Very rarely I’ve seen a paranormal fiction film affect me so deeply, both intellectually, emotionally and physically. Always thought that a Horror film cannot soothe our soul, cannot give a soothing comfort to the spirit but William Friedkin’s "The Exorcist" have defied that belief of mine.
Its a profound journey of faith and belief and one that ends up delivering an emotional wallop of sorts that is so hard to obliterate from your memory even after years of watching the film.
Here’s a study of the paranormal, a full fledged character study of the Hokum, presented in the form of a real life drama.
Its about a 12 year old teenage girl "Regan Macneil" possessed by an evil spirit and the repercussions it stems off in the close relatives of hers - predominantly her Mother Chris Macneill a popular actress in Hollywood played by Ellen Bursten.
The set up is ingenious showing a grumpy old priest digging Museum pieces in 20th century Iraq. He discovers a small amulet that reminds him of an old enemy in "Pazuzu" a sphinx king of the demons that appears and disappears in the procrastinating sun like a vignette.
Then the action switches to Washington D.C where the paranormal takes it revenge of sorts.
The Ojoboard game played by the mother and her Kid invites the spirit take its possession.
Chris’s close friend and director Burke Dennings dies mysteriously with his head twisted in reverse subsequently and this rather surreal death stirs up interests in some of the authorities to consider the possibility of a murder, take up the case and sidetrack their investigation to the 12 year old’s house.
But the poor girl is possessed and is undergoing tremendous physical transformation. Before things starts to turn up haywire Chris must prevent the demon from killing everyone with the help of Father Damien Karras and the priest we meet in the prologue passage.
The act of freeing the spirit from the possessed soul is technically known as EXORCISM and this Hollywood movie, simply put, is just that. A set-up, clean-up exercise lets put it that way.
A fiction like this defies believe from the word go but the movie literally throws you into a satanic experience full of bravura set pieces & sound effects that is aptly supported by a pitch perfect score.
Jack Nitzsche’s brilliant original score not only aids the elementary mood and behavior of the characters but also a marries the underlying theme of the film with a brooding enigma.
The performances are awesome especially from Ellen Bursten and Jason Miller. Miller shows the vulnerabilities and the angst brewing beneath him just with his voice and Ellen, as the mother is the glue that vests and holds your emotional attention in the goings of The Exorcist all the way through.
Linda Blairs rotating head. That clumsy demon voice by Mercedes McCambridge. The Priest entrance sequence glittered up by a glaring light. The famous spider walk.
This movie has all the elementary things of a Ghost story and yet it still plays like as if you’ve never seen it before.
There are so many infinite special effects where the technical team have used shades and miniatures of creepy ghost objects here and there that is enough to kick start a virtual reality debate of sorts in the cyberspace.
Roman Catholic church condemned this film for its heightened abuses on the face of God but you can’t help but admire and appreciate the director for not showing the ghost apparently but doing it in an implicit manner.
As in its from the inside to begin with and from the outside in the mid portion and all combined with a climax that goes into overdrive mode.
Technicalities are all top notch which echoes even today but movies like The Exorcist scores points mainly in the storytelling and the direction.
An artists craft not only floats on mere Special effects but it stems from his ability to narrative stories, supernatural or real life, truth or fiction, that make you go "ha ha!" from beginning till end.
He uses a mother and daughter, primitive archetype to unravel the story but to his credit he does it heightened effect without ever giving a feeling that its a mere retread of the plot thread.
Friedkin’s craft is stamped in each and every scene of "The Exorcist." His technique is awesome but even more so its the storytelling that makes you belief in the Hokum at least for a while.
The result - One of those rare gems that takes a hold of your nervous system like an irritating bug and never lets go not even for a microsecond. I think that’s the most overlooked aspect of this film - that it never gets unscary for well over two hours. Awesome!