What scares us more than anything? The answers are multiple : the dark, the evil, a mysterious presence, death ultimately; in fact, anything incontrollable. And when you think about it, all these elements have something in common: they refer to an unknown force whose presence is palpable. Indeed, the unknown scares, because it can't be seen, can't be controlled, therefore, can't be fought.
These are the primitives fears that tortured the life of people since the dawn of humanity, and we inherited this fears in the same unconscious way our children will. We're aware of our mortal nature, and each of our fears is driven by this awareness, which is due to the biggest fear, the fear of the unknown. And the genius of "The Exorcist" is that it perfectly plays on these primitive instincts of ours, to provide the greatest Horror film ever made, a thrilling masterpiece of realism that'll haunt cinematic memories for ever.
As soon as the Tubular bells start ringing, the film is inhabited by an atmosphere that will never desert it, a fearsome and gloomy ambiance absorbing any place we're watching the film in. Everything is directed with such confidence and meticulousness, the thrills almost come precociously. Indeed, before anything happens, we feel something WILL happen, but we don't know what. It seems like a cinematic trick, but not any director has the guts to let you wait more than almost half an hour before the oddities happen. The set-up is slow paced in "The Exorcist" because it's a movie that respects our intelligence, and doesn't try to provide cheap thrills. William Friedkin who had just made another realistic masterpiece, the Best Picture Winner "The French Connection" is so confident he gives us enough time to discover the characters, to get into their daily life, patiently waiting for the pivotal point that will join their fates. The direction, the writing are all in subtlety, and work because even though nothing happens yet, we keep our guard up, we know there's an evil presence somewhere, we can feel it.
This is an old cinematic device started by directors who hadn't enough money to portray credible monster-type villains: they understood that sometimes, the scare is more efficient from the suggestion of a presence than its explicit depiction. When you see, you know, and if you know, you can control, but in "The Exorcist", the villain is here, but we never see him, he's like the shark from "Jaws" or "Alien", with a slight difference, he's not visible because he controls the body of a poor little girl. Linda Blair, as the demonically possessed Regan MacNeil , is so convincing, it broke my heart to see how the evil can have so devastating effects on a pure little soul. And the tragedy of Regan is the torment of her mother, Chris, Ellen Burstyn, perfect as a totally helpless woman, incapable of saving her little girl. And this is the fascinating aspect of the film, more than a horror drama, it also works as a thrilling mystery. A mystery where the Lieutenant Detective Kinderman, Lee J. Cobb in one of his great last roles, is the one who investigates about the strange phenomena that occurred and acts as a bridge between the victims and the priests.
So many questions are raised in the beginning, we understand that sooner or later, we'll have an exorcism. Well, it's the title, isn't it? But the set-up is necessary. The parallel stories where we're transported into the universes of Father Damien Karras, portrayed by Jason Miller, and the iconic Father Merryl, Max Von Sydow, challenge our patience: we can't wait for the exorcism ... but without the build-up, the climax would be worthless. It's a movie where any flaws can be caused by an impatience from the director, an eagerness to distract the masses with thrilling moments, but a big impatience could have ruined such a magnificent and ambitious project. And "The Exorcist" would never have been the masterpiece it is without this patience. However, this would never have been such an iconic horror masterpiece without the few horrifying moments that punctuate the movie between the set-up and the climax. And by horrifying, I won't give any clues, let's just say it works on every level: visual, sounds, atmosphere, cinematography, dialogs, special effects, and of course, timing, since all these effects come at the least expected moments, provoking reactions in total symbiosis with the characters. We feel and fear for them, as the realism implies that it could even happen to us. This is no Hollywood, this is true horror.
Lately, the American Film institute listed the Top 100 movies and I must admit I was shocked not to see "The Exorcist" in the list... it's a classic, probably the most horrifying horror film ever made. It has everything, a dazzling cinematography incarnated by the iconic shot of Father Merryl's shadowy silhouette coming from the mist, an unforgettable villain, and of course shocking moments where the make-up, the visual and sound effects prove how vital they are for such a genre that relies so much on realism. But this realism would have been nothing without the genius of the script and the masterful direction, that could finally let the film exude all its greatness in the last act, one of the most unforgettable climactic sequences ever, putting "The Exorcist" among those films that transcends the simple act of watching, becoming more of experiences.
And this is why I waited for years and years before finally getting to watch "The Exorcist", one of the few movies that scared me even before watching it. And all I can say is that it met my expectations. And watching it at night (with someone, I would recommend) gets more hypnotic and absorbing after each viewing
"The Exorcist" is a must-see and ... be careful, any second, it can surprise you, really
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