Film Review
Arguably the greatest, certainly one of the most successful and
influential, of all horror films is
The
Exorcist, William Friedkin's gripping adaptation of a
bestselling novel by William Peter Blatty (who incidentally produced
and scripted the film).
This is a defining film in the horror
genre, treading new ground in its depiction of evil whilst managing to
be chilling and revolting in roughly equal measure. In the
light of how far the genre has progressed in subsequent decades, it is
hard today to comprehend the impact the film had on its first
release. Although there had been similar films portraying child
possession - Roman Polanski's
Rosemary's Baby (1968) springs
immediately to mind -
The Exorcist
is in a completely different league, offering genuine frights
rather than cheap thrills. Friedkin's
documentary-realist style of filmmaking, coupled with some
extraordinarily convincing special effects, made this one of the most
shocking horror films in a generation. And it still has the power
to shock today.
The main reason why
The Exorcist
works as well as it does is because it convinces us that everything we see
is plausible. Many horror films offer some security by dint of the fact that
what is portrayed is clearly a fantasy that can never happen. This film is
different. It taps into our fears of the unknown, reminds us that there are areas of
human experience which science has yet to account for, and persuades us that
demonic possession could be a reality. What makes this possible are the
harrowingly convincing performances from a great cast. Particularly
impressive are Jason Miller, making a remarkable screen debut as Father
Karras, and the 12-year year old Linda Blair, who stoically endured
untold miseries (and many, many hours in make-up Hell) to play the
demonically possessed child, Regan. There are also fine
contributions from Ellen Burstyn, Lee J. Cobb and Max von
Sydow (best known for his appearances in many an Ingmar Bergman film).
Friedkin even cast practising Catholic priests in some of the
supporting roles, something which adds to the film's authenticity.
Most of the cast suffered as a result of director William Friedkin's
highly unorthodox methods for getting his actors to give the reaction
he wanted. These included: firing off guns at random on the set,
slapping an actor in the face immediately before a take and not telling
an actor (in this case Burstyn) what was in store for her when she was
fastened into a stunt harness.
The climactic exorcism sequence was filmed at sub-zero
temperatures, just so that we could see the actors' frozen breath
(this was achieved by enclosing the bedroom set inside what
was effectively an industrial refrigeration system). Had Friedkin applied the same
techniques to animals, he would most probably have been prosecuted by
one of the animal welfare organisations...
At the end of a gruelling two-year long production schedule,
The Exorcist came close to being
shelved when the executives at Warner Brothers were uncertain what to
make of it when they saw it for the first time. During a preview
screening several members of the audience ran out of the theatre to be
sick. When the film was released in 1973, it met with a decidedly
mixed reaction.
Much of the criticism focused on the film's
perceived artistic failings (shallow characterisation being the most
frequently cited flaw). However, far more vociferous were those
(including the well-known evangelist Billy Graham) who were convinced
that the film was inherently immoral, if not downright evil.
Naturally, this outcry from the moral indignant merely stoked public
interest in the film and it became a runaway box office success (with
people queuing for several hours to see the film in some towns). To date,
The Exorcist has grossed
around 400 million dollars, making it one of the most profitable horror
films of all time. It was also nominated for ten Oscars, but won
just two awards, in the Best Sound and Best Adapted Screenplay
categories.
The Exorcist would have a
lasting impact on the horror genre, resulting in a sudden shift away from the
low budget Gothic horror films that had been so popular in the previous
decades towards more realistic horror films in a contemporary
setting. It would also encourage filmmakers to include more
explicit horror content in their films in an attempt to shock audiences
more and more (something that hasn't necessarily improved the quality
of the genre). The film that inspired numerous imitations itself
had two direct sequels -
Exorcist
II: The Heretic (1977), directed by John Boorman and
The Exorcist III (1990), directed
by Blatty (an adaptation of his own novel,
Legion). There was also a
prequel:
Exorcist: The Beginning
(2004). None of these films comes close to matching the brilliance and
daring of the original, which is now widely considered to be a
masterpiece of its genre.
© James Travers 2009
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Film Synopsis
Whilst making a film in Georgetown, Washington DC, the actress Chris MacNeil
becomes increasingly concerned over her 12-year-old daughter, Regan,
who is exhibiting strange psychological and physical changes.
When doctors fail to come up with a medical explanation for what is
happening, Chris consults Father Karras, a psychiatric counsellor at
the university, and asks him to perform an exorcism on her
daughter. Karras is at first sceptical, but when he sees that
Regan is in the possession of demonic forces, he approaches his
superiors in the Catholic Church. They suggest that a more
experienced priest, Father Merrin, should perform the exorcism, with
Father Karras's support. What ensues is a terrifying
confrontation between the forces of good and evil - and the outcome is
far from certain...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.