A very real evil presence

It makes me laugh to think that seven years ago, at the age of thirteen, The Exorcist was the oldest movie I had ever seen at that point, and remained so for a little while longer. My thoughts on the film have never diminished over time, I’ve loved it ever since I first saw it, yet the only thing I was disappointed with then was that it didn’t scare me as much as I thought it would after hearing for years and years that this was deemed, “the scariest film of all time”. Seeing it again tonight, holy shit, I’m genuinely convinced it is and I don’t know why the hell this film didn’t terrify and shock me more to the core then as opposed to now.

Right from the very first frame, something is immediately off. There is such a real presence, a very, very, real EVIL presence looming in the back of this film for its entirety that has just never ever been replicated in any other horror film or cheap imitation. I love films that refuse to be over and The Exorcist is truly a fantastic example because of how much purposeful contradiction the audience is given to consider and think for themselves, contradictions that don’t need to be cleared up or provide answers. A whole packed theatre of people can watch this film and walk out believing one of the many different scenarios we’re given as to why Regan becomes possessed in the first place. Is it from the Ouija? Is it from the excavation in Iraq at the start of the film? Is Regan just collateral for the devil to get to Father Karras? Or is it just an unfortunate one in a million chance and these are all just coincidences? You tell me, that’s what Friedkin wanted more than anything.

The Exorcist takes great advantage of diving deep in to the reality of the films circumstances and how each and everyone in such an unbelievable situation as this would react. What I’m seeing never feels dull or improbable like a lot of horrors. The realism is what makes this film more than just a blockbuster horror but a genuine heartbreaking tragedy of a mother being forced to witness her child suffer and wither away before her eyes, unable to do anything to save her and never once being given a conclusive or satisfying answer or diagnosis as to what is truly happening to her daughter, and I think this film greatly taps in to that universal anxiety that any parent would have for the safety of their child. If anything, the hardest scenes I found to sit through without squirming were the scenes of Regan undergoing the tests and X-rays.

The faith aspect is also incredibly profound and executed perfectly. Damien Karras is one of the most underrated characters in all of cinema and his evolution from questioning his beliefs to believing is almost the antithesis of what Antonius Block goes through in The Seventh Seal, from believer to doubter, and oddly enough, both films star the great Max Von Sydow.

The Exorcist is a masterpiece of horror and all the praise it gets is warranted. Its not one you can put on often but its one that you never, ever forget.