Wednesday, May 4, 2016

The Exorcist (1973)


When a teenage girl is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two priests to save her daughter.

It's effective as a horror movie (although it takes an hour to build up the thrills) and counts as a classic of the genre, but the idea is still as silly as it was in the 70s; unfortunately, it inspired a whole series of likewise irrational movies loosely based on Christian themes.

Halliwell*: "Spectacularly ludicrous mishmash with unconfortable attention to physical detail and no talent for narrative or verisimilitude. Its sensational aspects, together with a sudden worldwide need for the supernatural, assured its enormous commercial success."

Maltin***1/2: "Intense, well-mounted adaptation of William Peter Blatty's best-seller, calculated to keep your stomach in knots from start to finish."


No comments: