Yes, The Exorcist Still Gives Me Nightmares – How the 1973 Film Still Holds Up 50 Years Later

The Exorcist (1973) is often cited as one of the scariest horror films of all time, which obviously means that some modern viewers who haven’t seen it think it’s overrated or poorly aged. Well, I’m here to tell them how wrong they are. It is no exaggeration to say that William Friedkin and The Exorcist changed horror films forever in 1973 when the supernatural horror film, based on William Peter Blatty’s 1971 novel, fell on unsuspecting audiences. It’s a masterclass in horror and cinema, and it’s never a bad idea to remind people why.

When I was young, my father would always tell me about the horror films he had seen. I wasn’t allowed to see anything other than PG, because who wants a bunch of scared kids crawling into their parents’ bed every night? Then, to excite me, he told me everything he had seen, and I will never forget the fear he described feeling when The Exorcist came on cable TV late at night. I wasn’t sure what to expect so many years later when I finally watched it, bracing myself for something cheesy and old. Well, loyal Screen speech reader, it was anything but that.

The Exorcist is still as disturbing now as it was in 1973

William Friedkin’s film feels as modern as any horror film

The Exorcist It’s as scary now as it was for my dad when it came outand I challenge anyone to watch it with the lights off, late at night, and not feel a chilling dread creeping up their spine, or start seeing figures out of the corners of their eyes. With so many sequences in The Exorcist franchise, it can be a little confusing going into the film and not knowing what to expect. Is he a killer? Tense and full of scares? Full of gross practical chaos? Deeply uncomfortable psychological toll?

Well, it’s a little bit of everything, as most excellent horror films are. It’s the scariest scene Hereditary when Charlie (Milly Shapiro) plants a kiss on a telephone pole or when Annie (Toni Collette) slowly comes into focus on Peter’s (Alex Wolff) ceiling? They are very different scares, but they merge and merge to create something frighteningly powerful. In the same way, The Exorcist It’s never just one kind of “thing.” There’s bone-chilling dread, disgusting bile, and some of the most unexpected scares in any horror film.

There is a deeply disturbing tone The Exorcist this has been matched by few other horror films. The slowly building horror is suffocating enough, but What takes the film over the top are the isolated moments of hide-behind-the-pillow horror that happen at the film’s perfect moments. Friedkin knows exactly when you start to feel safe, the moment you start to let your guard down, and that’s when he throws one of the film’s signature scares your way. Scares that haven’t aged a day.

The Exorcist’s scariest scenes take on modern horror

Pop culture has made people forget how scary the movie is

​​​​​​​The most disturbing and distressing scenes in The Exorcist have been parodied, copied and discussed extensively since the film’s release. All of this had the unfortunate side effect of “ruining” the scares, at least for those who haven’t seen the films yet. They devolve into jokes and lose much of the context and craftsmanship that makes them so scary. Maggie Simpson’s head spins in a Treehouse of Terror episode, Jay Baruchel shouts, “The power of Christ compels you!” in This is the endWho hasn’t projectile vomited at one time or another?

While entertaining, these references could convince some people that the scares in The Exorcist they are equally silly. Watch Regan’s (Linda Blair) head spin. How scary can this be when a twisted head is the heat trap in a Mountain range film? If you’re like me before watching The ExorcistYou might have guessed that Regan’s head-turning scene was a very slow moment, with a lot of preparation. I imagined she would be shaking in bed, with her mother or a priest watching, and at that moment she would stop shaking and her neck would slowly bend.

This, to me, sounded like a traditionally scary horror scene that was probably scary in the 70s but has since lost its power. That’s not what happens. Instead of, a rapid succession of horrific images took me by surprise again and again until I was completely unprepared for the final scare. First, Chris (Ellen Burstyn) enters and finds Regan violently masturbating with a crucifix. Disturbing and disgusting enough, though perhaps with some shock factor lost to time.

What comes next is worse. Chris is thrown to the ground and the camera quickly cuts to a low shot of Regan’s large dresser being pulled towards Chris. It happens so quickly and is so destabilizing that it completely threw me off balance. It’s just a dresser, but the speed at which it approaches the camera is claustrophobic. This is followed by another quick cut to Regan in her bed and just as the camera pans to her, the creak of your neck begins and your head spins, much, much faster than you would expect.

It’s deliriously scary and works on a strange, primal level. This is how the scares The Exorcist they are. They look unnatural but still real. You think you have control over a scene, then Friedkin shakes you like a wild horse, and you’re left holding on, terrified and enchanted, the entire time.

The Exorcist proves that horror needs to be taken more seriously as a genre

When done right, horror films are as award-worthy as anything

Even separated from his legacy and his scares, The Exorcist is a gripping, gripping drama that will leave even young, modern viewers on the edge of their seats.. Why The Exorcist is also a mystery. Decades later, everyone and their demon-possessed mother knows that the demons in The Exorcist are real, but the film only slowly reveals this fact. For much of the running time, it is unclear to the characters whether Regan is lying, her mother is lying, whether Regan is sick, or whether Father Karras (Jason Miller) is suffering from delusions.

This makes for an exceptionally intriguing watch as you try to figure out what each person believes. That’s the power of having a director like William Friedkin helming your project. The Exorcist was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and won Best Sound (Regan Neck Ranger, for the win) and Best Screenplay (insert sound – Regan’s Neck Rangerfor victory). These are films like The Exorcist which prove that horror is not a niche genre. When done correctly, with new ideas and techniques, and a story to tell, they can become something that has lasted from 1973 to the present.