Wednesday, December 26, 1973

The Exorcist released

The Exorcist

Released: December 26, 1973

Studio: Warner Bros.

Genre: horror

Box Office (numbers in millions):

Domestic: 232.90
Worldwide: 441.30

Adjusted for Inflation:

Domestic: 1085.09
Worldwide: 2046.40

Directing: William Friedkin

Screenwriting: William Peter Blatty

Starring: Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, Max von Sydow, Jason Miller

Review:

This “disturbing, shocking, exploitative, and frightening film adaptation of William Peter Blatty’s best-selling, blockbuster book about satanic demon possession” ^FS is “the scariest motion picture ever.” ^TV “Director William Friedkin’s shocks are as heart-stopping as ever, and the excellent cast is assisted by the most frightening noises ever recorded.” ^TV As “the first big-budget Hollywood horror film,” VD it became a “landmark film that spawned a new generation of horror movies.” ^A07

Regan (Blair) is a sweet and innocent pre-teen girl possessed by the devil. mother, Mrs. Mac Neil (Burstyn), “calls on a dedicated, faith-questioning Jesuit priest Father Karras (Miller) to exorcise the malevolent devil from her daughter’s body. An elderly priest Father Merrin (von Sydow), whose archaeology project released the Satanic being, also risks his life to administer rites of exorcism with incantations and holy water.” ^FS As a result of the exorcism, “her head spins around like a radar dish, she spews green slime, and begins to wreak havoc of biblical proportions.” VD

While “the pea-soup vomit, head-spin and crucifix abuse moments” ^E18 are what people remember most from The Exorcist, “the reason it chills so deeply is the way it sustains and builds its disquieting atmosphere so craftily and consistently throughout.” ^E18

Sources:

^A07 American Film Institute (2007). “AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies – 10th Anniversary Edition”
^E18 Empire (3/20/2018). “The 100 Greatest Movies”
^FS Filmsite.org “100 Greatest Films”
^TV TV Guide (August 8-14, 1998 issue). “50 Greatest Movies on TV and Video”
^VD Video Detective (1997). “Top 100 Films of All Time”

Awards/Honors/Lists:

Dave’s Movie Database Lists:

Dave’s Movie Database Genre Lists:

Box Office:

Awards:

Oscars:

Wins: 2 – Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Sound

Nominations: 10 – including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Burstyn), Best Supporting Actor (Miller), Best Supporting Actress (Blair), Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, Best Film Editing.

Other Lists/Honors:

First posted 9/15/2019; last updated 6/3/2023.