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If anyone else ever makes one thread for two movies, I'll find where you live and beat you without mercy in front of your family... -nixon
Matt Chisholm's original review:
THE EXORCIST
When I was 8 years old, my family and I fell victim to a rather unpleasant home invasion. Even that was less terrifying than my experience of watching The Exorcist for the first time. I knew I loved it at once but, like Leaving Las Vegas, it was so horrible to endure and affected me so deeply that I never wanted to watch it again. I have no shame in saying that I slept with my laptop playing old Office episodes on for a few weeks, and I wasn't a little boy either. I was seventeen. Obviously, I changed my tune and now I've probably seen this movie fifty times. I doubt there's a single person here who doesn't know the plot of this thing, so I'll keep it basic: a young girl is possessed by a demon and her desperate mother turns to a young priest to get an exorcism for her. That's all the plot you need.
What is powerful about The Exorcist is not so much the big, scary scenes but everything else in between. This is a quiet, subdued and subtle film for 90% of its running time, only every so often punctured by two or three moments of extreme violence. At first thought, this film seems a lot more violent than it really is. If you think about the actual amount of gore, this movie is rather tame. Tame, but effective. It's the dread-laced silence of the scenes before and after that violence that leaves you shaken, and the calliber of the performances that make you believe this is all really happening. Ellen Burstyn gives her most memorable performance in a career full of memorable performances as Chris MacNeill, young Reagen's desperate mother. It is her fear, her frustration and her inability to help her daughter as she descends into the abyss that is our entrance into believing this movie. If she had given one false moment, one tiny flicker that told us she knew how ridiculous this plot is, the entire illusion would've been shattered. But she holds the movie together, she gives us the heart of the piece and allows us to feel her terror in a way that is completely unique to The Exorcist.
In my opinion, The Exorcist is a one of a kind, never to be repeated film that transcends its genre and its medium to become something much more than just a scary movie. It is an experience. Endlessly compelling, completely engrossing and scary as all holy hell, it is the best of all horror films and, almost forty years after its creation, still deserves all the infamy and acclaim that it has received.
"Endlessly compelling, completely engrossing and scary as all holy hell, it is the best of all horror films and, almost forty years after its creation, still deserves all the infamy and acclaim that it has received."
Well put. The Exorcist is the king of all horror films and always will be. The raw power and primal fear that this film evoked will never be equalled. I try to imagine myself as a moviegoer in 1973 and can only wonder about how I'd react to the shock and terror over what was on the screen in front of me. It's just amazing the punch this movie still has. And, that's not because the effects still hold up, although they do. It's the power of the story and the characters. This movie is a testament to the sheer power of the motion picture. The sounds and sights are overwhelming and that's exaclty what William Friedkin the director wanted: a sensory assault.
"At first thought, this film seems a lot more violent than it really is. If you think about the actual amount of gore, this movie is rather tame."
I don't agree with this. While there's not as much blood as other movies, the violence is anything but tame. A little girl stabbing herself in the crotch with a metal crucifix, slapping her mother across the room and then having her head spin halfway around. No, that's not tame. Those scenes still have more power in them than anything I've seen in other horror films. And then the final scene of a priest throwing himself out the window and tumbling down an endless cement stairway. Not tame at all. Everything in this movie was designed to shock, and it still does. Awesome movie.
Although, I don't know which version the Blu-ray is. If it's the director's cut, i hated it. Yet another example of a director with too much time on his hands going back and tampering with a classic.
The Exorcist for me, along with Silence of the lambs and the original Halloween is one of the best horror movies i have seen, some truly great stuff, Apocalypse now on the other hand had a great first and second act, then kind of a cartoonish Marlon Brando third act (with the exception of Dennis Hopper, he was great), it is in no way even close, in a million trillion miles, to platoon, glory, saving private Ryan or black-hawk down as the greatest war film, not even by the longest long mile, at least for me, the others that i have mentioned are to me, great war films where as Apocalypse now is merely good, but i guess we are all entitled to our own opinion.
The Exorcist, on a personal level, was probably the most disappointing film I've ever seen. I've always loved horror and that was built up so much...banned for ages etc.
Everyone said how scary it was and how good it was.
I watched it and it had no impact on me whatsoever. The crucifix scene was good. Other than that it was all a bit one paced and mediocre.
I was quite young when I watched it, so I watched it again when I was older to see if it was just a case of me missing sometihng, but again it left me cold.
The Omen for me remains the definitive "Devil" film.
Apocalypse Now is good. Some of my friends absolutely love it to bits, so it's clearly got a strong resonance with some people. I enjoyed it, but it was slightly unfocused and sprawling for me to completely embrace.
That said, Coppola always has a way of maintaining interest even over a long time frame, and he's a director that always has something of brilliance in his films, whether they're wholly sucessful or not...and there is a lot of brilliant stuff going on in the film.
I can definitley see why some would consider it to be truly brilliant...Exorcist, not so much.
The original Omen is by far the definitive Devil movie, and a pure classic!
I remember very vividly, going to see it at the theater in 1976...I was 13, and the old ticket taker just about scolded my Mom for allowing me to see it. I can still see him shaking his head as he said, "This isn't a movie for anyone his age to see."
Nonetheless, I frickin' Loved it and have ever since.
The Exorcist is so dull, so 1 note, so...not what it's made out to be.
The original Omen is by far the definitive Devil movie, and a pure classic!
So very, very true.
I had the same exact reaction to The Exorcist as Rick had. Completely underwelmed. I was like, that's it?
Has anyone here seen "The First Power"? A devil film from the 90s with Lou Diamond Philips. I remember seeing it back in the day and thought it was pretty good. Haven't seen it in ages so it might suck now.
Down in the hole / Jesus tries to crack a smile / Beneath another shovel load
Yeah, saw the First Power. Not very good, IMO. As far as the Omen, the original is a classic. Takes a completely different tack on the devil child subject than the Exorcist. Great use of suspense and also a great soundtrack with that Latin chanting. The sequels got worse as they went along and that remake...ugh.
"Even that was less terrifying than my experience of watching The Exorcist for the first time. I knew I loved it at once but, like Leaving Las Vegas, it was so horrible to endure and affected me so deeply that I never wanted to watch it again."
For me, this sentiment applies to "Schindler's List". Still haven't seen it again, and probably won't, though it was a terrific film.
AS far as these two movies, The Excorcist was def creepy for me. Anything devil related tends to get me. Sure, some are better than others, but IMO this is the grand daddy of them all.
"Apocalypse" to be honest never did that much for me. By all account, the set was a mess with people smoking and snorting a bunch of dope, and IMO it shows in the end result. Sure it has its iconic moments and lines, but all in all its a very disjointed film, which I guess is the point. War being all shitty and all. Point is, some of the other war movies mentioned here I thought effectively conveyed the horror of war better. No offense to our dear Col. on the boards here.
That said, I have not watched this movie in a long while. I also had a similar reaction to "A Clockwork Orange" when first watching, but have since changed my mind.
The Exorcist isn't one of my favorites but I would certainly consider it one of the best horror movies of all time. You really can't ask for much more when a horror movie puts people in therapy. I also think it's one of the most courageous films of all time and I commend it for including some of the images that it did. I don't care for any other exorcism movies. Even the new one Eli Roth produced looks awful. I think Lord of Illusions was the only other film to have a decent exorcism scene.
I liked the Omen as well. The remake wasn't awful but it sure was meh. Not a huge fan of that subgenre of horror though.
I love Apocalypse Now as well. It drags at times and there's definitely better war films out there but I really dug the trippier elements of it. Something good's gotta come from four years of simultaneous film production and drug use. I also think it's a great example of virtuosic filmmaking. The opening sequence is sick and totally rock n' roll. One of my favorites.
Yeah, this has grown on me after repeat viewings. I first watched it at a young age and just found it dull and boring ( as I was more into just seeing Jason and co. ) but I've watched it a few times over the past few years and have grown to admire and respect it greatly.
I'd definitly consider it one of of the all time horror greats, if not just for the score but for the acting from the cast that builds up the slow burining film to its classic finale. I was more intrigued by the priest's role - been a while since I seen it last - but it works so well. The whole possessed girl thing is not my thing but I just enjoyed the others aspects and this is what the film focuses on. I kinda dig that.
They kinda messed up with the sequel, although part 3 I thought was quite excellent.
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