, The Exorcist took the horror genre, at the time shrouded in the ranks of B-grade entertainment, and showed what it was truly capable of, tapping into themes of faith and existentialism, good and evil. Of course, this is bolstered by great characters and masterful performances. To top it all off, it’s still scary as hell.