The Exorcist - The Version You`ve Never Seen
Right, so you`ve already understood me here! OK, this review is a fully-detailed review on THE EXORCIST-THE VERSION YOU`VE NEVER SEEN, rather than the original version released in 1973. I purchased it on DVD and Interactive features are included in my review, towards the end.
THE EXORCIST-THE VERSION YOU`VE NEVER SEEN has been released only in 2000. The image has been digitally restored to a much sharper picture and sound has been digitally tuned to DOLBY SURROUND effects. This makes the film better to watch and I`m sure if you buy a big TV with a Cinema Dolby system, you`ll be experiencing it to the scariest level of THE EXORCIST!
The film opens up in Iraq. There, Father Merrin is an archologist digging to find anything that could belong to the ruins of an ancient demon. I would prefer to say the place of the Devil himself. He finds something belonging to it (the devil) and immediately starts thinking and preparing himself for a second (the first being in Africa, somewhere around 12 or 10 years before) confrontation with the Devil.
The film then targets to the west side of the world, in United States. Back here, at Georgetown in Washington DC, weird things start happening to a famous actress, CHRIS. Her daughter, Reagan starts doing vulgar things whether like; peeing on the carpet infront of guests, giving out a string of obseneties, beating and nearly killing people, vomiting a gluy, and disgusting greenish fluid and I`ll explain it to you in details for you to not be afraid of this film. I bet you can all watch this film just like I did and it`s not good to overate this film because it sure is scary but apart from that, the film is also logic and quite emotional.
Father Karras is a priest who counsells other priests. He may have friends in the hostel and because he is so kind, he`s very friendly too. He also cares, for his sick mother. Unfortunately, he`s loosing his faith in God, and when his mother dies, because of some emotional stress of course, he looses it even more until he has no strength (I mean REASON) to do anything. I hope you remember that thing; anyone has the following: REASON AND EMOTION... Without this, human beings do not exist.
Reagan is sent to the pathologist and a panel of 88 doctors finally give the case as a `NERVOUS DISORDER`. -But then, the alternative given by the medical doctors is ``HAVE YOU HEARD OF EXORCISM?`` Chris accepts and so does Father Karras after many hours of reflection, studies and courage. Permission is granted (by Catholic Church) and next is to choosing the Exorcist. I mean the person who performs the religious ritual. Father Merrin is chosen. Father Karras and he join up as the good guys against the Devil and here follows many intense and quite frightening scenes which are disturbing for most viewers.
The devil gets a sort of liking to Father Karras and answers and sometimes jokes a bit to him. Father Karras, after a scene where he records, analyses and compares the voice of the devil and Reagan`s, he realises that she`s being possessed and imprisoned in her body by the devil.
One particular scene is what I question myself about is why doesn`t the devil make the straps which tighten the body`s hands dissappear? Incidentally, this question is exactly what Father Karras says when he questions the devil. The devil answers: This is much too vulgar for the devil to show it`s powers just like that. I find that answer quite funny because if a devil would really exist, how would it let someone from God (a priest) enter it`s room because it surely already knows that the person wants to dispossess it from the body! The devil plays tricks. It tries to emotionally blackmail Father Karras like transforming it`s body into Father Karras`s mother and questionning him about his own faith in God. Fortunately, Father Merrin stays close to him to keep an eye and he already warns Father Karras of the tricks played by the devil.
Finally, Father Merrin dies and the Devil enters Father Karras who kills himself by falling through a window down the long stairs just below Reagan`s room. Maybe he does this because he thought that that was the way to make the devil disappear, but if that was the case than why would there be sequels of THE EXORCIST.
Reagan is freed from the Devil and gets back to life as normal. Infact, they leave the place to another newbuilt house somewhere far and they try to forget everything in a rather light tone. Infact, the film ends better than the original one, even if it`s more detailed, lengthy, frightening and disturbing.
Natural acting by all the cast and the film ends in a bit lighter tone than the original EXORCIST. However, the film tends to deepen the impact of the frightening scenes like the legendary SPIDERWALK which was not included in the original and the most disturbing scene in the film which is just before the NERVOUS DISORDER. This scene is about the doctors secreting a dye in Reagan`s body as she screams loud. There is no sleeping in this scene. I mean that they perform this operation in the neck while she is alive and not put to sleep. It pains a lot as she screams and sees that sttrange thing being inserted by a needle or something like that. The film is also longer, a staggering 127-minute film full of the world`s scariest movie ever made. It`s a good film having said that. But the interactive menus provide you much more including a lengthy commentary by the director, William Friedklin giving details in the film and his personal experiences during the making of it.
You see, that`s all about the Exorcist. I think that we should open our eyes to the scariest films because if we try to avoid them- we`ll always be frightened when we hear their names. And this is a bad joke certainly to horror-movie fans. I watched it and I wasn`t scared of the movie as much as expressed in most reviews. I know the story by heart, and I am a normal human and lead a normal life.
I know the Exorcist and how the film is but I have avoided putting in some characters here like Burke Denning`s and the Police Detective because they don`t seem to fit the movie in it`s horror-suspence genre.
Here, it`s Chris, Father Karras, Father Merrin, Reagan (most part by the DEVIL) who are the main charcters of the film. Infact the film is rather on Chris and her possessed daughter than any other scene described with the other characters in the review.
SIMPLY A WELL-MADE MOVIE. 5-STARS TO THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER MADE!
(Note:- Please don`t be afraid to watch this movie even if it is very frightening. I would suggest you to buy the DVD because that speech by William Friendklin is in other words an overview of the film with cliches of it. Watching it and hearing his voice, you will soon get used to it. And I bet you will be able to watch the film without being too tense; another suggestion is that you avoid watching it at night and PLEASE watch this movie with your spouse or friends)
These guidelines are ONLY if you feel you cannot muster the courage I had when I watched THE EXORCIST-THE VERSION YOU`VE NEVER SEEN