"'The Exorcist' Is Still A Scream"
by Scott Mantz

"The Exorcist"
Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow
Directed by William Friedkin

"Linda Blair has a helluva time when confronted by 'The Exorcist'"

When it comes to naming the scariest movie of all time, it's no contest. "The Shining," "Halloween," and "Night of the Living Dead" are certainly strong contenders, but when push comes to shove, none of them can top "The Exorcist" in terms of sheer terror. When it first came out in 1973, people waited in line for hours just to see what the fuss was all about, only to go home and realize that it would be days before they got a good night's sleep again.

Now, almost 30 years later, "The Exorcist" is back in all its head spinning glory. Taking a similar approach to what George Lucas did with the "Star Wars" re-issues back in 1997, director William Friedkin decided that the time was right to give "The Exorcist" a facelift (and, boy, did she need it!). Spruced up with a re-mixed soundtrack and the restoration of up to 11 minutes of never-before-seen footage, the question still remains. Does "The Exorcist" still have what it takes to retain its title as "the scariest movie of all time?" Well, let's just say that I haven't slept since I've seen it.

For those of you who were too scared to finish watching it the first time around, here's the story. Regan (Linda Blair) was your average 12-year-old girl who seemed to have it all, but then she started acting, well, funny. At first it wasn't much, but using extreme profanity and peeing on the floor was enough for her mother (Ellen Burstyn) to take her to a doctor. One visit after another turned up inconclusive, but Regan's condition kept getting worse. As it turned out, there was an entity inside Regan who just so happened to be the devil himself. That's when Mom called in the troops, comprised of Father Karras (Jason Miller) and Father Merrin (Max von Sydow), to perform a full-blown exorcism.

Scary movies have been around for almost as long as the medium existed, so what was it about "The Exorcist" that had everybody freaked out? Well, for one thing, unlike most of its predecessors, the horror here came from within. It could easily happen to anybody, and even worse, it could happen to you. Regan represents the total corruption of absolute innocence, and her slow defeat to the ultimate evil is just incomprehensible.

For another thing, the film is planted firmly in faith. Faith is something that we all have, whether we acknowledge it or not, and the characters here are forced to come to terms with theirs. Ultimately, Chris turns to religion as a last resort, as her desperation to save her daughter parallels Father Karras' own desperation to redeem his guilt in the aftermath of his mother's death.

Beyond William Peter Blatty's screenplay, full credit must be given to William Friedkin for his effective and convincing direction of "The Exorcist." The pacing is almost like one of Stanley Kubrick's movies in that it takes a little while to get going. Once it does, you're so immersed in the film that you're even more affected by what eventually happens. Also, the best scare tactics are often the ones that are left for the imagination, and Friedkin peppers the film with more subliminal imagery that not only stays with you long into the next scene, but also long after you leave the theater.

Additional scenes have been restored to give the main characters more of a narrative, but if you haven't seen the film in a while, you might not even notice them. One that you will definitely notice is the now infamous "spider walk" that the possessed Regan does down a flight of stairs. Why this was left out of the original release is anyone's guess, since it is easily one of the most frightening moments in the film.

Some scenes that were scary 28 years ago actually seem to elicit some laughs today (actually, they're more like nervous chuckles), but hindsight will do that to any film. However, just as you begin to feel comfortable with "The Exorcist," as most die-hard movie buffs will, evil rears its ugly head to snap you back into the drama of the situation.

To this day, "The Exorcist" continues to make an impact on Hollywood. Although the current crop of "Exorcist"-wannabes (like "Bless the Child" and "Stigmata") are merely posers that aren't even worth the celluloid that they're printed on, the devil is scheduled to make an appearance in no fewer than 3 films over the next 2 months ("Little Nicky," "Bedazzled," and "Lost Souls"). With such a busy schedule, maybe he should get an agent. Come to think of it, he probably is an agent!

"The Exorcist" is not only a great horror film, but it's a great film period. It's a sad state of affairs when the best movie of the year is almost 30 years old, but in this case, what worked then works even better now. The result is a devil of a good time. Now, if you'll excuse me, I haven't slept in days.

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