If there ever existed a film that truly scared the piss out of me, this is it. Back in sixth grade I remember watching an afternoon Celtics/Sixers game and watching parts of “The Exorcist” during the commercial breaks. Here I was in broad daylight, not even watching the movie in full, sitting there all alone and getting so creeped out to the point I had to go outside just to feel safe from any spirits that may have been be lurking in my house. I still find myself waiting to bump into a possessed Regan as I get a drink of water in the middle of the night, and find myself still bolting up the stairs to avoid a possessed hand grabbing my ankle through the railing. Telling a simple yet complex tale of a young girl’s possession by an invading evil spirit, “The Exorcist” still holds up terrifically some thirty years after it’s release. All of the head spinning, pea soup puking, crucifix masturbating, foul-mouthed tirades etc. still have the capacity to shock, as evident by the successful re-release of the film several years ago.

I remember watching the “re-stored” version in the theatres with your usual crowd of smart-ass teens who were cracking jokes during the flick, etc. However, when it came time for the infamous “crucifix” scene, the whole theatre was stunned into silence, with myself sitting their thinking, “Take that you little shits!” And, just as happened during it’s initial release, some lady actually fainted, no shit, during the film, which added an extremely weird vibe in the theatre, let me tell you. Getting back to the actual movie though, I must say it is a masterpiece in subtle (can you believe that?) imagery and the like. Besides all the onscreen nastiness, the film has an extremely deep theme of good vs. evil in it. As evident on the DVD commentary track, the goal of the demon is not to ruin Regan but those around her, to make them despair and think human life is worthless and devoid of any true virtue. I enjoyed many of the subtle elements of the film from the subliminal images of a skeletal demon face, the symbolic use of the amulet discovered by Father Merrin in Iraq, etc. This is a fairly deep film, and requires many viewings to soak it all in. Besides the subtleties, the infamous demonic displays are still indeed shocking, the crucifix scene being one that still is just as intense as can be, if not perhaps “the” most intense scene ever in film, topped off with Regan speaking in the deceased Burk Dennings British accent, “do you know what she did, your cunting daughter?” That line always spooked me out for some reason, and was just awesome to see in a theatre. Top-notch acting by all involved does not hurt either, most notably Ellen Byrstyn as Regan’s mother, delivering a simply awesome performance. All in all, “The Exorcist” is simply an excellent piece of filmmaking from all aspects, story, acting, special effects, etc. and perhaps the greatest horror film ever made. Period.